People, Forests, and Change Press Release

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Jaime Jennings, 202-232-7933x44 jjennings@islandpress.org Katharine Sucher, 202-232-7933x43 ksucher@islandpress.org

PRESS RELEASE

People, Forests, and Change Lessons from the Pacific Northwest

By Deanna H. Olson and Beatrice Van Horne

Washington, DC (April 20, 2017)— From the timber we use to the oxygen in the air we breathe, humans are intimately connected to the complex forested ecosystems that many of us take for granted. As forests face increasing pressures from climate change and urban development, management strategies must evolve to consider the sustainability of both forests and the communities that depend on them. In bringing together an expert panel of social and forest scientists, People, Forests, and Change: Lessons from the Pacific Northwest (Publication Date: April 20, 2017) lays the groundwork for a future where both humans and forests can thrive.

Edited by ecologist Deanna H. Olson and USDA research manager Beatrice Van Horne, People Forests, and Change extracts key lessons from several decades of forest management and scientific advancement to provide guidance on managing forests in balance with local communities. Since implementation of the Northwest Forest Plan, which provided management direction and incentives to protect the long-term health of forests in Washington and Oregon in 1994, knowledge of forest resources and landscape dynamics have changed significantly. People, Forests, and Change explores the effects of these changes and offers insight into the future of sustainable forest management.

Divided into four parts, the book uses examples from the Pacific Northwest to: 1) Provide a framework for implementing strategies to manage timber production, biodiversity, water flows, and other resources in ways that encourage both community and forest sustainability;

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2) Explore changing patterns and advancements in science and technology that inform forest management; 3) Describe an array of new and innovative science-based techniques that can improve environmental conditions at small to large landscape scales; and 4) Envision sustainable, vigorous forests and prosperous communities through collaboration, innovation, and learning from the history, science, and management of these forests.

Throughout, the book explores topics ranging from effects of timber harvesting and fire on forest regrowth patterns, to watershed and landscape ecology, to temperature and precipitation shifts due to climate change and its impact on the Northwest region. Though specific examples focus on the Pacific Northwest, lessons drawn can be applied to a range of forests around the world.

With expert research and analysis complemented by attractive illustrations, People, Forests, and Change will be an invaluable resource for policy makers, forest and natural resource managers, students, and conservationists who wish to conscientiously and effectively manage forests and the human communities who depend on them.

Deanna H. Olson is a research ecologist with the USDA Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station in Corvallis, Oregon. Beatrice Van Horne is the director of the USDA Northwest Climate Hub at the Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station in Corvallis; previously she was a professor of biology at Colorado State University in Fort Collins.

People, Forests, and Change Island Press Hardcover and Paperback Original Publication Date: April 20, 2017 350 pages | 6x9 | Price: $90.00 (C) / $45.00 (P) / $44.99 (E) ISBN: 9781610917667 (C)/ 9781610917674 (P) https://islandpress.org/book/people-forests-and-change Founded in 1984, Island Press works to stimulate, shape, and communicate the information that is essential for solving environmental problems. Today, with more than 1,000 titles in print and some 30 new releases each year, it is the nation’s leading publisher of books on environmental issues. Island Press is driving change by moving ideas from the printed page to public discourse and practice. Island Press’s emphasis is, and will continue to be, on transforming objective information into understanding and action. For more information and further updates be sure to visit www.islandpress.org.

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