Leading North American forest genetics researchers, professionals and students joined together at Penn State for the 2025 Forest Genetics Conference, where they shared ideas and made connections to enhance research dedicated to preserving forests.
The conference brought members of the Western Forest Genetics Association (WFGA), the Southern Forest Tree Improvement Committee (SFTIC) and the Northern Forest Genetics Association (NFGA) together for the first ever joint meeting with a focus on "Harnessing Genetic Diversity for Resilient Forests."
Conference committee lead Jill Hamilton is the director of the Louis W. Schatz Center for Tree Molecular Genetics at Penn State. She also serves as president of the WFGA, and during the association's last biannual meeting she began to consider the idea of bringing the three North American regional forest genetics groups together at Penn State to share ideas and make connections.
"The three have never had a joint meeting before, so this is a unique opportunity where we have been able to come together in Happy Valley," Hamilton said. "With the increased number of associations involved we have been able to broaden our reach, bringing in people from not only around the country, but from around the world to Penn State to discuss research that is on the cutting edge."
With the support of Penn State Conferences and Institutes, which is a service of Penn State Outreach, leading researchers, professionals and students from 26 states and seven countries spent a week on campus attending workshops, discussions and panels on topics such as genetics in forest health, conservation, climate adaptation, biotechnology, seed sourcing and transfer, tree breeding and more.
Conference field trips included tours of the Penn State University Park campus, Rothrock State Forest, Penn Nursery, Shaver's Creek Environmental Center and the Stone Valley Forest, where participants examined the biodiversity of the forest of Central Pennsylvania and discovered the ongoing research happening at Penn State to enhance forest resilience against invasive species.
