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BEND - An expert on the relationship between old growth forests and the Earth's climate will speak on Monday, Feb. 3, at Oregon State University-Cascades Campus, as part of its First Monday Lecture Series.

William Winner, an OSU professor of botany and plant pathology, will present "Old Growth Forests and SUVs: Ancient Forests and Carbon Use in the Pacific Northwest." The lecture begins at 7 p.m. in Hitchcock Auditorium on the Central Oregon Community College campus in Bend; it is free and open to the public.

Winner will discuss increasing carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere, their impact on global climate, and the accumulation and output of carbon in old growth forests.

Forests can be sinks or sources of carbon and thereby offset or contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. Research shows that there are differences in carbon use between species, between the upper and lower canopies, between seasons, and between years.

Using a crane that towers 250 feet into the sky, Winner and some of his students perform experiments high in the forest canopy to measure carbon levels.

"The crane allows us to do scientific research in a way that cannot be done anywhere else in the Northwest," Winner said. "When we come here it's like we're taking their pulse and asking how they are at that moment."

Winner will discuss the increases in carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere and also how the Pacific Northwest's love affair with the sport utility vehicle contributes to the increase in greenhouse gas emissions.

The "First Monday" lecture, presented by OSU-Cascades, is a monthly series featuring experts in a variety of fields and subjects of interest to Central Oregonians. Call OSU-Cascades Campus at 541-322-3100, or visit this the web at www.OSUcascades.edu, for more information.