Camden Talks Climate: “Camden’s Forests as a Lens on Maine’s Changing Climate” with Professor Ivan J. Fernandez

CamdenCAN and the Camden Public Library, as part of its continuing Camden Talks Climate series, welcome Professor Emeritus Ivan J. Fernandez for his presentation “Camden’s Forests as a Lens on Maine’s Changing Climate” on Tuesday, May 6, at 6:30 PM in the Picker Room as well as on Zoom.

Camden is blessed to share a border with a well-forested state park. While we’re sure you knew about the park, do you also know that, in addition to being a treasured natural resource, our state park also provides solutions to many of the challenges presented by a warming world?

UMaine Professor Emeritus Ivan Fernandez will explore how climate change affects forests, including the ways in which forest management responds to those changes, and how forests contribute to climate solutions.

He’ll also consider relevant findings from the 2024 Maine Climate Council’s Scientific and Technical Subcommittee (STS) and briefly discuss the 2024 quadrennial update of the Maine Climate Action Plan—Maine Won’t Wait 2.0—including its seven overarching strategies for Maine action on greenhouse gas mitigation, climate adaptation, and building resilience in our communities and ecosystems.

This program is hybrid and will take place in the Picker Room at the Camden Public Library as well as on Zoom. Register here to watch virtually: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_680b9kzuSL-Z1wWPBwW7aQ

Ivan J. Fernandez is Professor Emeritus and Climate Research Scientist in the School of Forest Resources, Climate Change Institute, and School of Food and Agriculture at the University of Maine, and Director of the Maine Climate Science Information Exchange. He has served on various U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Science Advisory Board committees in Washington DC since 2000 and has led Maine’s Climate Future assessments in 2009, 2015, and 2020. In 2019 he was appointed to the Maine Climate Council, serves as co-Chair of its Scientific and Technical Subcommittee, and is a member of its Natural Working Lands working group.

Among other awards, Fernandez was made a Distinguished Maine Professor in 2007, CASE/Carnegie in Washington DC named him Professor of the Year for Maine in 2008, he was named a fellow in the Soil Science Society of America in 2010 and was the 2018 President’s Public Service Achievement Award recipient at the University of Maine.

This program is put on in partnership with CamdenCAN (ClimateActionNow), a citizen-led organization committed to reducing Camden’s contribution to climate change through local action, education, advocacy, and resources. CamdenCAN helps our community take advantage of climate solutions with actionable steps. Learn more at camdencan.org.