FORREST KEELING Fall Field Day
Rooted in Natives
Design Once. Perform for Decades.
September 17, 2026
For decades, native plants have been valued for their beauty, habitat benefits, and ecological importance. Today, they are increasingly recognized for something more: their capacity to deliver measurable outcomes.
Join nationally recognized experts at Forrest Keeling Nursery’s 2026 Fall Field Day to explore how native plants serve as living infrastructure—improving water quality, supporting biodiversity, reducing heat, sequestering carbon, strengthening restoration projects, creating new economic opportunities, and building more resilient communities.
Registration is FREE, Advance registration will be required.
Who SHould Attend
This Field Day is designed for:
- conservation professionals
- landscape architects
- planners
- urban foresters
- restoration practitioners
- growers
- municipal leaders
- developers
- land managers
2026 Fall Field Day Keynote: Kelly Norris
Forrest Keeling Nursery is honored to welcome Kelly Norris as keynote speaker for the 2026 Fall Field Day, “Rooted in Natives — Design Once. Perform for Decades,” on September 17 at our Elsberry, Missouri nursery.
A nationally recognized plantsman, designer, and author, Norris is known for his work at the intersection of ecology, horticulture, and design. His approach—often described as “new naturalism”—draws from native plant communities to create landscapes that are both ecologically functional and deeply expressive of place.
His keynote, “Rooted in Natives: Designing Living Landscapes for a Resilient Future,” will 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.
photo credit: Austin Hyler Day
Ecology → Performance → Measurement → Value → Better Decisions
This presentation sets the stage for a full day of learning designed for professionals across the green industry. From urban forestry and agroforestry to restoration and nursery production, the program moves from big-picture vision to real-world application, concluding with a capstone session on Native Plants as Urban Infrastructure.
As always, Fall Field Day is built around practical insight and usable takeaways, offering attendees not just ideas, but approaches they can implement in their own work.
We are excited to have Kelly with us and look forward to a day of meaningful conversation, connection, and forward-thinking exploration of native landscapes.
AGENDA
Rooted in Natives – Design Once. Perform for Decades.
7:45 – 8:30 AM
Early-Bird Nursery Production Tour (Optional)
Growing Plants That Perform
How nursery production practices influence survival, growth, resilience, and long-term project success.
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
Kelly Norris
Keynote: Native Plants as Living Infrastructure: Designing Landscapes That Perform
Few voices have done more to shape the national conversation around native plants and ecological landscape design than Kelly Norris. An award-winning plantsman, designer, and author, Kelly is known for translating lessons from native plant communities into landscapes that are both beautiful and high-performing. Featured in national publications such as The New York Times, Better Homes & Gardens, NPR, and Gardenista, he challenges audiences to rethink what landscapes can do—for people, wildlife, and communities alike.
10:45–11:30 AM
Morning Breakout Block – (Choose One)
10:45 – 11:30 AM
BREAKOUT: Shane McQuillan,
Native Trees That Perform: Measurable Benefits for Urban Communities
From production forestry in Australia to managing urban forests in Iowa and Arkansas, Shane McQuillan has spent his career studying how trees perform in the real world. As an Urban Forester for Runway Group in Bentonville, Arkansas, he helps guide one of the nation’s most ambitious community forestry initiatives, focusing on how native trees reduce heat, manage stormwater, improve quality of life, and create measurable long-term value.
10:45 – 11:30 AM
BREAKOUT: Dr. Chung Ho-Lin,
What Is Habitat Worth? From Ecological Function to Economic Value
What is habitat worth? Dr. Chung-Ho Lin is helping answer that question. A nationally recognized researcher and innovator, he works across agroforestry, ecological restoration, environmental remediation, biofuels, natural products, and the emerging bioeconomy. His research has advanced new ways to measure the environmental and economic value of natural systems and has created technologies that move from the laboratory into real-world applications.
10:45 – 11:30 AM
BREAKOUT: Guided Nursery Production Tour
11:45 AM – 1:15 PM
Farmhaus Luncheon & Networking
A special onsite lunch prepared by Kevin Willmann, chef/owner of Farmhaus, returning by popular demand. Seasonal, ethically and sustainably sourced local cuisine, served at Forrest Keeling’s Cypress Grove, provides space to connect, recharge, and continue conversations.
1:30–2:15 PM
BREAKOUT: Dr. Nadia Navarrete-Tindall,
Profitable Native Crops: Diversifying Farms, Markets, and Landscapes
Dr. Nadia Navarrete-Tindall has spent decades helping people uncover the hidden potential of native plants—not only as habitat but also as sources of food, medicine, and economic opportunity. A nationally respected educator, researcher, and advocate for native crops, she connects conservation and agriculture to benefit both people and the natural world, helping communities and landowners create productive, profitable, and ecologically rich landscapes.
1:30–2:15 PM
Afternoon Breakout Block – (Choose One)
1:30–2:15 PM
BREAKOUT: Zack Miller,
Native Systems That Last: Measuring Success in Restoration
Dr. Zack Miller works at the intersection of ecology, agriculture, conservation, and community health—helping people understand not only how ecosystems function but also why it matters. As a conservation strategist with The Nature Conservancy, he brings a systems-thinking perspective to restoration, biodiversity, regenerative agriculture, and ecosystem services, helping practitioners understand why some projects thrive while others struggle.
Title f2:30–3:15 PM
Capstone Session: Kim Lovelace & Judy Good
Native Plants as Infrastructure: Measuring What Mattersor This Block
How should we evaluate landscapes in the 21st century?
Drawing on themes explored throughout the day, this capstone session will integrate ecology, performance, measurement, and value into a practical framework for making better decisions about the landscapes we design, manage, and invest in.
Attendees will leave with a new way of thinking about native plants—not merely as landscape elements, but as living infrastructure that delivers measurable ecological, social, and economic outcomes.
As part of the session, attendees will receive a copy of the new book, Native Plants Are Urban Infrastructure.
Kim Lovelace
Kim Lovelace grew up at Forrest Keeling Nursery and now leads one of the nation’s most influential native plant nurseries as its President. Throughout her career, she has advanced the use of native plants in restoration, conservation, and landscape projects across North America while championing innovations such as RPM® technology. Her work is grounded in a simple conviction: healthier ecosystems begin with better plants, better science, and better decisions.
Judy Good
Judy Good, founder of Bluestem Services, is a landscape designer, writer, and creative solutionist who helps organizations and communities reconnect people with the natural world through design, storytelling, and ecological thinking. Her work includes the books Grandpa Wayne’s Tales & Trails and Native Plants Are Urban Infrastructure, both grounded in the belief that when people understand how nature works, they make better decisions about the places they inhabit.
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
Cypress Grove Happy Hour & Peer Networking
Close the day with informal networking among peers, speakers, and Forrest Keeling staff in a relaxed outdoor setting.
Nursery Production Tours
Guided tours through Forrest Keeling’s production systems will highlight:
• Native tree and shrub propagation
• Container and bare-root production
• Quality control, grading, and handling
• Matching plant genetics and form to application
See how production decisions translate into field performance, survivability, and project reliability.
What You’ll Take Away
A new framework for evaluating landscapes based on measurable outcomes rather than appearance alone.
Practical tools to:
- Improve restoration success and project reliability
- Design landscapes that perform for decades
- Understand the measurable benefits of native trees and plant communities
- Evaluate long-term ecological and economic value
- Explore emerging opportunities in carbon markets, mitigation, agroforestry, and ecosystem services
- Make better plant selection, specification, and management decisions
