Forest Health, Diversity and Productivity in the face of the Forest Health and Wildfire Crisis

Event: Forest Health, Diversity and Productivity in the face of the Forest Health and Wildfire Crisis

Date: 10/22/2025

Time: 6PM

Location: Hemingson Auditorium

Registration: https://forms.office.com/r/LYn4AJydHb

Speaker: Joshua White, Forest Supervisor, Colville National Forest

Bio:  Josh is the Forest Supervisor on the Colville National Forest where he is responsible for the management of over 1.6 million acres of public lands in NE Washington. Josh served in the US Army infantry from 1994 to 2002, and after serving in the Army, he attended Boise State University where he earned a B.S. in Ecology, and a master’s degree in Plant Community Ecology. Josh has worked for the Forest Service as an Invasive Species Coordinator, a rangeland management specialist, a supervisory natural resource specialist, a District Ranger, and a Deputy Forest Supervisor through out the Pacific Northwest.

Josh, and the Colville National Forest, have been recognized as an agency leader in forest management and the use of active restoration to address issues related to forest health and wildfire risk, all while working to create resilience across the landscape in the face of a changing climate. The innovative approaches of the Colville National Forest have increased the scale of this restoration work and has brought recognition to NE Washington by both State and Federal officials.

Abstract:

Healthy forests deliver benefits that people need, but due to past management and a history of fire suppression, our forests are unhealthy and in need of restoration. To address the departure of our landscape and reduce the risk of uncharacteristically severe disturbances, we must restore the health and resilience of the Colville National Forest, minimize detrimental impacts of disturbance to important values, and provide relevant opportunities to our communities. Our Forest is departed from its healthy and resilient state. This departure means that the Forest cannot meet the needs of the people, especially in the face of increasing wildfire risk and climate change. In many cases, our landscapes have crossed a threshold and cannot restore themselves without meaningful collaborative management and active management, including use of wildfire, will be necessary. For the past 8 years, the Colville National Forest has been working to change the trajectory of our forested landscapes, and to do so at a meaningful pace and scale. This presentation will highlight successes and challenges the Forest Service has faced moving toward a meaningful restoration program, the opportunities moving into the future, and the challenges faced every day.