Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, Belgrade Community Library to host Oct. 15 presentation on Montana forest fires
from MSU News Service
BOZEMAN — The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Montana State University, formerly MSU Wonderlust, will host a virtual presentation, “Montana’s Forest Fires: Why We Just Burn Our Forests.” The program, in partnership with the Belgrade Community Library, will take place at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 15. The event is free and open to the public.
Peter F. Kolb, MSU Extension forestry specialist and associate professor of forest ecology and management at the University of Montana, will discuss the important role wildfire plays in the development of Montana forests. The interaction of Montana’s mountain geography with Western U.S. weather patterns, as well as the history of both Indigenous cultures and European American settlers, makes Montana forest ecosystems some of the most complex in the world, according to Kolb.
The program will put different perspectives on modern forest conservation and management into context with natural history, future projected climatic variability and the needs of Montana wildlife and human populations.
Kolb has conducted research on a variety of topics, including forest restoration practices; post-fire wildlife recovery; the role of salvage and sanitation logging; climate impacts on forests; establishing and maintaining windbreaks; and private family forest ownership trends. In 2002, he was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to the Institute for Forests and Forest Management at the University of Weihenstephan in Bavaria, Germany.
Registration is required. For more information or to register, visit http://www.montana.edu/wonderlust. Upon registration confirmation, participants will receive an email with the Zoom link and instructions to join the program.
This community event is free and open to the public thanks to a grant to the Belgrade Community Library by Humanities Montana and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at MSU is a program of Academic Technology and Outreach at MSU. ATO works across the university to support and advance its land-grant mission through unique and innovative opportunities for outreach and engagement.
For more information on Wonderlust or this community event, please visit http://www.montana.edu/wonderlust. •
