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While many celebrate a succession of sunny days, the topic turns serious when fish-bearing streams run dry and forests, trees and gardens wither under the extremes of drought.

Water restrictions have limited what farmers and industry formerly took for granted and in many parts of BC the situation has already proven deadly.

Are we putting too much emphasis on targetting trees as a fire threat while we trustingly leave our highly flammable, plastic-laden vehicles parked in or next to our residences?

In celebration of Earth Week and in honour of our urban and established forests, Creatively United presents a free webinar/conversation and Q&A with some of BC’s leading experts on tree preservation in light of a changing climate and the threat of fire.

Learn how to discern truth from half-truth (or fiction), protect and preserve trees, your community, home and loved ones from the growing threat of fire in an era of climate uncertainty.

Herb Hammond, forest ecologist, professional forester, author; Rachel Holt, independent ecologist, professional biologist; and Dave Daust, forester, landscape analyst will dispel some of the myths perpetuated by government agencies and social media to reveal how the public can better protect trees and nature in their community and elsewhere. They will also be joined by a conservation biologist and a local FireSmart representative to interpret the FireSmart recommendations for natural landscapes around homes.
Moderated by conservationists Grace Golightly and Creatively United founder Frances Litman.

Can’t attend the live webinar? Not to worry, a recording of this event will be sent to all registrants.

Herb Hammond

Forest Ecologist, Professional Forester, Author

Herb Hammond is a forest ecologist and retired Registered Professional Forester  with more than 45 years of experience in research, industry, teaching and consulting. He is best known for his concept and application of nature-directed stewardship, which  he formerly referred to as ecosystem-based conservation planning. Hammond defines nature-directed stewardship as the protection and ecologically responsible use of ecosystems through all scales of time and space. This goal is achieved through  identification and establishment of networks of ecological reserves at multiple spatial  scales. Working primarily with Indigenous Nations and other rural communities,  Hammond has developed more than 25 ecosystem-based conservation plans across  Canada and in other parts of the world. 

Hammond holds a Bachelor of Science in forest science from Oregon State University  and a Masters of Forestry in forest ecology and silviculture from the University of  Washington.  

He is the author of Seeing the Forest Among the Trees: The Case for Wholistic Forest  Use (Polestar Press), which won the Roderick-Haig Brown B.C. Book Prize in 1992 and “Most Significant Contribution” at Bumbershoot Book Fair Awards, 1992; and  Maintaining Whole Systems on Earth’s Crown: Ecosystem-based Conservation  Planning for the Boreal Forest (Silva Forest Foundation).  

Along with two other authors he recently released Nature-First Cities: Restoring  Relationships with Ecosystems and with Each Other (UBC Press). The book focuses  on applying nature-directed stewardship/ecosystem-based conservation planning to  restore urban areas. The concepts explained in the book apply to any space where  humans congregate, not just to cities. 

Herb is also working on a book about Nature and our place in her complex fabric. This  book draws on the Indigenous knowledge and ways of being shared with him by many  Indigenous people through the years. With assistance from Indigenous collaborators,  Herb hopes to describe a new reality for settler cultures—a reality that is necessary for  our survival, and how to get there in the face of the biodiversity and climate crises.

Rachel Holt

Independant Ecologist, Professional Biologist

Rachel is an ecologist who remains amazed that the global importance of ecosystems and forests in BC are not recognised by many of the management decisions occurring within BC’s forests today.

Rachel has worked for the last 30 years for the provincial and First Nation governments, aiming to change how policy recognises and maintains the values of BC.

Rachel has been Vice-chair of the Forest Practices Board, a member of the Ministers’ Technical Advisory Panel on old growth and engaged in the successful Blueberry River First Nation court case relating to infringement of treaty rights. Instagram: dr.rachelholt. Veridian Ecological Consulting Ltd, Nelson

Dave Daust

Forester, Landscape Analyst (M.Sc., RPF)

For more than three decades, Dave has worked with his ecologist partner Karen Price (PhD) on regional and provincial land management and conservation and 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 have analysed the influence of climate zone and forest vegetation on wildfire extent and severity and have prepared wildfire ecosystem
restoration plans.

In 2021, they participated in the Old Growth Technical Advisory Panel that identified at-risk old growth suitable for harvest deferral in BC.