9th International Oak Society Conference 2018

Registration for the Conference is now open! Early bird registration has been extended to August 1.

Click here to register online. If paying by check, you can download a paper registration form here. Scroll down to read more about the Conference program, important travel details, and a scholarship opportunity. Space is limited, so don’t delay in registering!

The UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden is delighted to host the 9th International Oak Society Conference on the University of California, Davis campus. Please join us for a full slate of field trips, engaging speakers, hands-on workshops, a massive seed exchange, and Pre- and Post-Conference Tours to California’s most magnificent oak landscapes. “Adapting to Climate Change – Oak Landscapes of the Future” is the theme of the Conference.

Conference Program

The Conference Program will include a variety of oral presentations, poster presentations, lightning talks, local tours, and hands-on workshops from October 22 through 24. In anticipation of especially high attendance, we will be introducing concurrent sessions this year to feature an even broader range of oak-related topics.

Cork oak (Quercus suber) avenue at UC Davis © UC Regents

Sessions will cover current research and activities on the following topics:

• Climate change and urban oak landscapes
• Urban oak habitats
• Oak evolution and diversity
• Natural land management and oak conservation
• Horticulture
• Oak utilization and cultural landscapes
• Plant collections and public garden conservation initiatives

Confirmed speakers include:

• Angela Moskow (California Wildlife Foundation/California Oaks, USA)
• Antonio González-Rodríguez (Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México)
• Audrey Denvir (The Morton Arboretum, USA)
• Bryan Denig (Cornell University, USA)
• Chuck Cannon (The Morton Arboretum, USA)
• Daniel A. Airola (Northwest Hydraulic Consultants, Inc., USA)
• Dave Muffly (Apple, Inc., USA)
• David Ackerly (University of California, Berkeley, USA)
• David Taylor (Johns Hopkins University, USA)
• Ezra Barnea (Barnea Oak Nursery, Israel)
• Fang Du (Beijing Forestry University, China)
• Frank K. Lake (Fire and Fuels Program, Pacific Southwest Research Station, USDA Forest Service, USA)
• Guy Sternberg (Starhill Forest Arboretum, USA)
• Hendrik Brand (University of Kassel, Witzenhausen, Germany)
• Ian Pearse (U.S. Geological Survey, Ft Collins, Colorado, USA)
• Idan Kopler (Shamir Research Institute, University of Haifa, Kazrin, Israel)
• Jim Thorne (University of California, Davis, USA)
• Joeri Sergej Strijk (Biodiversity Genomics Team, Plant Ecophysiology and Evolution Group, Guangxi University, Nanning, China)
• Jonathan W. Long (USDA Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station, USA)
• Maricela Rodríguez-Acosta (Puebla University Botanical Garden, BUAP, Mexico)
• Matthew Lobdell (The Morton Arboretum, USA)
• Michelle Halbur (Dwight Center for Conservation Science, Pepperwood Preserve, USA)
• Pamela Muick (co-author of Oaks of California, USA)
• Pamela Sanchez (Sacramento Tree Foundation, USA)
• Paul Manos (Duke University, USA)
• Prahlada Papper (University of California, Berkeley, USA)
• Qiansheng Li (Shanghai Institute of Technology, China)
• Richard Dodd (University of California, Berkeley, USA)
• Robin Grossinger (San Francisco Estuary Institute, USA)
• Roderick Cameron (International Oak Society, Uruguay)
• Ryan Russell (City of Columbia, Missouri, USA)
• Thierry Lamant (Arboretum des Grandes Bruyères, Ingrannes, France)
• Timothy M. Boland (The Polly Hill Arboretum, USA)
• Victoria Sork (University of California, Los Angeles, USA)
• Walt Koenig (Cornell University and UC Berkeley, USA)
• Warren Chatwin (University of Notre Dame, USA)

Opening Reception

The conference will open with a welcome reception on Sunday, October 21 at 6 pm with complimentary appetizers and beverages. A keynote address by Dr. David Ackerly, a leader of the UC Berkeley Initiative in Global Change Biology, on recovery and resilience of oak woodlands following the October 2017 Tubbs Fire.

Gala Dinner

Following International Oak Society tradition, a gala dinner and awards ceremony will be held on Tuesday, October 23 to honor member service to the society. A keynote address by Robin Grossinger of the San Francisco Estuary Institute will focus on the historical ecology of Northern California landscapes.

Multi-Day Tours

Two sequential Pre-Conference Tours and two sequential Post-Conference Tours will allow options for varying travel schedules and budgets. Tour destinations include a variety of wild and cultivated oak destinations in California’s diverse and spectacular landscapes. Click here for more information on Pre-Conference Tours to the Sierra Nevada and Cascade-Siskiyou regions. Click here for more information on Post-Conference Tours to the San Francisco Bay Area and Central Coast.

Pre-Conference Day Trips and Events

Plan on arriving before the Conference begins to enjoy one of Pre-Conference Day Trip options, Oak Discovery Day in Shields Oak Grove, and an evening welcome reception on Sunday, October 21. Click here for more information about the Day Trips. Oak Discovery Day, a free public outreach event in the afternoon (1-4 pm), will include Native Californian acorn grinding and food preparation demonstrations, self-guided tours, and a variety of oak activities for visitors of all ages. The event will be organized by UC Davis students in the Learning by Leading Program, a model environmental leadership program developed by the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden.

Seed Exchange

A seed exchange will be held on the last day of the Conference (October 24). Please plan ahead and collect acorns this summer and fall to bring along. For international attendees, this is also the time to review American seed importation permit requirements. For guidelines on acorn collecting, storage, and international importation, click here.

Lodging Information

We are holding rooms at two hotels near the Conference Center. Please contact them as soon as possible to make your reservation. Rooms will only be held until mid-September. Breakfast is included at both locations.

Hyatt Place UC Davis
(530) 756-9500
Located on campus, this hotel is a 2 minute walk to the UC Davis Conference Center. Follow the link to the hotel website, select the date(s) of stay, and the International Oak Society rate will be applied.

Hallmark Inn
(800) 753-0035
Booking ID #2996
Located in downtown Davis, this hotel is located in an area filled with restaurant and entertainment options. Hallmark Inn is a 20 minute walk away from the UC Davis Conference Center. Click here to download a hotel brochure. Call directly with the Booking ID # for the International Oak Society rate.

Travel Information

Davis is centrally located in California near the Sacramento International Airport and is also within easy driving distance of the Napa Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area. For more information on travelling from airports to the UC Davis campus, click here.

Important Dates

June 1 - scholarship applications due

August 1 - early bird conference registration ends, and fees increase by $50

August 15 – last day to register for tours, last day to cancel tour reservation without cancellation fee

September 1 – last day to cancel tour reservations for a 75% refund

September 15 – last day to register for Conference, last day to cancel Conference reservation with only $15 fee, last day to make a reservation at Hyatt Place UC Davis under the IOS room block

September 20 – last day to make a reservation at Hallmark Inn under the IOS room block

October 1 – last day to cancel Conference registration with a $100 fee

About the Conference Host

The University of California, Davis is a public land-grant university with top-ranked research programs in agricultural and environmental sciences. The UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden encompasses the landscape of the full 5,300-acre campus, including a 100-acre arboretum, an urban campus core, natural areas, and agricultural lands. In-Conference field trips will explore the management of oaks in these diverse settings, ranging from wild populations along Putah Creek to urban street trees on the campus core to the research and conservation collections in the Arboretum. Oaks figure prominently across these campus landscapes and have shown resilience in our changing climate. The crown jewel of the campus oak collection is located in the Arboretum’s Peter J. Shields Oak Grove, where over 100 species and hybrids grow in a grove of mature trees started in 1962.

About the Conference Venue

The Conference will be held at the Conference Center on the University of California, Davis campus. Davis, California is a small city of 70,000 residents with a friendly, walkable downtown and growing art, music, and food scenes. A true college town, Davis life revolves around the university, but the community is also known for its year-round Farmers Market, bicycle-friendly culture, and extensive parks and greenbelts. Davis is proud to have recently celebrated its 40th anniversary as a Tree City USA.

Conference Committee

Committee members include Emily Griswold, Shannon Still, Stewart Winchester, David Muffly, Zarah Wyly, Rachel Davis, Abbey Hart, and Melissa Cruz. Questions about the Conference may be sent to conference2018@internationaloaksociety.org.