Chad Oliver and Mary Tyrrell will be attending the XIV World Forestry Congress in Durban, South Africa.

On Tuesday, September 8, 2015 at 7:45pm, join Chad and Mary at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Science side event entitled, “Stimulating Rural Economies Through Good Forestry and New Timber Products.”

Forests can become drivers of socioeconomic development and enhance biodiversity, water, and other ecosystem services while reducing carbon dioxide emissions with a three-part approach that takes advantage of the latest scientific findings and technological innovations. First, innovative wood construction is enabling mid-rise buildings to be made from wood that emits much less CO2 than steel or concrete. This could save potentially 15% of the world’s annual CO2 emissions. Second, innovative, small-scale machinery for wood harvesting and processing can combine with traditional knowledge of local communities for two benefits: a) to manage the forest for biodiversity; and b) to produce nearly finished products in local communities. Local communities will prosper through more primary and secondary jobs by keeping more of the wood product supply chain local; and forest biodiversity would benefit by the use of low impact forestry practices. Local knowledge, greater wood use, and low impact forestry practices can actually enhance biodiversity by providing a diversity of forest habits—in combination with forest reserve areas. We will convene an panel of experts to examine case studies on how to implement this approach in various regions. The perspectives of ENGOs, governments, and communities will be presented and their various roles in successful implementation discussed. The aim is to advance ideas on piloting and scaling up local enterprises which produce new timber building materials, reduce the carbon footprint of urban sprawl, and manage forests sustainably. Speakers will include Chadwick Oliver, Professor of Forestry & Environmental Studies, Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies (FES); Dr. Alark Saxena, Lecturer, Yale FES and Director of the Yale Himalaya Initiative; and Mary Tyrrell, Director, Global Institute of Sustainable Forestry, Yale FES as moderator. Other speakers will be invited to present country perspectives from two or three regions.