Bark Beetles: An Interesting Part of Our Local Forest Ecology

Join us for this free, public talk on Tuesday, February 13th from 6 pm – 7:30 pm for a presentation by Dr. Donald R. Owen at the Redding Public Library Community Room

Don will start his talk with an overview of native bark beetles and their impacts, including their response to climate change. He also will explore the concept of “pest” using bark beetles and some lesser-known forest insects as examples. Finally, he will talk about some local insects with fascinating life histories – insects that can be observed simply by stepping outside and being observant.

Don is a retired Forest Entomologist with degrees from Penn State and UC Berkeley. At the start of his career, he worked for the USDA Forest Service in New Mexico, Alaska, and California. In 1991 he switched permanently to the CA Dept. of Forestry and Fire Protection, where he served as Forest Heath Specialist and the Department’s lead on forest insects. He has a broad background in forest insects and diseases, both native and invasive, and their impact on forest ecosystems.

He enjoys exploring the lives of insects through photography. His photographs appear on the FORESTRY IMAGES website and have been featured in publications of the Entomological Society of America.

**Related to this talk, SEA will be organizing a field trip in late April to the Phillips Brothers Mill, established in 1897 and the only steam powered lumber mill in the United States still operating. The 1000-acre forest surrounding it is under a conservation easement and supplies much of the lumber for the mill, bark beetles or not. The last tour SEA led in 2019 was sold out at $25 a ticket. If you come to this Bark Beetle talk you will have the first chance to sign up for this over 120-year-old mill tour. Please sign up at the Bark Beetle meeting!