What is a Healthy Forest?

The Bar Harbor Garden Club is pleased to present “What is a Healthy Forest?” with Si Balch, Maine Forester and Researcher, December 8, 2022, at 1:00 pm at Birch Bay Retirement Village, 25 Village Inn Road, Bar Harbor.

Photograph courtesy of Si Balch.

Our forests have been through countless changes in the past and there are certainly more to come. Si Balch has been working in Acadia and globally since 1970 managing forest conservation and stewardship activities for the forest industry, environmental nonprofits and overseeing forest regulation, trail maintenance and biodiversity policy.

This talk will address the Maine Biodiversity Project, forest health changes over time, geography and climate change, the complexities of forest protection, favored and disfavored species, and our emotional responses to an ever-changing forest landscape.

The woods of Acadia helped inspire visionary conservation efforts more than a century ago. The forests of Acadia, Downeast Maine, and the broader Northeast region, located in a transition zone between northern and southern climates, provide an ideal setting to document forest changes related to warming temperatures, changing precipitation patterns, habitat fragmentation, and invasive plants, pests, and diseases.

Si Bach is a licensed Maine Forester with 50 years’ experience managing forests across New England. He enjoys learning from other foresters and teaching the complexity and the importance of forests and how much trees give to our planet beyond monetary benefits.

The Club meeting will begin with the talk at 1:00 PM, followed by a brief business discussion. All are welcome to join the meeting and presentation.

This presentation is one of the monthly programs offered by the Bar Harbor Garden Club to the public. We do ask both club members and others to make a reservation by emailing president@barharborgardenclub.org or by calling 207-460-8496.