Produced by Patagonia Films, “Treeline: The Secret Life of Trees,” is a glimpse into the amazing lives of our oldest living companions: trees. The short film’s incredible cinematography explores the inextricable connection between humans and forests, and provides us with a new way of understanding our life-long symbiotic relationship with trees.

During this program, participants will watch the 40-minute film together on Zoom and then Aaron Lefland, Executive Director of the New Canaan Land Trust, will lead a panel discussion with foresters, ecologists, and land managers working in CT’s forests. The discussion will expand on some of the film’s themes, including forest health and resilience, tree ring research, and the impacts of climate change on our forests. While many of the topics in Treeline are presented at the global level, they apply directly to New Canaan as well. Our panel discussion will help to “bring home” some of these topics, and provide audience members with actionable ways they can help support healthy trees in our community. Questions from the audience will be encouraged.

This program is a part of the monthly series, “Resilience.” New Canaan Library is a proud recipient of the American Library Association’s “Resilient Communities” grant and has partnered with New Canaan Land Trust and Planet New Canaan to organize public programming focused on the themes of the films, “Fire and Flood: Queer Resilience in the Era of Climate Change” and “Decoding the Weather Machine.” These programs provide a fascinating window into what you thought you knew about climate change, and inspire participants to take local action to mitigate its consequences. Community members will be invited to learn from individuals and organizations that will share both local and national data and perspectives.

Moderator & Panelists

Aaron Lefland is the Executive Director of the New Canaan Land Trust. Prior to joining the Land Trust in 2017, Aaron received a Master of Forest Science from the Yale School of the Environment. There, he studied the sustainable management of New England’s forests and published two peer-reviewed journal articles about community forestry and the demographics of important timber species. His previous experience includes running a low-impact forest management operation and conducting ecological research related to long-term changes in forest composition.

Laura Green is an adjunct lecturer in the Biology Department at Southern Connecticut State University where she teaches about botany and forest ecology. Her previous experience includes managing the Research and Naturalist Projects at the Yale School Forests, researching understory plant communities in Southern New England, and volunteering with the Native Plant Trust. Laura holds a Master of Forestry from the Yale School of the Environment, a Bachelor of Arts in Geography from Vassar College, and is a CT licensed forester.

Connor Hogan is the Director of the McLean Game Refuge, a 4,400 acre wildlife sanctuary in northern Connecticut. In this role, he designs and implements all of the research, conservation, management, education, and recreation activities at the Refuge. He frequently works with and serves as a resource for land trusts and other conservation organizations in the region. Connor holds a Master of Forestry from the Yale School of the Environment, a Bachelor of Arts from Bates College, and is a CT licensed forester.

Matt Viens is the GreenSkills Program Manager at the Urban Resources Initiative in New Haven, an urban forestry non-profit that fosters community-based land stewardship programs. He has overseen a number of programs at URI, including street tree planting, green jobs training, and most recently, supervising the installation of 75 bioswales throughout the downtown area. Matt holds a Master of Environmental Management from the Yale School of the Environment, a Bachelors of Science in Environmental Science and Policy from the University of Maryland, and is an ISA certified arborist.