Why are forests important to you?

I have always been happiest wandering in the woods. My maternal grandparents’ home in the Midwest backed up to a patch of woods that seemed huge to me as a child. I was permitted to explore it on my own from an early age. The sense of adventure and the deeply peaceful feeling I would get from those explorations has never left me. Even no, when I have free time or the choice of where to travel, I continue to be drawn to forests and the outdoors.

Why do you support PFT?

When I first learned about PFT quite a few years ago visiting a huge easement protecting forests on and around Mt. Shasta, I was amazed and delighted at the complex interweaving of solid scientific information, savvy political wrangling and an understanding of the interests of land owners and timber companies. A quiet but powerful miracle. I continue to support PFT because I continue to see work being done with incredible integrity, solid science, and understated but powerful interpersonal “diplomacy”.

What are the biggest challenges you see facing our forests, especially given climate change? What can we do?

As a student of biology, I have always been aware of the interconnectedness of ecological systems. Reading “The Overstory” brought it home to me in the most powerful and indelible way. It also left me grieving deeply for the harm that has been perpetrated by our species to those delicate and miraculous systems. But, there between the lines, is the antidote to grief, which is not happiness, but hope. That hope lies in the astounding and powerful resilience and persistence of life, of trees, of the natural world. The trees and forests can save us, if we get out of the way and let them. PFT’s work supports forests, which, in turn, support us.