“Forests and Water: New Science for a Changing Climate” – Virtual Presentation Nov. 15th by Prof. Younes Alila

On Wednesday, November 15 from 6-7:30PM, Professor Younes Alila of the Forest Resources Management Department at the University of British Columbia will give a talk via Zoom. The presentation, Forests and Water: New Science for a Changing Climate is coordinated by the North Coast Communities for Watershed Protection, in collaboration with the Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition, the Lower Nehalem Community Trust, and the Peachland Watershed Protection Alliance (Peachland, BC). Dr. Alila’s talk will conclude with a question-and-answer period and will be moderated by Dr. Jacqueline Stoeckler of the West Kootenay Watershed Collaborative. Register here: https://bit.ly/NCCWP_Webinar.

Using published peer-reviewed case studies, Dr. Alila will illustrate how the old framework for understanding forest hydrology continues to misguide forest management worldwide. This outdated model dramatically underestimates the effects of all landscape operations. Alila offers a new, holistic approach that will more accurately assess hydrologic and geomorphic risks caused by forest management practices, such as clearcutting. Some of these risks include floods, droughts, landslides and wildfires.

From his UBC faculty profile: “Younes Alila’s current research program addresses a number of problems related to watershed management using an approach that combines experimental, theoretical, stochastic, and deterministic hydrology across a wide range of temporal and spatial scales. His research focuses on the understanding and modeling of the physical basis underlying the ‘nonlinear nature’ of hydrologic processes as affected by the geometric, temporal and spatial scaling of stream networks, precipitation dynamics, soil characteristics, land use and land cover. His research program is designed to provide scientifically-based information, knowledge and expert advice that promote sound policies, solve urgent operational problems and provide a solid foundation on which to build sustainable forest and water resources management.”

This event is hosted by the North Coast Communities for Watershed Protection (formerly known as Rockaway Beach Citizens for Watershed Protection), a 13-year-old grassroots organization located on the North Coast of Oregon. While NCCWP opposes logging and spraying in all drinking watersheds, we continue to focus on Jetty Creek in Rockaway Beach because it offers the best example of how logging activities were allowed to compromise, and possibly destroy, a town’s drinking water. Our goal is to prevent logging and spraying in our drinking watersheds. Our mission is to raise awareness to accomplish this goal