Science and Our Place on the Planet: Theme - Forests and Sustainable Futures

Here in the Pacific Northwest we live amid one of the most spectacular forests on the planet. This course will explore the diverse ways that forests provide benefits for people and are essential to a sustainable future for humankind. We will draw on perspectives from ecology, natural history and environmental studies to examine the science of forestry and the key roles that forests play in mitigating climate change and supporting ecosystem health. Our investigations will also examine a variety of forest management approaches, including U.S. national forests, tribal and Indigenous forestry, agroforestry models, carbon sequestration approaches, and the forest certification movement. A big part of our focus will be field studies in Bellingham and Whatcom County, as we learn firsthand about the forest we call home.