PLANTING TREE SEEDLINGS OCCURS ACROSS ALL FORESTED REGIONS OF THE U.S. FOR PLANTING OPERATIONS TO BE SUCCESSFUL, HIGH-QUALITY SEEDLINGS MUST HAVE WELL-DEVELOPED, VIGOROUS ROOT SYSTEMS IN THE NURSERY AND AFTER OUTPLANTING, ESPECIALLY ON MOISTURE-LIMITED SITES WHERE SURVIVAL CAN BE LOW. BECAUSE ROOTS ARE DIFFICULT TO OBSERVE AND MEASURE WITHOUT EXCAVATION, THEY CAN BE OVERLOOKED. NEW TOOLS ARE AVAILABLE TO NON-DESTRUCTIVELY SAMPLE ROOTS, INDICATING THAT THERE IS A TIMELY NEED TO RE-FOCUS ON ROOT PHYSIOLOGY, FUNCTION, AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE CONTEXT OF SEEDLING PRODUCTION AND YOUNG FOREST STAND ESTABLISHMENT. WE WILL HOLD A TWO-DAY CONFERENCE TO BRING TOGETHER SCIENTISTS AND PRACTITIONERS TO PRESENT AND DISCUSS RECENT ADVANCES IN SEEDLING ROOT RESEARCH DURING NURSERY PRODUCTION AND FIELD PLANTING. THIS PROPOSED CONFERENCE ADDRESSES TIMELY, HIGH PROFILE ISSUES THAT WILL HAVE IMPORTANT IMPLICATIONS FOR ADVANCING SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE IN ROOT DEVELOPMENT AND FUNCTION, WHILE ALSO PROVIDING NEW, USEFUL INFORMATION THAT CAN BE READILY AND WIDELY APPLIED TO NURSERY AND FOREST PRACTICES. THIS CONFERENCE IS UNIQUE IN THAT NO SYMPOSIUM IN THE PAST DECADE HAS SPECIFICALLY FOCUSED ON FOREST TREE SEEDLING ROOT DEVELOPMENT. TO ENSURE PUBLIC SHARING, A CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS WILL BE PUBLISHED IN A SPECIAL ISSUE OF THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL,NEW FORESTS,AND A SYNTHESIS PAPER OUTLINING KEY OUTCOMES OF THE CONFERENCE WILL BE DEVELOPED.