(Southampton, ON) Bob Osborne, Director of Thermal Public Affairs at Ontario Power Generation will be speaking at the Bruce County Museum & Cultural Centre on Saturday, March 13 at 2pm. Osborne is the second speaker in the series of monthly forestry presentations being hosted by the Museum, and sponsored by Ontario Power Generation, called Transforming the Forestry Sector: Setting new directions for forestry in Bruce & Grey Counties

Mr. Osborne’s topic, “Generating Electricity with Biomass: Wood waste & wood pellets”, is about OPG’s study of the conversion of some of its coal-fuelled generating units to biomass, which includes the use of wood waste and wood pellets. Mr. Osborne currently oversees community relations programs at OPG’S five thermal generating stations and provides public affairs services to the Thermal Projects group. He started with Ontario Hydro in the environment function in 1977 and since that time has worked in the nuclear, hydroelectric and fossil-fuelled generation businesses, including time working for the Bruce Nuclear Power Development project. 

The forestry series was kicked off with a presentation from the former Environmental Commission of Ontario, Gord Miller, on February 9. Miller spoke to a group of 70 on climate change and its impact on forests. Partners working with the Bruce County Museum & Cultural Centre on this series are Bruce Resource Stewardship Network, Grey Sauble Conservation, Saugeen Conservation and the Bruce County forestry department. 

The complete series of forestry presentations and workshops, Transforming the Forestry Sector, is part of the ongoing theme of wood at the Bruce County Museum for 2010.  There are still six presentations, one tree ID workshop and one bus trip in the series, which include:

March 13 – 2pm - Generating Electricity with Biomass: Wood waste & wood pellets – Bob Osborne, Ontario Power Generation Speaker

April 13 – 7pm – Recent History of Forestry: 200 Years of Clearing and Replanting in Ontario -  Clarke Birchard, Environmentalist and Retired Educator

May 11 – 7pm – Forest Pests: Insects, diseases and world travel  

June 8 – 7pm  - Invasive Species: What can be done about them? - Hayley Anderson, Invasive Species Speaker

July 13 – 7pm – Heritage Tree Program – Edith George, Ancient Trees Researcher

August 14 – 1-4pm – Tree Identification Workshop

Sept. 14 – 9:30am – 5:30pm – Bus tour to explore the diverse forests of the Bruce Peninsula (box lunch included) – pickup in Sauble, Hepworth, Wiarton & Lion’s Head.

October 12 – 7pm – Sustainable Forestry: Looking back and looking forward.