When Forestry Meets Finance: “Beyond the Trees” Documentary Screening
What is a forest? Merely a collection of trees or much more vital than we all realize?
Fred van Eck, an investment manager by trade, began his fight for forest protection long ago when he purchased the van Eck Forests. Using an innovative model at a cross-section of conservation, climate, and commerce, these forests have reduced carbon by the equivalent of removing over 400,000 cars from the road—while continuing to produce revenue and help fund forest research.
“Beyond the Trees” tells the story of one family’s deep-rooted partnership with the Pacific Forest Trust, whose mission is to unite ecological safeguarding with economic benefits. Hear from scientists and other experts pioneering new methods of managing whole forest ecosystems, from the root systems below to the canopies above, and enabling a future where forests can once again thrive as complete, diverse, life-sustaining systems — not just rows of trees.
View the film’s trailer and learn more at beyondthetrees.org.
Laurie Wayburn is Co-founder and President of Pacific Forest Trust. Ms. Wayburn is an accomplished forest and conservation innovator who advises policymakers at the state, regional, national, and international levels. She pioneers new approaches to develop sustainable resource economies using her deep experience in the fields of conservation, ecosystem services, and sustainability. A preeminent authority on the climate and ecosystem benefits of forests, she leads efforts enacting climate change and other ecosystem service policies that unite conservation and sustainable management with market-based approaches. She currently chairs the AB 1757 Expert Advisory Committee whose work has set ambitious climate targets for California’s Natural and Working Lands. Recipient of the Kingsbury Browne Conservation, James Irvine Foundation, and EPA Climate Leadership awards, Ms. Wayburn is a frequent speaker, writer, and media commentator on effective incentives for conservation and sustainable resource management.
Prior to co-founding Pacific Forest Trust with Constance Best in 1993, Ms. Wayburn worked internationally for 10 years in the United Nations Environment Program and Ecological Sciences Division of UNESCO. She later served as Executive Director of the Point Reyes Bird Observatory and was the Founder and first Coordinator of the Central California Coast Biosphere Reserve. Ms. Wayburn is a graduate of Harvard University and currently serves on the Land Trust Alliance Leadership Council.
About Pacific Forest Trust
Since 1993, the Pacific Forest Trust has been dedicated to conserving and sustaining America’s vital, productive forest landscapes. Working with forest owners, communities, and an array of partners, we advance innovative, incentive-based strategies to safeguard our nation’s diverse forests. In so doing, we’re ensuring forests continue to provide people everywhere—from rural communities to urban centers—with a wealth of benefits, including clean water, sustainably harvested wood, green jobs, wildlife habitat, and a livable climate.
So far, we have conserved 360,000+ acres of vital forestland in the Pacific Northwest, currently hold 37 conservation easements covering 130,000+ acres in California and Oregon. We also manage 5 working forests as models of our forestry approach, including the Van Eck Forests featured in the award-winning film, “Beyond the Trees.”
Mr. Butcher joined VanEck in 2017 and serves as Marketing Adviser. Prior to this role, he served as Director of ESG for Van Eck Associates Corporation. Mr. Butcher continues to help coordinate the Firm’s initiatives and activities in this area. Prior to joining VanEck, Mr. Butcher was an independent writer, researcher and consultant focusing, among other things, on strategic materials, in particular metals. Mr. Butcher has over 45 years of experience in finance. Media appearances include the BBC. Mr. Butcher has written, among other publications, for Defense News, Wealth Manager, Hard Assets Investor, Seeking Alpha and The Tatler. He is co-author of Laos: Laos a New Guide and a contributing author of The Critical Metals Handbook. Mr. Butcher earned MA and BA degrees at the University of Cambridge, England. Mr. Butcher is Senior Advisor to (and an Ambassador for) the Zero Project in Vienna, Austria, and he was formerly the first President of Light for the World USA, Inc., the U.S.-based association which supports the work of Light for the World, an international, Vienna-based, not-for-profit organization.
