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Comox Valley Nature hosting webinars to discuss forest management in B.C.

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The Canadian Society of Environmental Biologists and Comox Valley Nature will co-host two online lectures on forest management in B.C. (Credit: BC Wildfire Service)

The Canadian Society of Environmental Biologists and Comox Valley Nature will co-host two online lectures on forest management in B.C.

The first webinar is by Bob Gray. The webinar entitled To Reduce the Social and Economic Damage from High Severity Wildfires, We Must Transform our Landscapes is on Thursday Sept. 21, at noon.

To register, go to: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1791962493877366620

As of June 28, over 8 million ha of forest has burned in high severity fires from Nova Scotia to British Columbia with another three months of fire season still ahead of us. These fires are resulting in significant social, ecological and economic impacts. Transformational change in landscape-scale forest and fire management is key to reducing area burned at high severity.

Bob Gray (R.W. Gray Consulting Ltd.) is a highly reputed AFE Certified Wildland Fire Ecocologist whose clients include: US Forest Service, Parks Canada, The World Bank, State of Oregon, State of Washington, ?aq’am and Tsilhqot’in First Nation, B.C. Ministry of Forests,

Lands and Natural Resource Operations, B.C. Ministry of Environment, University of Washington, University of Idaho, and University of British Columbia, several rural BC communities (Cranbrook, Kimberley, Vernon), the BC forest industry, and many others.

The second webinar titled On Transforming Tree-Farms into Forests by Tal Engel is on Sunday, Sept. 24 at 7 p.m.

To register, go to: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/703494360933246303

This talk presents an integrative and regenerative forestry approach to facilitating fire-resilience, moisture-retention, and overall ecological integrity in degraded forest ecosystems.

This holistic restoration regime uses novel ecological thinning approaches, the reintroduction and establishment of keystone native biological agents, and the creation of ecological replicant structures to promote and accelerate the development of resilient old-growth conditions.

Engel lives in the Merville area where he practises ecoforestry and manages an organic (ecologically-oriented) apiary and farm. He also works with the Maxwell Creek Restoration project on Salt Spring Island developing experimental forest restoration methods, the subject of this talk. Learn more about that work.

This is an excellent opportunity for the public to learn more about forest management and reducing the social and economic damage from high severity wildfires.

Meetings and lectures of the Comox Valley Naturalists Society are normally held on the third Sunday of most months at the Florence Filberg Centre, 411 Anderton Ave., Courtenay.

However, we are currently hosting presentations by online webinars. Meetings are open to the public, including children and youth. The lectures are free, though a $4 contribution from non- members is appreciated. New memberships are always welcomed.

Anyone interested in this lecture or participating in CVNS activities can also visit http://cvnature.ca/