Clearcutting the Climate - www.forestclimate.org

Burning fossil fuels - petroleum, coal and natural gas - is not the only cause of global warming. Clearcutting forests also disrupts the climate. Join expert scientists and environmental leaders for a groundbreaking one day conference to bring together citizens concerned about climate change and about forest protection.

Presentations from this conference will be posted at www.forestclimate.org for local, bioregional and global distribution. Background information on these connections will continue to be added to increase public awareness of the need to protect native forests and stop clearcutting to protect the climate.

Keynote Speakers (morning session):

Mark Harmon
Professor and Richardson Chair of Forest Science
Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon

Carbon Dioxide in the Atmosphere
As part of several greenhouse gases, carbon plays a critical role in regulating the surface temperature on earth. With the release of carbon dioxide through human activities, increasing concentrations are sufficient to warm the earth's surface temperature above that expected in natural cycles. Current concentrations and recent rates of increase exceed that observed in the last 420,000 years. Changes in energy source and uses as well as management of natural systems will be required to stablize and reduce carbon dioxide concentrations in the next 100 years.

Olga Krankina
Assistant Professor, Sr. Research, Forest Management, Forest Ecology
Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon

Forest management and mitigation of climate change:
in search of synergies
Can forests play a role in reducing the carbon footprint of Oregon's economy? Which forest and land management decisions promote carbon sequestration on land? We will examine different strategies for increasing carbon stores on land in comparison with other approaches to address climate change.

Panel: Forests and Climate (afternoon session):

Doug Heiken
Conservation and Restoration Coordinator
Oregon Wild, formerly Oregon Natural Resources Council (ONRC)
Eugene, Oregon

Myths and Facts about Forests and Global Warming
My talk will focus on the myths that surround the role of forests in the global carbon cycle and climate regulation. I will attempt to debunk some of the misinformation that is promoted by the timber industry and their allies.

Pat Rasmussen
World Temperate Rainforest Network
Peshastin, Washington

Alder Fuller
Euglena Academy, Eugene, Oregon

Lance Olsen
former president, Great Bear Foundation
Missoula, Montana (via video link)

[affiliations for identification purposes only]

Afternoon Discussions:

how the climate and forest protection movements can work together
real and false solutions for the climate / forest crises

Conclusion: Workshop summaries and Next Steps

Tim Hermach
Native Forest Council, Eugene, Oregon

Conference moderator:

Brian Shaw, Town Hall Media

Lawrence Hall - logistics

Maps of the University of Oregon campus are available at www.uoregon.edu/maps.shtml

Please consider using public transit, bicycling, or carpooling, if possible. Lawrence Hall has covered bicycle parking and is a short walk from the Lane Transit District "Dad's Gate" Bus Rapid Transit stop (free service between downtown Eugene and Springfield).

On-street car parking is available on the periphery of the University, some of this parking is metered on Saturdays.

We will have complimentary warm drinks for attendees during the event - please bring your own cup!

If you are hearing-impaired and plan on attending Clearcutting the Climate, please email Josh @ forestcouncil.org by January 15 so we can arrange for a sign-language presenter. speed

Registration information:

Clearcutting the Climate is a free event open to everyone, but we request pre-registration to be able to plan adequately for the size of the audience.

Holy Cow cafe, a vegetarian restaurant specializing in organic and local food, will be open during the conference lunch break in the University of Oregon "EMU" student center as a special favor for conference attendees. Please pre-register and indicate if you plan to buy lunch so they can make preparations to serve us.

Please send an email to

conference [at] forestclimate [dot] org

and include your name, contact information, and whether you are planning to purchase lunch at Holy Cow. Thanks!

YES! I would like to make a donation:

donations above $35 will receive a complimentary DVD of the conference presentations

please make checks payable to:

Native Forest Council
Box 2190, Eugene, OR 97402

please note on your check that your donation is for the conference

Contact us:

Call 541 688-2600 or email info@forestcouncil.org

Volunteers will be needed to help with publicity and logistics during the conference.

Organizers:

Cascadia's Ecosystem Advocates

Native Forest Council

GreenwashEugene.com

UO Survival Center

Co-sponsored by:

Allegheny Defense Project

Cascadia Wildlands Project

Climate Crisis Working Group

Forest Land Dwellers

Helios Resource Network

LandWatch Lane County

Land Air Water

Lane County Energy Round Up

Lost Valley Educational Center

Many Rivers Group Sierra Club

OLYecology

Oregon Wild

OSPIRG Students

Pitchfork Rebellion

Vision for Intact Ecosystems and Watersheds (VIEW)

list in formation

A model of relocalization:
a bioregional conference with global implications

This conference is not flying in anyone from anywhere. We seek to conserve energy, prevent pollution, and be a model of relocalizing actions. The Willamette Valley - and the Pacific Northwest - have tremendous local talents that do not require importing speakers from distant places.

Why this conference is not "carbon neutral"

We hope that the positive impact of the conference offsets the consumption of non-renewable fossil fuels, but Clearcutting the Climate is not pretending that our energy impact can be "carbon neutral." The electricity used as part of the preparation for this conference was a mix of coal, hydro-electric, natural gas, nuclear, wind and solar (in order of greatest to least). Some petroleum was used by some of the organizers, some of the speakers and some of the audience. This website is hosted by a computer company that is largely powered by burning coal and nuclear energy. The main computer used to write this website has some of its electricity directly supplied by photovoltaic solar panels, but in the wintertime most of its electricity is just from the electric power grid with its mix of electrical generation sources.

Carbon neutrality and carbon offsets are propaganda exercises that provide the illusion that promoting efficiency and renewable energy can somehow undo the impact of burning stored solar energy from the Carboniferous era. No project - not even the best - can remove carbon from burned fossil fuels and sequester it back into the crust of the Earth. Coping with the ecological crisis would require honesty about our impact - and carbon credits or offsets are distractions that provide the illusion that we can burn finite, toxic energy sources without long term consequences.

For more about "carbon neutrality"

www.cheatneutral.com (parody website)

www.oilempire.us/carbon-neutral.html (serious analysis)

disclaimer:

The speakers, organizers and co-sponsors do not necessarily agree with everything on this website. The science of forestry's contributions to climate change is complex and evolving. We support the precautionary principle to prevent irreversible damage to ecosystems and the atmosphere. We also support reduction of waste and overconsumption of forest resources.

visitors since November 7, 2007