Urban forest expert, Dr. Melanie Kirk, to speak at World Forestry Center, April 7
04/11/2011
Urban forests are more than city parks, says a noted expert, Dr. Melanie Kirk, on trees and community forests. They can sustain humanity.
In a rapidly urbanizing world, people everywhere are managing their city forests in a myriad of innovative ways that benefit residents and the forests themselves. In some African countries, for example, she says that communities own forests that generate revenue designated to go directly back to individual residents.
Dr. Kirk will be a guest lecturer for the 2011 Starker Lecture Series, the Oregon State University College of Forestry’s annual lecture series. The Starker Lectures have been sponsored since 1985 by the Starker Family in honor of T.J. and Bruce Starker and is supported by the OSU College of Forestry and the Oregon Forest Resources Institute.
The theme for this year’s series is “Oregon's Place in World Forests and Forestry.” That theme acknowledges the important role that Oregon’s forests play in addressing global forestry issues, and increasingly, for how forestry is practiced in Oregon. The United Nations General Assembly has declared 2011 as International Year of Forests to raise awareness on sustainable management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests.
Dr. Kirk is assistant professor and extension urban forestry specialist with Texas AgriLife Extension Service, Dallas, Texas, an agency of the Texas A&M University system. The lecture is Thursday, April 7, from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. in Miller Hall of the World Forestry Center near the Oregon Zoo in Portland. The lecture is free to the public.
Dr. Kirk partners with various entities in planning, conducting and evaluating education and applied research programs centered around urban and community forests. She says, "We are taking this large world and shrinking it down a bit, connecting people and helping them move forward." In these days of budget cuts, her work includes creative use of all avenues of new media to share workshops, training and information about urban forests with communities around the globe.
The lecture will be recorded and available for subsequent viewing on the Starker Lecture Series website. For more information on the lecture series or to access this and other recordings, visit: http://starkerlectures.forestry.oregonstate.edu/.
Contact: Dave Kvamme, OFRI (971) 673-2948