Thu., September 17, 2026 at 9:00am
Fri., September 18, 2026 at 5:00pm
The Railyard Event and Conference Center
50 Roundhouse Way
Elkins, WV
Appalachian Forest Discovery Summit set for Sept. 17-18
ELKINS, W.Va. — The Appalachian Forest Discovery Summit will take place on Sept. 17-18 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at The Railyard Event and Conference Center, 50 Roundhouse Way, Elkins. The annual event brings together stakeholders with an interest in the highland forests of West Virginia and western Maryland.
The first day of summit will feature discussions on forest heritage and presentations on current projects followed by tours of locations in Randolph County on day two.
Presentations will include “Under the Hood: Behind the scenes of advocacy and science for sustainable recreation” by Mike Jones of the West Virginia Rivers Coalition; “Appalachian Stories: Writers of our Mountain Home” by Rev. Martha McGill; “Reading the Woods: A Whole-Forest Approach to Nature-Based Enterprise in Appalachia” by Bryan Simmons, agroforestry and land-use associate at Future Generations University; “From Passion to Policy: How Organizations and Advocates Can Shape Outcome at Every Level of Government” by Joshua Higginbotham, former state representative and “We Area All Storytellers: The Art and Neuroscience of Storytelling. Paw Paw’s story through historic buildings” by David Abruzzi of Cacapon Preservation.
Attendees will have a chance to earn continuing education credits; discovery Summit seminars are eligible for 5.0 Society of American Foresters Category 1 Continuing Education Credits.
There will be a evening reception Sept. 17 from 5-7:30 p.m. at the Darden Mill, 101 Railroad Ave. The free event will feature a special presentation and Q&A session with State Treasurer Larry Pack.
The following day, attendees will get to tour the Beverly Heritage Center, Randolph County Historical Society, Greenfield Cabinetry and Tygarts Valley Homestead.
The cost to attend is $37.45, which includes lunch. For more information or to get tickets, visit www.appalachianforestnha.org/2026-discovery-summit.
