14th Biennial Longleaf Conference
November 10, 2022
In October, The Alliance hosted the 14th Biennial Longleaf Conference in Wilmington, North Carolina, with a sold-out crowd of longleaf enthusiasts in attendance. More than 350 registrants representing 16 states joined us to "rekindle our connections."
Message from President Carol Denhof
As I write this in November, I’m still energized from being with you all in a place that is so closely tied to longleaf. We not only rekindled connections to each other but were reminded that connecting to and understanding the history of longleaf can help us in our restoration efforts. Our plenary presenters, Earl Ijames, Abigail Dowd, Roger Shew, and Dwayne Estes, established a true sense of place for all attending and inspired us to think about what once was to determine what can be once again.
I want to express a sincere thank you to all our generous sponsors for supporting this year’s conference. The funding provided helped make this an exceptional event. Your dedication to the overall longleaf effort has been steadfast over the years, and we greatly appreciate your partnerships.
We are grateful for the opportunities provided by The Richard and Rita Porterfield Educational Trust. The Trust established a fund to assist those who would not otherwise have the means to attend Longleaf Alliance educational events, including the Biennial Conference. Through their support, 32 people received registration assistance, including 17 students. This significantly impacted the record-setting student attendance for an in-person Longleaf Conference with 33 undergraduate and graduate students.
Huge kudos to the entire Longleaf Alliance Team and our local hosts for all the collective work that went into creating a fantastic experience for everyone. I was blown away by the many presenters and exhibitors featured. We are lucky to have such smart and innovative people working within the longleaf community, and we appreciate you all sharing your insightful work with us.
The opportunities for networking with colleagues and friends were numerous, and attendees had the chance to reconnect with folks they have known for years and become acquainted with the new faces in the room. I can’t begin to express how grateful our Longleaf Alliance team is for the time each of you took to be with us for the conference week.
The energy and buzz during the plenary sessions, breaks, meals, field trips, and concurrent sessions give me confidence in the continued dedication to restoring and managing this great Southern Forest system. Let’s keep the momentum building and push it out to our home areas and into the work we all do for longleaf!