Our Virtual Programs explore pressing issues affecting forests and the communities that depend on them. From climate and wildfire management to conservation innovations and cultural connections, each program brings expert insights, interactive discussions, and practical takeaways.
Currently, we offer four engaging programs and are actively expanding our lineup to cover even more topics. These programs are designed for learners, professionals, and anyone curious about the future of our forests.
Public Health Impacts of Wildfire Smoke
Public Health Impacts of Wildfire Smoke
Part 1
Part One of the program brings together leading researchers for an hour-long conversation on what we know about the health impacts of wildfire smoke, who is most at risk, and what future research is needed to assess the full cost of wildfire smoke on public health.
Panelists include: Dr. Michael Brauer, Dr. Marshall Burke, Dr. Tom Corringham, Dr. Shehnaz Hussain, and Dr. Ana Rappold.
Public Health Impacts of Wildfire Smoke
Part 2
Part Two of the program brings together city, state, and federal agency staff, a farmworker labor advocate, and a bio-social research scientist to discuss what actions the public health sector can take to support vulnerable communities exposed to wildfire smoke. A list of resources available here.
Panelists include: Sarah Coefield, Ira Cuello-Martinez, Dr. Savannah D'Evelyn, Gabriela Goldfarb, and Susan Lyon Stone.
The Future of Innovative Timber Construction in Affordable Housing
This program convenes experts in affordable housing and innovative timber construction to discuss how mass timber and emerging wood products can offer real solutions to the affordable housing crisis.
Panelists include: Greg Wolf, Ernesto Fonseca, Tamara Kennedy-Hill, Nick Mileston, and Sebastian Popp.
Adapting to the Era of Megafires
Wildfire ravaged much of the western United States in 2020. Towns were destroyed, homes and businesses evacuated, forests incinerated, and lives lost. Vast swaths of rural communities like Talent and Detroit were devastated by sweeping megafires. Across the state, Oregonians were impacted by widespread evacuations, life-threatening smoke, damage to vineyards and other crops, and staggering costs siphoning critical tax dollars away from other essential public services. The greatest impacts were born our most vulnerable communities: low-income families, communities of color, the sick, the elderly, and the young.
These megafires also accelerated their climate effects, with carbon emissions from wildfires in the U.S. alone increasing 30% over the previous year. The 2020 season was a record-breaking year in the West, continuing a 20-year trend that is only worsening.
But there is hope. As wildfire impacts broaden, so has the coalition of parties seeking solutions. Small town mayors and tribal leaders, experts in public health and social justice, CEOs and scientists are speaking up. In early 2021, World Forestry Center brought together representatives from this broadening coalition in a five-week virtual summit on catastrophic wildfire.
The series outlined the full impacts of megafires on our state and our region; discussed real solutions shaped by decades of experience across the globe; and addressed the barriers to achieving these solutions.
This free public series, now available online, is for anyone who cares about the health of our society, our environment, or our economy. Catastrophic wildfire impacts us all. But together we can end the era of megafires.
Series Trailer
Episode 1: Understanding the Era of Megafires and the Threat Ahead
Speakers: Dr. Paul Hessburg (US Forest Service), Russ Hoeflich (1,000 Friends of Oregon), and Dr. Werner Kurz (Canadian Forest Service).
Episode 2: Protecting People: Creating Fire-Adapted Communities
Speakers: Mayor Sally Russell (City of Bend), Oregon Rep. Pam Marsh (D-Ashland), Oregon Sen. Lynn Findley (R-Vale), and Commissioner Mark Bennett (Baker County, Oregon).
Episode 3: Protecting Forests: Building Resilient Landscapes
Speakers: Dr. Chris Dunn (Oregon State University), Susan Jane Brown (Western Environmental Law Center), Nils Christoffersen (Wallowa Resources), and Bobby Brunoe (Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs).
Episode 4: Protecting Firefighters: Responding Safely and Effectively to Wildfire
Speakers: Mariana Ruiz-Temple (Oregon State Fire Marshal), Travis Medema (Oregon State Fire Marshal), Doug Grafe (Oregon Department of Forestry), and Oregon Rep. Lily Morgan (R-Grants Pass).
Episode 5.1: Building a Movement & Implementing Solutions
Speakers:Dean Takahashi (Yale Carbon Containment Lab), Dan Porter (The Nature Conservancy), Nils Christoffersen (Wallowa Resources), and Joe Whitworth (The Freshwater Trust).
Episode 5.2: Building a Movement & Implementing Solutions
Speakers:
Governor Kate Brown (Oregon), U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (Oregon), U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (Oregon), and Oregon Sen. Lew Frederick (D-Portland).