DURHAM, N.C. – David Cleaves, climate change advisor to the Chief of the U.S. Forest Service, will present a free talk, “Forest Conservation and Climate Change: Adaptation of Science, Policy and Practices,” on Thursday, Nov. 7, at 91.

The talk, which is open to the public, takes place at 4:30 p.m. at Love Auditorium in the Levine Science Research Center on Duke’s West Campus.

It is the annual Lynn W. Day Distinguished Lectureship in Forest and Conservation History.

As advisor to the Chief of the Forest Service, Cleaves is charged with charting the course for the Forest Service's response to climate change, and helping America's forests and grasslands cope with ongoing threats exacerbated by global warming, including increased wildfires, diseases and pests.

He is only the second climate change advisor for the century-old federal agency, and he is the first to take the reins during the Obama administration.

In his talk, Cleaves will explain that to cope with a changing climate, some forest resource managers are shifting their management emphasis from production to restoration and resilience. Successfully making that shift, however, will depend on ecosystem resilience as well as forging new and closer institutional relationships, including ones with universities.

Cleaves will trace the history of dealing with climate change from its beginnings up through the establishment of the Obama Administration’s Climate Action Plan.

He will offer recommendations for how forest conversation science, policy and practices need to change in coming years to address the reality of a changing climate, and help managers better ensure the continued health and resilience of the nation’s forests.

The annual Day Lecture is open to off-campus groups, including high school students and teachers. It is sponsored by the Forest History Society, Duke’s Nicholas School of the Environment, and the Department of History. A free reception will follow the lecture.

For more information, contact the Forest History Society at (919) 682-9319 or visit .