2026 Plant Conservation Symposium
December 10, 2026 • LaSells Stewart Center, Corvallis
Registration Cost: TBA
Held concurrently with the Oregon Interagency Noxious Weed Symposium
Restoring the Balance
Native Plants and Noxious Weeds in a Changing Landscape
The 2026 theme, Restoring the Balance, reflects a core truth: invasive plant management and native plant conservation are not separate endeavors but two halves of the same restoration imperative. We invite presentations that reflect this integrated vision—whether from the native plant side, the weed management side, or the growing middle ground where the two disciplines meet.
Suggested Presentation Topics
We welcome abstracts addressing the following topics. Presentations that bridge native plant conservation and invasive plant management are especially encouraged. Topics are intended to guide—not limit—your submission.
Fire as Catalyst — Disturbance, Invasives, and Native Recovery
The post-fire landscape is where weed management and native plant restoration most urgently converge. This topic explores how fire opens windows for both invasive colonization and native recovery, and how coordinated management can tip the balance toward native communities.
The Native Seed Pipeline — Growing What Restoration Needs
Restoration at scale depends on a functional native seed supply chain. This topic covers wild seed collection, increase, seed banking, grower partnerships, and the Oregon Native Seed Strategy — with direct relevance to practitioners who need native seed after invasive removal.
From Weed Control to Plant Recovery — The Full Restoration Arc
Invasive removal is often the first act; native plant reestablishment is the second. This topic showcases the full continuum—including rare plant introduction and augmentation—and highlights case studies where weed management directly enabled native species recovery.
Monitoring for Outcomes — Are Our Restoration Efforts Working?
Shared frameworks for tracking restoration success across both weed and native plant programs: long-term demographic monitoring, remote sensing and drone applications, adaptive management triggers, and what meaningful success metrics look like at the population and landscape scale.
Climate, Range Shifts, and a Moving Target for Restoration
As climate change reshapes Oregon's plant communities, both invasive pressure and native plant distributions are shifting. This topic covers climate-adaptive restoration strategies—assisted migration, climate-matched provenance, refugia—alongside the expanding ranges of invasive species.
Partnerships, Policy, and Funding the Restoration Pipeline
Restoration at meaningful scales requires sustained investment and cross-sector collaboration. This topic addresses funding mechanisms, policy frameworks, interagency and tribal partnerships, and the economic case for integrating native plant recovery into weed management programs.
Submission Guidelines
Include the following:
- presentation title
- speaker name(s) and speaker affiliation(s)
- topic the presentation most aligns with, abstract (250 word max)
- preferred format: oral presentation or poster
Submission deadline:
August 1, 2026
Send your abstract to: Dani Marshall (Danielle.Marshall@oda.oregon.gov)
For questions about the Plant Conservation Symposium, contact Dani Marshall (Danielle.Marshall@oda.oregon.gov).
For questions about the Noxious Weed Symposium, contact Tristen Berg (Tristen.Berg@oda.oregon.gov).
Past Symposia
2025 Theme: Plant Conservation in an Era of Rapid Change
Virtual | December 9th, 2025
The challenges facing plant biodiversity have never been more urgent—or the solutions more complex. From navigating climate uncertainty to securing sustainable funding, plant conservation requires innovative thinking, interdisciplinary collaboration, and adaptive strategies. This year's free and virtual symposium will explore how conservation professionals are addressing these challenges while developing resilient strategies for protecting Oregon's state-listed and regionally rare plant species.
A detailed agenda can be downloaded here: 
2025 PCS Agenda detail.pdf
Abstracts can be downloaded here: 2025 PCS Abstracts_All.pdf