The successional dynamics of plant communities is one of the deepest rooted topics of ecological study and has given ecology some of its first theoretical controversies. Despite this hallowed history, the study of successional dynamics is often dismissed as a descriptive science and successional systems as inferior study systems to pristine landscapes. It is our contention that successional studies continue to provide critical tests of ecological theory and data relevant to contemporary ecological issues. Since early successional work by Clements, there has been a clear linkage between the understanding of community dynamics and effective habitat management practices. The combined meeting between ESA and SERI provides a wonderful opportunity to reestablish this linkage and to fully integrate modern successional theory and perspectives into ecological restoration. As successional dynamics necessarily integrate simultaneously across a multitude of ecological scales and processes (from individual physiology through nutrient dynamics) it is an ideal framework to bring together researchers from a breadth of disciplines. The goal of this symposium is to present a cross-section of perspectives on community change, reaffirming the relevance of succession studies to contemporary ecology. Target communities for restoration span a range of successional stages. Therefore, it is important to know how to reverse or retard succession in some cases, while advancing it in others. For this reason, succession is fast becoming a unifying concept in ecological restoration and provides a unique opportunity to bridge the gap between pure and applied ecological science. The impetus behind this symposium is the 50th anniversary of the Buell-Small Succession Study, the longest continuous and ongoing study of post-agricultural succession. We wanted to take this opportunity to revisit the concepts and theories of succession, examining their past, present and future in ecology. In this symposium speakers will focus on the development and application of contemporary theoretical approaches rather than on individual empirical data sets. Where appropriate, speakers will directly discuss opportunities for improving restoration strategies through the application of a successional framework.