Northeastern Old Growth Conference

2025 Northeastern Old Growth Conference

Wildlands and Old-Growth Forests: A Vision for the Future

Wildlands and Old-Growth Forests: A Vision for the Future
September 17-20, 2025
In-person and Virtual
Middlebury College Bread Loaf Campus
Ripton, Vermont

Early bird registration is extended to September 5.

Inquire about volunteering at the conference. Email oldgrowth2025@gmail.com Interested in becoming a sponsor or donor?Sign up to receive conference updates View conference flyer (PDF)

The mission of the Northeastern Old Growth Conference is to foster a unified vision for the conservation of old-growth forests through knowledge-sharing, conversation, and in-the-woods experience.

Welcome to the Northeastern Old Growth Conference! We are looking forward to joining together with all who love old-growth forests and want to learn about their value, their ecology, and their conservation. We look forward to seeing you in person at Middlebury’s beautiful Bread Loaf Campus in Ripton, Vermont, or online, where talks will be livestreamed and recorded for viewing after the conference.

The Northeastern Old Growth Conference brings together researchers, conservationists, planners, policy makers, health professionals, and lovers of wild nature to share their knowledge and perspectives on old-growth ecosystems.

This year’s conference, Wildlands and Old-Growth Forests: A Vision for the Future, reflects the urgency of protecting wildlands and old-growth ecosystems for their critical contributions to biodiversity, climate resilience, and human well-being.

Some important details:

Housing is on the Bread Loaf campus, in a large inn and in several other buildings on the campus. Most rooms are double occupancy with shared bathrooms down the hall. There is a very small number of rooms with private baths, and there are a few ADA accessible rooms. Please indicate your needs during the registration process and we will do our best to accommodate you.
Virtual participants will be able to attend all keynote and plenary sessions in real time, as they will be live streamed. Some Concurrent sessions (those in the Little Theater) will be live streamed and all will be recorded and made available to registrants following the conference.
Workshops will be held on Wednesday afternoon, September 17, 1-4. Registrants will be invited to choose among these before the conference begins.
Field Trips will be held on Saturday, September 20. Registrants will choose trips when they arrive at the conference on Wednesday.

Conference Themes

The Future of Old Growth in the Northeast
Healthy Forests, Healthy People
Old Growth Ecology

Keynote Speakers

Tom Spies
Lynda Mapes
Bob Leverett

We’re putting together a rich conference program featuring presentations, interactive conversations, and field trips led by a diverse range of voices from the Northeast and beyond.

Be sure to register today as spots are limited. We also have many great sponsorship opportunities available.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Liz Thompson, Conference Coordinator, oldgrowth2025@gmail.com
Marc Lapin, Middlebury College, host
Ali Kosiba, University of Vermont Extension, host

Conference Hosts

Hosted by Middlebury College and University of Vermont Extension

UVM Extension and Middlebury College logos, side by side

Important Dates

August 22, 2025 - Posters Chosen and Presenters notified
September 1, 2025 - Regular Rate for Conference Registration Ends; Registration Refund Period Closes
September 17-20, 2025 - Conference!