Forest Paths Distinguished Lecture Series

The Forest Paths Distinguished Lecture Series was established in 2016 to:

Highlight contemporary topics in forestry
Showcase the evolution of forestry
Strengthen networks among faculty, students, alumni, and worldwide leaders in forestry
Illustrate successful career paths of alumni and other leaders in forestry-related fields

Past presentations:

2016-2017
- Mike Mordell, "Global lumber: challenges and opportunities of a dynamic supply chain"
  - How do market dynamics, forest policy, trade barriers, economics and natural phenomena affect decisions from seedlings to final forest products? MSU Forestry alumnus and Executive Vice President of International Operations at Universal Forest Products, Inc. Mike Mordell discusses the global relationships between lumber-producing and lumber-consuming countries.
- David Cleaves, "Forests, people, and climate change: a new "no-normal" world"
  - Climate change is the most compelling global issue of this and future centuries. The relationships between forests and people are being profoundly affected by the changing climate. It is introducing new challenges to natural resource management, intensifying and complicating traditional threats and stressors, and presenting an increasing array of public policy issues and conflicts.
  - These changes are not likely to settle down into some new normal in this century. Professional resource managers will develop their careers and make contributions in a context where there will be no normal. Leaders and managers will increasingly be faced with climate change effects, emerging policies, political controversies, a rapidly developing science base, and a workforce concerned and educated in sustainability and climate change issues. The next 10 years will be a critical period in defining relationships between forests and people, and how professionals in many areas help adapt those relationships in the most positive ways.