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Forest Inventory and Analysis Science Symposium

Decorative Banner for FIA Science Symposium

About the Science Symposium

Held every two to three years, the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) Science Symposium (previously the Science Stakeholder Meeting) is a unique opportunity for collaboration and scientific and technical exchange, drawing together a world-class group of partners, practitioners, and scientists with regional, national, and international inventory and monitoring missions. The 2026 FIA Science Symposium will be hosted by the Rocky Mountain FIA Program, the National Council for Air and Stream Improvement (NCASI), and the Society of American Foresters (SAF).  

2026 Symposium: 19-22 October 2026

The 2026 FIA Science Symposium will be virtual and held October 19-22, 2026. The program will be hosted on the Whova platform, which was also used in 2024.  

The symposium theme is ‘From Observation to Insight: Strengthening the Foundations of Forest Inventory Science.’ The following daily subthemes will highlight key foci of the symposium:  

  • Forging New Paths: Incorporating novel quantitative methods and remote sensing in forest surveys  

  • A Network for the Nation: Partnering to deliver trusted forest information  

  • Connecting the Plots: Using FIA data to power forest health, resource planning, and other analyses  

Registration: Symposium registration will open in August. There will not be a fee associated with registration. 

Email Meeting Organizers

Presenters are encouraged to further document their contributions by submitting an article to a Special Issue in Forest Ecology and Management called: From Observation to Insight: Strengthening the Foundation of Forest Inventory Science.

We welcome papers that highlight the broad geographic and topical subjects shared at the 2026 Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) Science Symposium and align with the special issue title and symposium theme. Specifically, we seek contributions that yield ecological insights, present practical applications for management approaches, and relate to topic areas such as ecosystem management and integrated silvicultural prescription development. 

Submission open date: September 1, 2026
Submission deadline: January 29, 2027

Learn More

Call for Submissions Now Closed

Important Dates: 

  • April 29, 2026 – Call for Organized Session proposals opens
  • *Deadline Extended! May 27, 2026 – Call for Organized Session proposals closes
  • June 12, 2026 – Call for Individual Presentation abstracts opens
  • *Deadline Extended! July 27, 2026 – Call for Individual Presentation abstracts closes

We invite individual presentation submissions that align with the overall scope and theme of the symposium as well as those that specifically help advance the goals of: 

  • Maximizing the value of the annual sample design both spatially and temporally. 
  • Advancing the development of delivery mechanisms to meet user needs and leverage modern data visualization and communication techniques.
  • Assuring data continuity that supports a variety of land manager needs. 
  • Integrating more powerful and efficient monitoring technologies and statistical techniques into established analysis workflows.
  • Supporting FIA’s enhancements in topic areas including forest resource use monitoring, carbon and biomass estimation, surveys of trends in woodland ownership, land cover and land use research, urban forest inventory, vegetation monitoring in Interior AK, and small area estimation. 

In anticipation of time limitations in the symposium schedule – and to create space for as many perspectives as possible – we encourage no more than 3 first-author submissions per person across the Call for Organized Session Proposals and Call for Individual Presentation Abstracts. The planning committee will make final acceptance determinations based on schedule limitations. Submissions that are clear and complete will be weighted more favorably in the review process.  

Individual Presentation Abstracts 

Deadline Extended: July 27, 2026

  • Oral Presentation – 15-minutes: 12-minute presentation + 2-3 min for Q&A  
  • Poster / Digital Demonstration – Posters and digital demonstrations will be available in a virtual hall. Digital demonstrations are pre-recorded 10-minute demonstrations of an application, tool, database, website, etc. Poster presenters will have the option to record a brief video presentation to accompany their poster. 

The Presentation Abstract Submission Form will require the following information:

  • Presentation Title
  • Type of Presentation
  • Author and Co-authors Name and Affiliation
  • Presentation Abstract (2200-character limit)
  • Keywords (at least 3 keywords or phrases)

Accepted oral presentations will be scheduled in topically aligned sessions (unless already part of an accepted organized session).

For more information, please contact the meeting organizers.

Organized Session Proposals

Deadline Extended: May 27, 2026

  • Organized Oral Sessions are 90 minutes long and consist of up to six 15-minute speaker slots (12-minute presentations with 2-3 minutes for Q&A). Maximum of six speakers, minimum of four.    

  • Organized Open Sessions – To give organizers flexibility to craft a unique session that better meets their goals, we welcome ideas for organized sessions that do not conform to an organized oral session format. Potential examples include:  

    • Panel Discussions  
    • Various Interactive Formats (e.g., breakout groups, world cafe)   
    • Speed Talks  
    • Digital Demonstrations   

    These sessions can be 60 or 90 minutes in length. If you have questions about the organized open session type, please contact organizers.

The Organized Session Proposal submission form will require the following information: 

  • Organizer and Co-organizer(s) name, affiliation and contact information 
  • Organized Session Title 
  • Type of Organized Session 
  • Session Description (2200-character limit) 
  • Proposed Speakers Names, affiliations and Presentation Titles (Organized Oral Sessions Only) 
  • Desired Duration of session (Organized Open Session Only) 
  • Potential Invited Participants (Organized Open Session Only) 
  • Three or more topical keywords or phrases

Oral Session organizers are responsible for communicating directly with invited speakers that they must submit their individual presentation abstract by the abstract submission deadline: July 24, 2026. The Call for Individual Presentation Abstracts will open June 12, 2026, following notifications of acceptance for Organized Sessions.

*Open Session Organizers: Only individual presenters (e.g., speed talks, digital demonstrations) are required to submit an individual abstract as part of an organized open session. If you have individual presenters as part of your session, please adhere to the instructions for oral session organizers above. If your proposed organized open session format does not include individual presentations, no individual presentation abstracts need to be submitted. 

The Science Symposium is a scientific and technical exchange event intended for networking and collaboration within the natural resource community. 

We value the participation of each member and want all participants to have an enjoyable and fulfilling experience. Accordingly, all participants are expected to show respect and courtesy to other attendees throughout all events hosted in the Science Symposium space. 

To make clear what is expected, all attendees, speakers, and organizers at any event during the FIA Science Symposium are required to conform to the following Code of Conduct. Organizers will enforce this code throughout the event. 

Photography and Social Media 

Participants are asked not to take audio or visual recordings of any sessions with the intention of distribution unless explicit permission is granted. Screenshots of presentation slides for personal reference are acceptable unless the presenter notes otherwise. Registration and participation in the Science Symposium constitutes consent to audio and visual recording by the event organizers or their designees for purposes aligned with the event mission. 

Safety and Harassment 

The Science Symposium is dedicated to providing a positive and harassment-free event experience for everyone, regardless of ethnicity, race, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, personal appearance, body size, age, religion, nationality, or level of experience. We do not tolerate harassment or intimidation of event participants in any form, nor do we tolerate any behavior that would reasonably lead to another event participant being made to feel unsafe, insecure, or frightened for their physical or emotional well-being. All communication, verbal or written, should be appropriate for a professional audience including people of many different backgrounds. 

Expected behavior includes:

  • Treating one another with respect 
  • Using welcoming and inclusive language
  • Valuing differing viewpoints and experiences 
  • Assuming positive intent 
  • Gracefully accepting constructive criticism 
  • Focusing on what is best for everyone at the event
  • Showing empathy towards other participants
  • Honoring participants’ time 

Unacceptable behavior includes: 

  • The use of sexualized language or imagery, sexual or unwanted attention, or advances 
  • Harassment, intimidation, or discrimination of any kind, even in a joking or ironic manner 
  • Trolling, insulting or derogatory comments or gestures, personal or political attacks, or sustained disruption of talks or other events 
  • Online harassment, including spamming online discussion boards, chats, question sections, or social media by saying or reposting the same word/content repeatedly in order to disrupt the conversation 
  • Deliberate intimidation, stalking/cyber-stalking, or harassing photography or recording
  • Other conduct which could reasonably be considered inappropriate in a professional setting 

Be kind to others. Do not insult or put down other attendees. Behave professionally. Remember that harassment and sexist, racist, or exclusionary jokes are not appropriate at this event. 

Consequences 

  • Anyone requested to stop unacceptable behavior is expected to comply immediately. 
  • Science Symposium organizers (or their designee) may take any action deemed necessary and appropriate, including immediate restriction from accessing and participating in the meeting without warning or refund and removal of all contributed content (e.g., presentation recording, poster) from the conference. 
  • Any illegal behavior will result in contacting the appropriate authorities. 
  • Science Symposium organizers reserve the right to prohibit participation in any future symposium planning efforts and/or attendance at any future meetings. 

Reporting an Incident 

If you are being harassed, notice that someone else is being harassed, or have any other concerns about unacceptable behavior, please contact the organizers by email, or contact a Program Manager or the National Program Lead. 

Information will remain confidential among those determining an appropriate course of action. Resulting actions/consequences will be determined on a case-by-case basis. Please see above for consequences that may result from incidents in violation of the code of conduct. 

We value your attendance and participation. 

Each event guest is entirely responsible for their own actions. 

Thank you for helping to make this a welcoming, friendly space for all

2024 FIA Science Symposium

Date and Location: November 19-21, 2024, virtual conference 

Theme: Toward Tomorrow’s Forests Together 

Related Resources: 

2022 FIA Science Symposium

Date and Location: November 14-17, 2022, virtual conference
Theme: Grow. Adapt. Regenerate: Monitoring and Responding to Global Change to Promote Resilient and Productive Forests
Related Resources: Proceedings of the 2022 Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA 2022) science stakeholder meeting: grow. adapt. regenerate—monitoring and responding to global change to promote resilient and productive forests

2019 FIA Science Symposium

Date and Location: November 19-21, 2019, Knoxville, Tennessee
Theme: Celebrating progress, possibilities and partnerships
Related Resources: Celebrating progress, possibilities, and partnerships: Proceedings of the 2019 Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) Science Stakeholder Meeting

2017 FIA Science Symposium

Date and Location: October 24-26, 2017, Park City, Utah 
Theme: Doing More with the Core
Related Resources: Doing more with the core: Proceedings of the 2017 Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) Science Stakeholder Meeting; 2017 October 24- 26; Park City, UT

2015 FIA Science Symposium

Date and Location: December 8-10, 2015, Portland, Oregon 
Theme: Pushing boundaries: new directions in inventory techniques and applications
Related Resources: Proceedings: Pushing boundaries: new directions in inventory techniques and applications: Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) symposium 2015

2012 FIA Science Symposium

Date and Location: December 4-6, 2012, Baltimore, Maryland 
Theme: Moving from Status to Trends
Related Resources: Proceedings: Moving from status to trends: Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) symposium 2012

2010 FIA Symposium (Joint meeting with the Southern Mensurationists)

Date and Location: October 5-7, 2010, Knoxville, Tennessee 
Theme: Monitoring Across Borders
Related Resources: Proceedings: Monitoring Across Borders: 2010 Joint Meeting of the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) Symposium and the Southern Mensurationists
 

Proceedings and Compiled Abstracts from Previous Meetings

Last updated July 28, 2026
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