We talk a lot on this show about the devastation wrought on our environment and communities by invasive capitalism, and today we get to talk about something tangible we can do to fight back!

On September 26-28, Wall Street investors will join timber corporations, big oil, carbon offset & biomass companies in Portland for their annual “Who Will Own the Forest?” conference.

With tickets costing over two thousand dollars apiece, this “timberland investment conference” brings together some of the world’s biggest climate polluters, corporate forest clear-cutters, and false climate solutions peddlers. 

For anyone who’s watched the Godfather movie’s, I liken this conference to the scene where the mafia bosses are all gathered around a cake with an image of Cuba on the top, divvying up the pieces of the island and deciding who gets control over what.

But instead of Who WILL Own the Forest, we should be asking, who should own the forest?  Should forests even be owned?  And should the greatest value of our forests be reduced to quarterly returns for wealthy investors?

A coalition of groups, including 350, Indigenous Environmental Network, Rainforest Action Network, the Coast Range association, and many more, think these are some of the questions that should be asked at the Who Will Own the Forest Conference. 

And even though we weren’t invited to this event, we’re going anyway, and you are invited to join us!

To talk about “Who will own the forest”, our response, and how to get involved in disrupting invasive capital’s plans, I’m joined by Brenna Bell, the Forest Climate Manager for 350PDX.  She has been deeply involved in forest defense for over two decades, and is co-founder of the Pacific Northwest Forest Climate Alliance. 

Links and Resources:
https://forestsoverprofits.org/

https://www.worldforestry.org/who-will-own-the-forest/

https://www.instagram.com/coastrangeradio/