Balancing Forest Conservation with Economic Development with Laurie Wayburn, Ep.76

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Conserving land doesn't have to be all or nothing. We don't have to choose between setting aside whole tracks of forests to protect them or cutting them all down for economic development. Laurie Wayburn, the co-founder and president of Pacific Forest Trust, has found a middle ground. Since 1993, Pacific Forest Trust has transformed over 350,000 acres of privately owned forests in California and Oregon into carbon-sequestering and climate-fighting assets. Through the use of conservation easements, she works with landowners to find the best ways for them to keep the ecosystem intact, yet, still gain economic benefit from what they own. With nearly 60% of U.S. forests under private ownership, this "middle ground" could be key in protecting our natural treasures.

Highlights

• How hass her international experience with conservation influenced her work today?
• How can conservation and economic development go hand in hand?
• How can we avoid the terrible wildlife seasons we have been seeing?

What YOU Can Do

• Plant native trees, bushes, and plants within your community as part of your parks and natural areas or as borders around play fields, etc. This can be very powerful in supporting the ecosystem.
• Urge whether it's your city council, your county, the commissioners and supervisors, your state legislature, your federal, representatives, etc to support forest conservation as a critical climate change policy, and that means putting some real money behind it and really guiding how that forest conservation is done for the future.
• Provide financial support to Pacific Forest Trust so they can do the work that you want to have done.

Resources

• Conservation Easements 101
• 1757 EAC Recommendations
• Pacific Forest Trust

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