Learn how the forests and treescape of western NC changed in the aftermath of Helene

The WNC Sierra Club will host a program titled "Our Trees and Forests after Helene" at 7 pm on Wednesday, January 8, at the UNC-Asheville Reuter Center.

For more information and to register, visit: WNC Sierra Club Monthly Meeting - Jan. 8 - Our Trees and Forests After Helene | Sierra Club

Dr. Steve Norman of the USDA Forest Service will discuss Helene's devastating impacts on our forests with maps of greatest impacts, historical context, and current challenges of fire, invasives, and keeping our forests functional.

Dr. Alison Ormsby of the Asheville Tree Protection Task Force will speak about Asheville's urban forest, the need for protection, restoring damage from Helene, learning from other communities, and citizen involvement. She will be joined by Stephen Hendricks, past president of the Asheville Urban Forest Commission, and Keith Aitken, Urban Forester for the City of Asheville.

Norman is a research ecologist with the Southern Research Station in Asheville. His work improves how we monitor and map forest conditions after fire, native and non-native insects, and severe wind.

Ormsby is Forest Specialist for Adventure Scientists in Asheville. She has taught college-level courses in environmental studies, ethics, and education and researched sacred natural sites, ecotourism, protected areas management, and ecovillages/intentional communities.