Berkshire Botanical Gardens Rooted in Place

Berkshire Botanical Garden’s 12th annual Rooted In Place ecological gardening symposium will take place on Sunday, Nov. 1, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Berkshire Waldorf High School, 6 Main Street, Stockbridge, Mass. 

The theme for this year’s symposium, “The Living Forest,” focuses on the remarkable ecological, cultural and community connections that make forests essential to our lives. From carbon storage and climate resilience to tree health, forest management and the remarkable relationships between species, this symposium brings together ecologists, foresters, educators, and land stewards to explore what makes a forest a living, interconnected system and how we can become better stewards of it.

Keynote speaker Tom Wessels, terrestrial ecologist and professor emeritus at Antioch University New England, will close the symposium with an exploration of self-organization, coevolution and the forces that create stable and resilient ecosystems in his talk, “Coevolution: The Backbone of Ecosystem Resilience and Stability.”

The day’s presentations include Dr. Ali Kosiba and Dana Bishop’s “Forest, Carbon and Climate Change,” exploring how forests play a vital role in mitigating climate change by capturing and storing carbon, from trees to soil, including a case study on the use of trees in the context of climate change. Tom Worthley of UConn Extension will deliver a talk titled, “Still Standing: White Oak, a Living Symbol of Liberty and Legacy,” exploring the past, present and future contributions of white oak as a species to the history, culture, economy, and environment of southern New England.

The day will also include a choice of three breakout sessions: “DCR Service Forestry,” with Pete Grima and Colin Mettey; “Tree Health Care” with Ken Gooch; and “Forests for the Bees” with Aliza Fassler.

Rooted in Place is sponsored by Walter Cudnohufsky Associates, Landscape Architecture and Planning.

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What: Berkshire Botanical Garden’s annual Rooted in Place Ecological Symposium

Where: Berkshire Waldorf High School, 6 Main Street, Stockbridge, Mass.

When: Nov. 1, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Tickets: Members: $100/Non-Members: $130. BerkshireBotanical.org

Boxed lunch will be available for purchase: $15