two people hiking through large rocks with a snowboard and skis on their backs

W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation

FCFC Seminar Series' Schedules

  • Fall 2026 FCFC Global Seminar:  Plum Creek Lecture Series

    Explore the connections between forests, water, wildfire, and climate through presentations from leading scientists across the western United States.  OPEN TO ALL!
     
    Mondays 12:00-12:50 pm (MST), Forestry 206

    date and seminar for spring 2025 department of society and conservation seminar
    Date

    Seminar and Presenters
    8/31

    Compounding competition and drought stress: capturing meaningful variation in post-fire tree mortality
    Maddy Stone, University of Wyoming
    9/14

    The escalating control of weather and climate extremes on wildfire
    John Abatzoglou, UC Merced
    9/21

    Rethinking Drought in a Changing Climate
    Zachary Hoylman, University of Montana, Montana Climate Office
    9/28

    Fire Effects on Stream Ecosystems
    Lisa Eby, University of Montana
    10/05

    Leveraging multi-scale emerging approaches for snow observations from the forest floor to space
    Eric Sproles, Montana State University
    10/19

    Fire Warms Us: Using beneficial fire to connect, restore, and reimagine
    Lenya Quinn-Davidson, University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) Fire Network Director
    10/26

    Millennia of fire and environmental change
    Phil Higuera, University of Montana
    11/02

    Fire and ice: nutrient impacts in aquatic ecosystems of the mountain West in a changing climate
    Jim Elser, University of Montana
    11/09

    Development of a drought, flood and fire early warning system across Montana’s forests and rangelands
    Kelsey Jensco, University of Montana, Montana Climate Office
    11/16

    Investigating fine-scale forest growth and water stress across semi-arid mountain topography
    Fin Malone, Systems Ecology PhD Student, University of Montana
    11/30

    Snow, Forests, Water, and Fires
    Jessica Lundquist, University of Washington

    For more information, please contact Alina Cansler (alina.cansler@umontana.edu).

  • Spring 2026 Department of Society and Conservation Seminar

    Tuesdays 4:00-5:00 pm (MST), Forestry 106 (unless otherwise specified below)

    date and seminar for spring 2026 department of society and conservation seminar
    Date

    Seminar and Presenters
    1/27

    Grad Student Research Topic Sharing & Department Social
    1/28

    Professional Development
    2/03

    Contested Wildlife-based Tourism and Conservation Politics in Botswana
    Joseph Mbaiwa, Okavango Research Institute
    2/10

    The Power of the People, The Power of Place: Lessons and insights from a career as a servant leader in parks, recreation, and education
    Donna Gaukler (retired), Missoula City Parks and Recreation
    2/17

    Historic Land Management Practices and Biodiversity
    Angie Thompson, Eva Rocke & Kika Bradford, University of Montana
    2/24

    Reflections from Diverse Career Paths
    SoCon Alumni
    3/03

    Can commodity agriculture go deforestation-free?
    Leah Samburg Accountability Framework Initiative
    3/10

    Research in the Blackfoot Watershed: Combining relationships, scientific rigor and resilience
    Molly McDevitt, Blackfoot Challenge
    3/17

    Spring Break - No class meeting
    3/24

    The unprecedented use of the obscure Congressional Review Act to overturn public land protections and undermine public involvement in decisions
    Ronni Flannery, The Wilderness Society
    3/31

    Overcoming jurisdictional fragmentation to manage bison as wildlife in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
    Maddi Stevens, Montana State University
    4/07

    A Rare Abundance: Outdoor Recreation as Bipartisan Common Ground
    Chris Zajchowski, University of Idaho
    4/14

    Four Decades of Outdoor Recreation Research: Motives, Place Attachment, and the Path Forward
    Elizabeth Halpenny, University of Alberta
    4/21

    Changing behavior to avoid wildfire smoke exposure
    Katrina Mullen, University of Montana
    4/28

    Saving the Big Sky: A Chronicle of Land Conservation in Montana
    John Wright, Bruce Bugbee and Robert Kiesling, Saving the Big Sky Project

    For more information, please contact Jenn Thomsen (jennifer.thomsen@umontana.edu).

  • Spring 2026 Systems Ecology Seminar



    date and seminar for spring 2026 systems ecology seminar
    Date

    Seminar and Presenters
    1/22

    Mountain-top coal mining in the Transboundary Kootenai Watershed; The Ecoloy/Policy Interface
    Dr. Erin Sexton, Flathead Lake Biological Station
    1/29

    Smoke tradeoffs of prescribed fires
    Dr. Mark Kreider, USFS Orise Fellow
    2/05

    Multi-Faceted Health Impacts of Forest Fires
    Dr. Yang Liu, Emory University, AGU Fellow
    2/12

    Knowledge-guided Machine Learning for Hydrological Pred
    Dr. Zach Hoylman, UM Montana Climate Office
    2/19

    Seed based restoration in -mostly- dry systems
    Dr. Akasha Faist, UM, Systems Ecology
    2/26

    Whence Drought? Adaptation and Resilience in Socio-ecology
    Dr. Kyle Bocinsky, UM, Montana Climate Office
    3/05

    Factors controlling plant recruitment in dryland ecosystem
    Dr. Scott Ferrenberg, UM, Systems Ecology
    3/14

    Resource management across boundaries and cultures
    Dr. Fernando Sanchez, UM, Director Cobell Institute
    3/19

    Spring Break - No class meeting
    3/26

    Beyond Greenness: Dynamics and Drivers and Evergreen Forests
    Dr. Troy Magney, UM, Systems Ecology
    4/02

    The recruitment and growth of whitebark pine at treeline in response to stress and disturbance
    Josh Beisel , UM, Systems Ecology PhD Candidate
    4/09

    Biogeochemical impacts of disturbance at the watershed scale across spatial and temporal scales
    Brooke Bain-White, UM, Systems Ecology PhD Candidate
    4/16

    Human Alteration of the Nitrogen Cycle to Feed Humanity
    Dr. Eric Davidson, University of Maryland
    4/23

    Peculiar Colloidal Particles: How do we Describe Metals and Elemental Contaminants in River Systems?
    Dylan White, UM, Systems Ecology PhD Candidate
    4/30

    Changes in fire behavior from tree to global scales
    Dr. Matt Jolly, USFS Fire Laboratory

    For more information, please contact Ashley Ballantyne (ashley.ballantyne@umontana.edu).

  • Graduate Seminar in Wildlife Biology - WILD 594

    Location: Gallagher 122
    Time: Fridays from 1:00 to 2:50

    Current Schedule

    Wildlife Biology seminars will be held in person unless otherwise noted.  For information regarding grad seminar please contact chad.bishop@umontana.edu