IUFRO Forestry Extension Conference Lorne, Oct-Nov 2001 ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ KEYNOTE PAPER EXTENSION AND THE FUTURE OF FAMILY FORESTS:MAKING CONNECTIONS John C. Bliss Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA. 97331. Email:
[email protected] Abstract In this paper I address three questions: Why sustain family forests? What are the major challenges to sustaining family forests? and, What roles can extension forestry play in sustaining family forests? Family forests are critical components of forested landscapes around the world, providing a unique and valuable set of ecological, economic, and social values. Sustaining family forests is challenged by profound changes occurring in 1) environmental conditions, 2) land tenure patterns and institutions, 3) the globalization of markets, communications, and politics, and 4) changes in social demographics and values. I propose "sustaining family forests" as a worthy mission for extension forestry, and suggest that achieving this mission will require facilitating connections; 1) between forest owners and their neighbors across the landscape, 2) between forest owners and global markets, and, 3) between forest owners and the public. About the Author John Bliss holds the position of Starker Chair in Private and Family Forestry in the College of Forestry at Oregon State University, U.S.A. Dr. Bliss earned degrees in cultural anthropology and forestry from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. He has worked in the field of nonindustrial private forestry for 20 years, first as a private lands forester for the State of Wisconsin, then as an forestry extension specialist at Auburn University, Alabama. John has published extensively on forest-based rural development, private forest policy, public attitudes toward forest practices, and social science research applications in forestry.