9th International Oak Society Conference 2018

We are delighted to announce that the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden will host the next International Oak Society Conference on the University of California, Davis campus. The Conference Committee is planning 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.

Conference Theme

“Adapting to Climate Change – Oak Landscapes of the Future” will be the theme of the Conference. The global issue of climate change has hit home in California as we have endured extreme heat, historic drought, and record rainfall over the last decade. These climate conditions have significantly impacted natural and cultivated 

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

oak landscapes in our region and forced us to reconsider strategies for how we approach urban forestry, natural areas management, biodiversity conservation, and sustaining our culture and values. The Conference Program will span these broad topic areas as well as how research into climate models, oak evolution, and oak natural history can give us fresh insights into how we can learn from the past to prepare for the future.

Call for Session Proposals

The Conference Committee is currently seeking proposals for oral presentations, poster presentations, lightning talks, and hands-on workshops. We are introducing lightning talks for the first time this year as a fast, fun way to hear and share a diversity of ideas. These strictly timed five-minute talks consist of 15 slides that advance automatically every 20 seconds. Please click here to download Conference Session Topics and instructions for the Call for Session Proposals. After reviewing the instructions, click here to access the online submission form. Proposals must be submitted online and will be accepted until December 1, 2017. Presenters will be notified by March 15, 2018 at the latest about the acceptance of their proposal, and the full Conference Schedule will be released in spring of 2018.

Conference Tours

Two sequential Pre-Conference Tours and two sequential Post-Conference Tours are being planned to allow options for varying travel schedules and budgets. Tour destinations will include a variety of wild and cultivated oak destinations in California’s diverse and spectacular landscapes of the Sierra Nevada, Central Valley, North Coast Range, San Francisco Bay Area, and Central Coast. More details on tour dates and itineraries will be posted on the IOS website as they are finalized.

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. Lodging will be available within walking distance of the Conference Center at Hyatt Place Hotel and the Hallmark Inn.

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 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.

Conference Committee

Committee members include Emily Griswold, Shannon Still, Stewart Winchester, and David Muffly. Questions about the Conference may be sent to conference2018@internationaloaksociety.org.