UW News

February 15, 2007

UW College of Forest Resources kicks off centennial with Gov. Gregoire

News and Information

At the same time that its faculty and staff members have been helping the state look to the future concerning working forests and the potential for biofuels from woody debris, the UW’s College of Forest Resources kicked off a year-long celebration of its 100th anniversary.

More than 200 alums, faculty, staff and other guests attended the event in the rotunda of the state capitol where they visited with UW students during a reception and poster session on research concerning the sustainability of Washington’s natural resources. The program featured remarks by Gov. Chris Gregoire, UW provost Phyllis Wise and forest resources dean Bruce Bare. Gov. Gregoire has proclaimed this is the “year of the forest” in honor of the college’s centennial.

Established in 1907, the college is one of the oldest units on the UW campus and one of the original natural resources programs in the nation. Since the start of the year, college faculty and staff have briefed legislators and their staffs about:


  • Last fall’s Northwest Environmental Forum, a think tank conducted by the college that involved representatives of forest companies, small landowners, environmental advocates, Native American tribes, the legislature and agencies considering Washington’s working forests. Such forests include areas managed for both forest commodities, such as timber, and environmental services such as fresh water and wildlife habitat.
  • Five UW studies commissioned by the Legislature that provide the latest information about the health of Eastside forests, pressures to convert some forests to other uses and the state of the forest products industry and rural communities.
  • The potential for producing bioenergy from woody debris, something President Bush called for in his State of the Union address, in conjunction with thinning fire-prone forests.

The college is in the midst of a centennial lecture series with commission of public lands Doug Sutherland, who manages the Washington Department of Natural Resources, is speaking Feb. 22 about the current state of Washington’s forests and the importance of natural resources to the state’s future. Bruce Bare, dean of the College of Forest Resources, will speak March 8 about the next century’s challenges for sustaining natural resources for future generations.

Sutherland and Bare’s talks are at 7 p.m. in 110 Kane. They will be followed by a reception in the Walker-Ames Room. Register in advance at https://go.washington.edu/uwaa/events/2007cfr_lectures/details.tcl or by calling 206-543-0540.