![]() | NORTH AMERICAN FOREST GENETICS SOCIETY CONFERENCE |
About the meeting
"It seems timely that the discipline now be served by a single society that seeks to coordinate activities among regional groups and develop a strong and unified voice that advocates more effectively for the discipline." -- David Neale
We are pleased to announce that the inaugural meeting of the North American Forest Genetics Society (NAFGS) will be held on June 14-16, 2022 at the Asilomar Conference Grounds, Pacific Grove, California.
The inaugural meeting of the NAFGS is designed to be both a strategic session to develop the mission, goals, and functional capacities of the NAFGS as well as invited and short contributed talks. In this way, the NAFGS will be different from the long-standing meetings in North America for the discipline of Forest Genetics (Southern Forest Tree Improvement Conference, Western Forest Genetics Association, Canadian Forest Genetics Association).
The leadership of the NAFGS encourages your participation in this first meeting by bringing your ideas and priorities to the development of the first professional society in North America for the discipline of Forest Genetics. We have chosen the Asilomar Conference Grounds near San Francisco as the venue for this event as the beautiful setting and intimacy of the venue greatly facilitates collegial interactions and creativity.
We sincerely hope to see you at Asilomar in June.
David Neale, President
Fikret Isik, Vice President
Nathalie Isabel, Secretary
Jill Wegrzyn, Treasurer

We are pleased to announce that the inaugural meeting of the North American Forest Genetics Society (NAFGS) will be held on June 14-16, 2022 at the Asilomar Conference Grounds, Pacific Grove, California.
The inaugural meeting of the NAFGS is designed to be both a strategic session to develop the mission, goals, and functional capacities of the NAFGS as well as invited and short contributed talks. In this way, the NAFGS will be different from the long-standing meetings in North America for the discipline of Forest Genetics (Southern Forest Tree Improvement Conference, Western Forest Genetics Association, Canadian Forest Genetics Association).
The leadership of the NAFGS encourages your participation in this first meeting by bringing your ideas and priorities to the development of the first professional society in North America for the discipline of Forest Genetics. We have chosen the Asilomar Conference Grounds near San Francisco as the venue for this event as the beautiful setting and intimacy of the venue greatly facilitates collegial interactions and creativity.
We sincerely hope to see you at Asilomar in June.
David Neale, President
Fikret Isik, Vice President
Nathalie Isabel, Secretary
Jill Wegrzyn, Treasurer

Photo credit: Visitasilomar.com
Asilomar Conference Grounds is located east of what was known as Moss Beach on the western tip of the Monterey Peninsula in Pacific Grove, California. Celebrated as Monterey Peninsula's "Refuge by the Sea" - Asilomar State Beach and Conference Grounds is a breathtakingly gorgeous 107 acres of ecologically diverse beachfront land.
COVID Precautions
Vaccination. We fully expect all meeting attendees will be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 as per US CDC guidelines. An individual is considered fully vaccinated 14 days after the final dose in their primary series. See the CDC website here for the definition of fully vaccinated as well as up-to-date recommendations. In addition to CDC-approved vaccines (Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen), a number of vaccines have been authorized for use by the WHO; see the full list here. If you have not been vaccinated, we ask that you do not attend the NAFGS meeting this year.
Masking. We strongly recommend that attendees wear a mask in all indoor public spaces except when eating or drinking. We strongly recommend that attendees wear the most protective mask possible (e.g. N95 or KN95).
Masking. We strongly recommend that attendees wear a mask in all indoor public spaces except when eating or drinking. We strongly recommend that attendees wear the most protective mask possible (e.g. N95 or KN95).
Program
DATE | TOPIC | |
---|---|---|
June 13 | ||
TBD | Board of Directors | |
June 14 | NAFGS Meeting - Day 1 | |
7:30-9:00 | Breakfast | |
9:00-9:15 | Opening Remarks | |
David Neale (UC Davis) | ||
Invited Talks: Forest Health and Adaptation | ||
9:15-9:35 | . Janice Cooke (U Alberta)Not just lucky: Lodgepole pine survivors of mountain pine beetle outbreaks share a genomic signature for resilience |
|
9:35-9:55 | . Jared Westbrook (ACF)Toward disease resistant and genetically diverse American chestnut populations |
|
9:55 | Contributed Lightning Talk | |
10:00-10:30 | Break | |
Invited Talks: Forest Health and Adaptation | ||
10:30-10:50 | . Pending: Jennifer Koch (US Forest Service)Resistance to Emerald Ash Borer: Can Breeding Prevent Extinction? |
|
10:50-11:10 | . Pending: Richard Sniezko (US Forest Service)Forest Health: Successes in Breeding for Resistance to Non-native Pathogens and Using Sentinel Trials to Provide Future Information |
|
11:15-12:00 | Panel Discussion | |
Moderator: Jason Holliday (VTech) | ||
12:00-1:00 | Lunch | |
1:30-2:00 | Contributed Lightning Talks | |
Topical Workshops | ||
2:00-2:15 | . Organization David Neale |
|
2:15-4:00 | . Breakout Sessions Genomic and Database Resources Breeding and Conservation |
|
4:00-5:00 | Group Discussion | |
5:00-6:00 | Reception | |
6:00-700 | Dinner | |
7:30-8:30 | Contributed Talks | |
June 15 | NAFGS Meeting - Day 2 | |
7:30-9:00 | Breakfast | |
Invited Talks: Genomics and Breeding | ||
8:30-8:50 | . Fikret Isik (NC State)Genomic selection in Forest Trees. Are we there yet? |
8:50-9:10 | . Ilga Porth (U Laval)Genomics to the rescue: tackling challenges of forest health and productivity for the Canadian bioeconomy |
9:10-9:30 | . Pending: Jessica Wright (US Forest Service)Post-fire reforestation: using genetics to inform the choice of seed source |
9:30-10:00 | Contributed Talks | |
10:00-10:30 | Break | |
Invited Talks: Genomics and Breeding | ||
10:30-10:50 | . Omnia Gamal (UBC)Genomic Selection Overview in Canada: From Proof-of-Concept to Application. Example: Western Red Cedar Breeding Program |
|
10:50-11:10 | . Jesus Vargas Hernandez (IMTA)Adaptive variation in vegetative phenology of tropical forest tree species: the case of Cedrela odorata in southern Mexico |
|
11:15-12:00 | Panel Discussion | |
12:00-1:00 | Lunch | |
1:30-2:00 | Contributed Talks | |
Topical Workshops | ||
2:00-2:15 | . Why NAFGS? David Neale |
|
2:15-4:00 | . Breakout Sessions Graduate Education and Training International Research Opportunities Industry and NGO Collaboration |
|
4:00-5:00 | Group Discussion | |
5:00-6:00 | Reception | |
6:00-7:00 | Dinner | |
7:30-8:30 | Contributed Talks | |
June 16 | Neale Retirement Symposium | |
7:30-9:00 | Breakfast | |
9:00-9:30 | Opening Comments | |
Nick Wheeler | ||
Kathie Jermstad | ||
Session One | ||
9:30-9:50 | Sally Aitken (UBC) | |
9:50-10:10 | Amanda de la Torre (NAU) | |
10:10-10:30 | TBD | |
10:30-10:45 | Break | |
Session Two | ||
10:45-11:05 | Carol Loopstra (TAMU) | |
11:05-11:25 | Patrick Cumbie (Arborgen) | |
11:25-11:45 | Jill Wegrzyn (UConn) | |
12:00-1:00 | Lunch | |
Session Three | ||
1:30-1:50 | Pedro Jose Martinez Garcia (CBAS-CSIC) | |
1:50-2:10 | Zeki Kaya (METU) | |
2:10-2:30 | TBD | |
5:00-8:00 | Reception and Celebration Dinner |
Registration and Accommodations

Photo credit: Visitasilomar.com
See registration and accommodation details here. Registration Prices Student: $100 Everyone else: $150 David Neale retirement symposium only: $150
Accommodation prices vary depending on selected options.
Travel Information

Photo credit: Visitasilomar.com
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By car
Asilomar is approximately 120 miles south of downtown San Francisco (about 105 miles from San Francisco International Airport) and about 75 miles south of San Jose.- Take 101 south to 156 West.
- Take 156 West to Highway 1 South, through Monterey to the Pebble Beach / Pacific Grove exit, turn right on Holman Highway / 68 West.
- Stay on Highway 68 West/Holman Highway for 3.5 miles until it becomes a city street called Forest Avenue.
- Continue on Forest Avenue for about 1 mile and make a left turn onto Sinex Avenue.
- In just under 1 mile, Sinex Avenue ends right at the front gates to Asilomar
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Shuttle
The Monterey Airbus company offers shuttles to Asilomar from San Franciso and San Jose airports