The third and final installment of our Yale Forest Forum forest history speaker series explores the profound transformations that have reshaped forestry over the past 50 years and examines how experts are imagining the future of forests and forestry.
Since the 1970s, forestry has shifted from a primarily production-oriented enterprise or one of conservation to one centered on multifunctional landscapes, ecological resilience, and diverse social values. Through conversations with scholars, historians, practitioners, and policymakers, the series will trace changes in land, labor, and ownership. It will explore novel and evolving approaches to managing disturbances and environmental change, and it will highlight the growing importance of ecosystem services in forest stewardship. Together, these discussions will illuminate how people and forests continue to shape one another — and what that means for the next half-century of forestry.
Join us every Tuesday from January 13 to April 21 from 12-1 p.m. U.S. ET.
The series is free and open to the public. Each session will be recorded. We will offer certificates of attendance for CEU programs for foresters and practitioners who attend the live webinars. Please email yff@yale.edu for further information.
Series Hosts
This spring 2026 speaker series is co-hosted and co-developed by The Forest School at the Yale School of the Environment, Forest History Society, Society of American Foresters, Environmental Policy Innovation Center, and American Forests.
Series Facilitators
The series is led by Gary Dunning (Yale School of the Environment), Natasha James (Society of American Foresters), Tania Munz (Forest History Society), Nicole Stiffarm (Environmental Policy Innovation Center), and Danielle Watson (American Forests).
Photo: Lynn Robb