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Agenda 

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The full agenda is still being set by the planning committee. You can view the preliminary agenda below. Stay tuned for these updates!

Sunday April 26th, 2026 
Welcome Reception

3:30 pm- Shuttle Pick Up at the Hotel at Auburn University

4:00 pm to 6:00 pm- Forest Carbon Pathways Welcome Reception​

  • Opening Remarks from the Dean of the College of Agriculture, Environment and Nutrition Sciences at Tuskegee University

  • Hors d'oeuvres and Drinks served for Guest 

  • Interactive Icebreaker Activities

6:00 pm- Shuttle Return to the Hotel at Auburn

Monday April 27th, 2026
Classroom Session #1- Introduction to Carbon Markets and Income Streams 

7:30am- Shuttle Pick Up at the Hotel at Auburn 

8:00am- 9:00am- Breakfast provided on Campus

9:00 am-9:45 am- Presentation: How do Carbon Markets Work? -Melissa Kreye

  • Provides a basic understanding of how forest carbon credits are made and the market mechanisms, policies and actors that are involved

10:00 am- 10:30 am- Presentation: How to Manage Forest Carbon? - Melissa Kreye 

  • Explains carbon pools and where they are found in the forest

  • Discuss how a change in management produces carbon additionality

  • Describe management practices that are most common under a carbon contract

10:45am- 11:30 am-  Interactive Session- Small Group Discussion​

  • Roundtable format - open discussion about the topics presented

11:30am - 12:15 pm - Breakout Session #1 

  • Option 1: Navigating Agribusiness Succession Planning and Carbon Markets- How to plan for land succession- Ajoa Yemaya and Folashade O. Adalumo-Ntam

  • Option 2:  Engaging Youth in Forest Carbon Discussions- Martha Monroe

​12:15 pm- 1:15 pm- Lunch Break: Lunch provided on campus

1:15 pm- 1:45 pm- Presentation: Forest Disturbances and Threats in Alabama- Kyle Marable

  • What are the risks to forests in Alabama? What are the future trends? 

  • What publicly available tools and resources exist to help landowners?

1:45 - 2:30 pm- What resources exist in my community?

  • Hear from a panelist of local foresters including representatives from NRCS, Alabama Forestry Commission and Alabama Forest foundation to learn more about the funding and education resources in the state of Alabama.

2:30 pm - 3:00 pm- Presentation- What should I think about before signing a carbon contract? - Melissa Kreye

  • What factors should landowners consider before signing a carbon contract? 

  • How do carbon contracts align with others forest management goals? 

  • How does entering a caron contract impact current land use?

3:15 pm- 4:00 pm- Breakout Session #2

  • Option 1:Experiences working with Landowners - Colmore Christian

  • Option 2: Income- Based Decision Making - Curtis Vanderschaaf

4:15 pm- 5:00 pm- Presentation- What are the benefits of managing for forest carbon?

  • Explores the benefits to forest that come to forests through carbon management strategies, outside of just caron sequestration.

5:00 pm- Session Closed, Shuttle returns to Hotel

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Tuesday, April 28th, 2026
Field Tour 

7:30 am- Shuttle Pick Up at the Hotel at Auburn University

8:00 am- 8:30 pm- Breakfast provided to participants 

8:30 am- 11:30 am - Field Tour of Camp Atkins Forest (Applied Topics) - Ronald Smith and James Jackson, Tuskegee University ​

  • Participants will take part in a hands-on session focused on basic timber cruising techniques used by foresters in the field. Timber cruising is the process of measuring and estimating the number, size, and species of trees within a forest stand to determine the amount of timber and biomass present. During this activity, participants will learn how foresters use tools such as diameter tapes and clinometers to measure tree diameter and height, identify common tree species, and calculate forest volume. These measurements are important for understanding forest productivity, planning sustainable harvests, and estimating the amount of carbon that forests can store. This exercise will provide a practical introduction to the methods foresters use to collect the data that supports forest management and carbon accounting.

11:30 am- 12:00 pm- Return to Campus for Lunch

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Tuesday, April 28th, 2026
    Classroom Session #2-  Forest Resilience 

12:00 pm- 12:45 pm- Lunch

12:45- 1:30: Presentation: Impacts of Forest‑to‑Cropland Land Use Change on Rainfall, Drought Stress, and Vegetation Resilience in Alabama’s Black Belt - (Gamal El Afandi)

  • Summary of a research project that studied how transitioning land from forest to cropland can impact rainfall

1:30 pm- 1:40 pm- Group Discussion and Main Session Conclusion 

Tuesday, April 28th, 2026
Bonus Session- Teaching Educators how to teach about Carbon Credits 

1:30 pm - 2:15 pm- Presentation- Introduction to Adult Education- Melissa Kreye​​

  • Explaining strategies for engaging with adult education (how to teach)- other strategies and the philosophy

2:15 pm- 2:45 pm- Presentation- How to Design an Extension Program- Melissa Kreye​

  • Walks participants through how to use a logic model to plan a program

  • Explains the need for a program evaluation plan

2:45 pm- 3:45 pm- Group Work Session- Brainstorm and Begin your Own Logic Model​

3:45 pm -4:00 pm-  Closing Remarks & Time for Collaboration

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