Money Grows on Trees? A 'Multi-Win' Forestry Policy is Oct. 19 Talk
Wildfires have become a dreaded given in western landscapes and recent events have cost lives, homes, livelihoods and drained public coffers. Fingers point to wildfire suppression practices that allow dangerous fuels to accumulate, escalating development in wildfire-prone landscapes and a warming climate that extends fire seasons.
But what if policies were in place to restore forests, create energy from biomass, encourage firewise development, foster carbon storage and revitalize rural economies?
Renowned forestry policy strategist Jay O’Laughlin addresses these issues Wednesday, Oct. 19, at Utah State University. A professor of forestry and policy sciences at the University of Idaho, O’Laughlin is a featured speaker at USU’s 2011 Restoring the West Conference. His 4 p.m. talk in the Eccles Conference Center Auditorium is free and open to all.
“If you want more jobs, cut more trees,” O’Laughlin recently told a reporter from Idaho’s Capital Press. “Changes in agency policies that foster sustainable forestry management could yield many benefits to society, including enhanced energy security, healthier forests and strengthened communities.”
Since 1989, O’Laughlin has served as director of UI’s Policy Analysis Group, an entity created and funded by the Idaho Legislature to provide objective analysis of natural resource issues important to Idaho citizens.
In his USU talk, “The Forestry/Bioenergy/Carbon Connection,” O’Laughlin will discuss large-scale forestry restoration treatments, biomass energy production and the forestry products industry.
O’Laughlin is a member of the Forest Health Advisory Committee of the Western Governors’ Association and the Idaho Strategic Alliance. For the latter, he serves on the Carbon Issues Task Force and chairs the Forestry/Biomass Task Force. He is a 2010 recipient of the Society of American Foresters’ Forest Science Award, a prestigious national honor recognizing distinguished individual research in the application of managerial and social sciences leading to the advancement of forestry.
Related links:
2011 Restoring the West Conference
USU College of Natural Resources
Contact: Darren McAvoy, 435-797-0560, darren.mcavoy@usu.edu
Writer: Mary-Ann Muffoletto, 435-797-3517, maryann.muffoletto@usu.edu
Forestry policy strategist Jay O'Laughlin, a professor at the University of Idaho, speaks Wednesday, Oct. 19th, at USU. All are invited. Photo courtesy of University of Idaho.
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