CCI participates in Partners in Community Forestry Conference

The Cavity Conservation (CCI) was among 550 stake-holders and constituencies that attended the Arbor Foundation’s annual Partners in Community Forestry Conference last week in Denver CO.  Program Director, Gillian Martin, was invited to speak about the habitat benefits of dead trees.  The honor of such an opportunity was noteworthy given that the conference’s main focus was on the protection and promotion of healthy trees.

The ecological and human health benefits of healthy trees have long been established, however unlike anytime in human history many global challenges now require collaborative strategies for planting and better managing urban forests as well as natural forests and tree products.  These threats include increasing drought, expanded fire seasons, invasive pests and climate change.

One of the many environmental and economic repercussions of these threats is this.  Tree loss and removal is occurring across the USA at an ever-accelerating rate.   In light of such urgent conditions, it is understandable that the value of dead trees to wildlife and habitats is obscured.   By presenting at the conference, the CCI was able to keep the value of dead trees in the international discussion.

The importance of collaborative efforts was summarized in one of many presentations (see photo below).  Participation in this conference enabled the CCI to form new partnerships for the advancement of its mission and to resolve to carry this collaborative spirit forward.