2025 Program

2025 CONFERENCE & 117th AGM

Finding Opportunity in Complexity

October 5-8, 2025

Under the theme Finding Opportunity in Complexity, this multi-day Conference will explore the interconnected dimensions of climate change, forest fire management, biodiversity conservation, Indigenous forest stewardship, socio-economic considerations, and the evolving forest industry.

The Conference will take place from October 5-8, 2025 in Thunder Bay, ON and will include activities where you can experience Binesii-wiikwedong (Thunder Bay), on the shore of Anishinaabewi-gichigami (Lake Superior) and the surrounding area.

Learn more about the speakers and social events we have planned for #2025CIF below!

Conference at a glance

View this schedule of events for what you can expect at #2025CIF.

Full Conference schedule

View the full Conference schedule to learn more about what you can expect at #2025CIF.

In-Conference Tour

October 8, 2025

We are pleased to welcome you on the 2025 National Conference field tour. Take an opportunity to stay an extra day in “the Bay” to enjoy breathtaking views from the shoreline of the largest freshwater lake in the world. Experience the natural beauty and history of the territory of the Fort William First Nation though forests new and old, culminating in a visit to Animiiki-wajiw (a.k.a. Mount McKay). 

We will start the day with a visit to the state of the art biomass energy facility, a “living lab”, at Confederation College. Next, we will travel through the Lakehead Sustainable Forest Management Area to learn about some of Northwestern Ontario’s oldest logging operations (late 1800s). We will visit stands where innovative silviculture techniques were applied in the 1950s & 60s by industrial forestry interests. These stands in Prince and Jarvis Townships were recognized by the CIF-IFC, the Provincial government of the day, and national and provincial forestry associations as the future of forestry. Recent logging operations conducted within some of these stands established in the 1950s will provide a venue for exciting presentations by local forest professionals. You will learn about current silviculture practices, wood flow to local mills, Ontario forest land tenure, new logging technologies, how drone use informs management practices and more. 

A lunch and learn with the Lakehead Region Conservation Authority will enlighten you about the wonders of Lake Superior (Anishinaabewi-gichigami) and the protected shoreline. There will be time for an optional cold plunge in Lake Superior or a short interpretive hike. Next, visit the original site of a tree seedling nursery and admire the perfectly aligned red pine, white spruce and black spruce trees in the Thunder Bay spacing trials which were planted in 1950. These trials are one example of the significant investments in forest research that have been made in Northwestern Ontario. 

Finally, end your day on top of Animiiki-wajiw (Thunder Mountain), located on the Fort William First Nation land, which towers 1,000 ft. over the city and offers a magnificent view of the area including the Sleeping Giant (Nanabijou)- Thunder Bay’s most famous landmark. Have open and honest conversations about the history of the territory and how the forest industry and First Nations are now working together to build a sustainable future. 

We hope you will join us! Our experienced and passionate local professionals look forward to sharing their knowledge and insights and showing you how we are Finding Opportunity in Complexity in Northwestern Ontario.

-the CIF-IFC Northwestern Ontario Section and CIF-IFC Lake of the Woods Section