Healthy watersheds need healthy forests
Monday, February 23rd | 7-8:30pm | VIU Cowichan - Lecture Hall 140, 2011 University Way, Duncan | FREE
Watersheds in our region are blanketed with rich coastal forests. These forests have changed rapidly over the past few centuries of colonial influence. Trees have been felled to support economic development, and most primary ecosystems have been converted to tree plantations, agricultural lands, and urban communities.
As well as supporting biodiversity, healthy, productive forest ecosystems perform a variety of functions, including filtering and storing water, making them an essential component of watershed health; forests are living sponges that can reduce impacts of both flooding and drought. Now more than ever, helping to steward these forests for the future is an important aspect of the Cowichan Watershed Board’s work, one not yet captured by our Targets for whole-of-watershed well-being. As we begin to develop a new Target for forest health, it’s important for us to learn more about these linkages.
This month we are excited to be learning from Dave Daust (MSc, RPF), forester, landscape analyst and member of the former Old Growth Technical Advisory Panel. He has worked with his partner, ecologist Karen Price (PhD), on land management and conservation at regional and provincial scales for three decades. Dave’s forestry background includes road and cutblock design, silviculture and ecosystem-based woodlot management. Dave and Karen have developed and applied approaches for assessing the impacts of human activities, including the heating climate, on forest biodiversity, watershed health and focal species, primarily with Indigenous Nations and the provincial government. They developed risk-based watershed management guidelines and have helped to design land use plans and ecosystem restoration plans for several First Nations.
In his presentation, Dave will draw from previous work to map high value forest areas across the province to illustrate targets for biodiversity and ecosystem health. He will also share watershed health indicators from work he’s contributed to in BC’s interior, draw from his experiences with the Old Growth Technical Advisory Panel and the reception of the A New Future for Old Forests Strategic Review, and discuss the inseparability of forest and water systems.
Excited to learn more? We are too! We look forward to seeing you on Monday, February 23rd from 7-8:30pm at VIU Cowichan, Lecture Hall 140.
This Speakers Series is hosted by the Cowichan Watershed Board, with the support of VIU Cowichan and funding from the Watershed Security Fund.
Photo in header image by Taylor Roades. Headshot provided by Dave Daust.
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