UW News

May 6, 2010

‘Forests and Health of Puget Sound’ is topic of forestry issues presentation

Forests giving way to commercial development and housing is creating more impervious surfaces — such as streets, roofs and parking lots — and generating more storm runoff that is eroding streams and carrying a chemical brew into Puget Sound.

Nine speakers — ranging from a Weyerhaeuser Co. scientist to Washington’s commissioner of public lands — will talk about the issues during “Forests and the Health of Puget Sound,” Tuesday, May 18, from 1 to 5 p.m. at the UW’s Center for Urban Horticulture.

Organized by the UW School of Forest Resources as part of its Denman Forestry Issues Series ,the presentation is free and open to the public but seating is limited and reservations are requested, please contact Ellen Matheny, ematheny@u.washington.edu.

The presentation will start with an overview of Puget Sound’s health problems from Tim Quinn, a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist and chair of the science team for the Puget Sound Partnership. Perspectives and solutions will be presented by speakers  representing tribal interests, industrial forest landowners, public lands, small private forest landowners and non-governmental conservation organizations.

Speakers from the UW will be Rob Harrison, professor of forest resources who will talk about the ways soils contribute to the problems and solutions of the Sound, and John Lombard, manager of PRISM applications for the UW School of Oceanography, will be the final speaker on “Saving the Sound: A Wrap Up.”