Rick Edwards, USDA Forest Service:
Carbon and Climate Change in the Coastal Temperate Rainforest of Southeast Alaska
Temperate coastal rainforests such as the Tongass contain enormous amounts of organic carbon in soils and vegetation. The cold wet rainforest conditions promote the development of extensive wetlands and peat bogs and high annual precipitation creates an extensive drainage network of thousands of small streams emptying into one of the largest estuarine systems in the world. Export of organic carbon from the Tongass is reported to be higher than almost all other forests in the world. Predicted changes from climate warming may have dramatic impacts on carbon cycling and hydrology within the temperate forests fringing the coast of Alaska. Dr. Edwards will give an overview of carbon cycling within Alaska and highlight some of the more important changes expected as our climate warms.
Amy Gulick, award winning photographer:
Salmon in the Trees - slideshow and talk
Alaska’s Tongass rain forest has one of the rarest ecosystems on Earth. Everything is interconnected. Millions of wild salmon feed an abundance of bears and bald eagles, while Native cultures and local communities benefit from the gifts of both the forest and the sea. Gulick’s images, partnered with essays and research from leading scientists and conservationists pose the question: How long can the biological riches of the Tongass withstand the global demands for timber, seafood, and minerals? Exploring the natural habitat, wildlife, and people throughout the misty islands of the Alexander Archipelago, where wild salmon are the crucial link between land and sea, this book provides a hopeful resolution to that very question. Award-winning photographer, Amy Gulick, will showcase her book Salmon in the Trees: Life in Alaska’s Tongass Rain Forest, which captures both the wild and human lives of this rich landscape.