International ecology conference in Missoula focuses on problem-solving, both in the woods and the lab. The research featured at the event has major implications for Greater Yellowstone. The 15th annual North American Forest Ecology Workshop took place at the University of Montana University Center June 23-26 with 50 concurrent sessions, each featuring at least three experts displaying their latest work. “We went through the first six months of reign of terror, followed by the reign of chaos,” Washington Department of Natural Resources Forest Health Scientist Derek Churchill  said of the Trump administration’s firings and resignations in early 2025, and the subsequent restructuring of U.S. Forest Service and Interior land-management leadership. “We just keep doing the work. A lot of research grants have been going dark, but we’ve still got legacy funding from others. There’s lots of new problems to solve. Forest ecosystems are very dynamic, and we love disturbance. We love studying how they change and adapt.”