National forest genetics groups meet at Penn State for annual conference

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — 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.   

Meghan Blumstein, an assistant teaching professor of environmental science and architecture at the University of Virginia, said she was impressed with the campus and surrounding facilities. 

“I dream of having facilities like the greenhouse and the spaces that they have here. The Arboretum is so beautiful, and this is an awesome place to do research,” Blumstein said. “It is really great to come and see what resources are being generated, new tools are being developed and just to see what other people are working on. I have definitely developed some new collaborations from this. It is a really great way to meet people and get research going.” 

The conference provided an opportunity for Penn State students to take on leadership roles, share their work with a wider audience, and connect with fellow scientists. Mary McCafferty, a Penn State graduate student working toward a doctoral degree in ecology, served on the organizing committee and shared her work that examines the variation and phenology of the Northern Red Oak during a poster session.  

“I have been able to meet some very lovely people here, both young and mature scientists. I get to learn from them and see some more real-time results that you don’t always get to see in publications. Just making connections and getting to see how my research is playing in to the big picture of genetics research has been really rewarding,” McCafferty said. 

Lucia Anderson, a Penn State undergrad studying plant biology, said the conference provided her with the impactful opportunity to connect with leaders in her field of study. 

“The folks here are the celebrities of my field whose papers I have had on my computer screen, and here I have had the opportunity to talk to them and open doors for collaboration. It is exciting for me to learn about new research. It also has been an opportunity for me to meet people in the field and find collaborations between our research at Penn State and other folks,” Anderson said. “There are people here doing the work that I would like to continue to do in the future.” 

Zane Smith, a doctoral student from the University of Tennessee and SFTIC member, held a symposium on conservation of the North American Ash and helped lead a career panel where students heard from professionals in the field about what skills are needed for those ready to transition to a career in forest genetics. 

“Having this joint conference is really a great place for students, especially local, to come and meet people from the across the U.S., Canada and beyond, just to network and get more plugged into the forest genetics community,” Smith said. “During the career panel we looked at what skills can we cultivate? What things can we apply in our search for careers? How do we become more like these professionals and do the cool things they are doing to make the forest and the world a better place?” 

Smith said he planned to head back south with new connections that he hopes will lead to collaborative research opportunities. 

“Together we are dreaming of new and exciting ways to try and do cooler research to save trees and conserve forest biodiversity and think about how we can improve trees for the future,” Smith said.