Search this site only.

University Advancement » News and Communications » Media Release.

1-8-09

Media Release

2009 Starker Lectures to Explore Sustainable Forestry

CORVALLIS, Ore. –The 2009 Starker Lectures will be held this winter at Oregon State University, with leading experts discussing issues relating to sustainable forestry.

The title for this year’s lectures is “Sustaining Forests, Homes and Communities.” Sustainability will be explored from a broad perspective, from sustainable production and use of forest products to maintaining rural communities and the working forests on which they depend. Topics will include forest management certification, green building standards and initiatives to support forest-dependent communities.

The presentations, which are free and open to the public, are supported by the OSU College of Forestry and the Oregon Forest Resources Institute, and sponsored by the Starker Family. They honor T.J. and Bruce Starker, prominent leaders in the history of the Oregon forest products industry.

Each presentation will be on a Thursday in Richardson Hall Room 107 on the OSU campus. The lectures will also be available via streaming video on the web, with more information about the web broadcast, speakers and topics available at http://starkerlectures.forestry.oregonstate.edu

Besides the lectures, a capstone field trip will be held on March 12, titled “A Community of Wood: Corvallis Area and Wood Products Businesses.” More details on the field trip will be available on the web.

The presentations and topics include:

• Jan. 22 – James Brown, former Oregon state forester, will speak at 3:30 p.m. on “Sustainability of Forests and Forest Management.” He will discuss changing social, economic and environmental influences on forests, and how those influences may affect the sustainability of forests and the benefits they provide.

• Feb. 19 – Jerry Yudelson, with Yudelson Associations of Arizona, will speak at 7 p.m. on “Preparing the Forest Product Industry to Compete in a Sustainable Marketplace.” He will discuss how the forest products industry can position itself to compete in a rapidly developing, sustainable marketplace through innovative building design and wood as a source of energy.

• March 5 – Martin Goebel, of Sustainable Northwest in Portland, Ore., will speak at 3:30 p.m. and discuss “Community and Social Sustainability.”

About the OSU College of Forestry: For a century, the College of Forestry has been a world class teaching and learning center. It offers graduate and undergraduate degree programs in sustaining ecosystems, managing forests and manufacturing wood products; conducts basic and applied research on the nature and use of forests; and operates 14,000 acres of college forests.