Rooted in Natives — Design Once. Perform for Decades.
7:45–8:30 AM
Early-Bird Nursery Production Tour (Optional)
8:30–9:00 AM
Registration, Coffee & Networking
9:15-9:30 AM
Welcome, Opening Remarks – Kim Lovelace, Wayne Lovelace
9:30–10:30 AM
Keynote — Kelly Norris
Rooted in Natives: Designing Living Landscapes for a Resilient Future
Explore how native plant systems shape landscapes that are resilient, adaptive, and enduring—supporting wildlife, strengthening communities, and redefining what performance means in the built environment.
10:45–11:30 AM
Morning Breakout Block — Choose One
1) Urban Forestry — Shane McQuillan, Wal-Mart Urban Forester Runway Group
Urban Forestry with Natives: Selecting Trees for Tough Sites and Long-Term Success
Using native trees as urban infrastructure for stormwater, heat mitigation, and long-term durability.
2) Agroforestry — Dr. Chung Ho-Lin, Lead Scientist for the Bioremediation, Natural Products, and Bioanalytical Programs, Center for Agroforestry at the University of Missouri
Food Forests & Agroforestry Systems Built on Native Foundations
Designing productive agroforestry systems that integrate native trees and shrubs for income and resilience.
3) Guided Nursery Production Tour
11:45 AM–1:15 PM
Farmhaus Luncheon & Networking
1:30–2:15 PM
Afternoon Breakout Block — Choose One
1) Specialty Crops — Dr. Nadia Navarrete-Tindall, State Extension Specialist, Lincoln University
Profitable Native Crops for Midwest Growers and Agroforestry Systems
Native fruit and nut crops with proven market potential.
2) Conservation & Restoration — Zack Miller, Leveraging Our Lands Strategy Lead, The Nature Conservancy
Designing Native Restoration for Durability, Not Just Installation Creating restoration systems that improve with age through plant quality and site alignment.
3) Guided Nursery Production Tour
2:30–3:15 PM
Capstone Session — Kim Lovelace & Judy Good
Native Plants as Urban Infrastructure: Designing for Performance
Launch of new Forrest Keeling book, a professional framework for designing resilient native landscapes as defensible green infrastructure.
3:15–3:45 PM
Cypress Grove – Happy Hour, Peer Networking, and book signing with Kelly Norris, author of ‘Your Natural Garden’ and ‘The New Naturalism’. Learn more about Kelly’s virtual school, ‘New Naturalism Academy’ for professionals.
Optional mini tours
