Scientific Colloquium
November 2, 2016, 3:30 p.m., Building 3 Auditorium

"Nature’s Temples: The Complex World of Old-Growth Forests"  

How can we save the Earth? Specifically, how can we stop the downward spiral of the Earth’s forests? Joan Maloof has considered this question from the viewpoint of a scientist, a teacher, an author, an activist, and most recently a nonprofit director. In this colloquium presentation she will share stories from her journey. She will also describe results from studies that show unmanaged forests have more biodiversity than managed forests. Finally she will discuss the Old-Growth Forest Network, a young organization that is quickly making a positive difference. “These future old-growth forests will be our generation's gift to the generations coming after us,” said Dr. Maloof. “If we are able to reverse the decline in mature, native, forests, we will be the first generation to have done so. It is our hope that those who experience the beauty and the spirit found in ancient forests will be inspired to protect them. When we protect forests we also protect biodiversity, clean water, and clean air.” The mission of the OGFN is to connect people with nature by creating a national network of protected, mature, publicly accessible, native forests. The goal is to preserve at least one forest in every county in the United States that can sustain a forest, estimated to be 2,370 out of a total of 3,140 counties. OGFN’s program works to identify forests for the Network, ensure their protection from logging, and inform people of the forest locations.

About the Speaker:

Joan Maloof is a scientist, a writer, and the Founder and Director of the Old-Growth Forest Network, a nonprofit organization creating a network of forests across the US that will remain forever unlogged and open to the public. Her book, Teaching the Trees: Lessons from the Forest (University of Georgia Press, 2005), won an Honorable Mention from the Association for the Study of Literature and the Environment. Her second book, Among the Ancients: Adventures in the Eastern Old-Growth Forests, (Ruka Press, 2011) was an Eric Hoffer Book Award Finalist. Maloof studied Plant Science at the University of Delaware (BS), Environmental Science at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (MS), and Ecology at the University of Maryland College Park (PhD). She has published numerous research articles in journals such as: Ecology, the American Journal of Botany, Plant Species Biology, the International Journal of Environmental Studies, and Environmental Philosophy. Maloof is a Professor Emeritus at Salisbury University in Maryland.

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