On October 29 the Laurel Highlands Conservation Coalition will host the Laurel Highlands Conservation Conference from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. October 29 at Laurelville Mennonite Church Center near Mount Pleasant in Westmoreland County.

Trees create beauty, purify air, make oxygen, act as sound barriers, and save energy with cooling shade in summer and wind-breaks in winter.  These and other ecosystem benefits of trees will be the topic of the keynote address from Dr. Bill Elmendorf of Pennsylvania State University’s Department of Ecosystem Science and Management.

Panels of speakers will address three topics:

-- Programs that help to plant or protect trees, including state assistance with forest management plans for private land owners, the state’s urban forestry program for communities, and the Clean and Green Program that offers tax incentives.

-- Various philosophies for harvesting trees, including sustainable forestry, harvesting for cash value, managing land for wildlife habitat and simply allowing natural succession of plants without human intervention.

-- Other values of trees, including how they impact a community’s image and encourage economic development.

Dr. Elmendorf’s teaching interests include arboriculture, land use planning and regulatory policy, civic environmentalism and human dimensions of natural resources and the environment. As a specialist for Penn State Extension Service, he provides technical assistance to municipalities, state agencies, and non-profit and volunteer organizations on how they can better plan for and manage natural resources associated with communities.

A charge of $20 for the conference will cover the cost of a light breakfast, lunch, coffee and room rental.   A full list of speakers is coming soon. 

For more information and to register, visit the Laurel Highlands Conservation Conference webpage.  For questions, please send email to: bclemenson@pecpa.org.

9/30/2013