2023 Sustaining Our World Lecture: Forest Stewardship in the 21st Century

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The UW School of Environmental and Forest Sciences is proud to welcome Dr. Jerry Franklin, SEFS Emeritus Professor, as the 2023 Sustaining Our World Speaker.

Sustaining Our World 2023 Lecture Flyer with forest image in the backgroundDr. Franklin will present “What the Old Forests Taught Us: Forest Stewardship in the 21st Century,” and a short Q&A will be held after the presentation.

Here are the details:

When: 7 p.m. – 8 p.m. Pacific Time on Wednesday, May 3, 2023

Location: In-Person at UW’s Kane Hall Room 110 (Space is limited!), or virtually on the SEFS YouTube Channel

RSVP online to attend in person or virtually

Description: A revolution in our understanding of forests – what they are and their value to human society – occurred during the last 60 years, and it began with research on the nature of the old-growth conifer forests of the Pacific Northwest. We know them now as biologically rich, structurally complex ecosystems that fulfill many important functions and not just as collections of trees managed for wood production. This science of forest ecosystems now provides us with the direction we need to restore the plantation-dominated landscapes to fully functional, resistant and resilient forest ecosystems. Challenges in the 21st century make collaboration between man and nature imperative.

Dr. Jerry Franklin is a forest ecologist, leading authority on sustainable forest management, and Emeritus Professor in the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences at the University of Washington,

See the full history of Sustaining Our World Lectures here.

Grad Student Spotlight: Korena Mafune

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Korena Mafune, who earned her master’s last spring working with Professors Dan and Kristiina Vogt, has continued on at SEFS this year with her doctoral studies. Her project involves researching plant-fungal relationships in Washington’s temperate old-growth rain forests, with a specific focus on canopy soils and host tree fungal interactions. Her main goal is to learn which fungal species are associating with the host plant’s adventitious roots in canopy soils, and also to collect any fruiting mushrooms.

Korena Mafune 'hanging out' in the canopy.
Korena Mafune ‘hanging out’ in the canopy.

“The temperate old-growth rain forests we work in are rare and unique,” she says. “If we disregard the interactions going on in the canopies, we have an incomplete understanding of how these ecosystems function.”

The results from her master’s thesis laid a strong foundation for additional exploration, and Korena just received two grants to support her doctoral research—one for $9,300 from the Daniel E. Stuntz Memorial Foundation, and the other for $1,900 from the Puget Sound Mycological Society.

“With the support of these grants, we are ready to hit the ground running!”

Nice work, Korena, and good luck!

Photo © Korena Mafune.