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Terrestrial ecologist Tom Wessels considers himself a generalist with interests in forest, desert, and alpine ecosystems, geomorphology, evolutionary ecology, sustainability and the interface between landscape and culture. He completed graduate training at the University of Colorado Boulder as a research ecologist and is the Founding Director of the Master's degree program in Conservation Biology at Antioch University New England, where he also teaches.

Tom has conducted landscape level workshops throughout the United States for over 30 years. An accomplished author, his books include: Reading the Forested Landscape, The Granite Landscape, Untamed Vermont, The Myth of Progress: Toward a Sustainable Future, and Forest Forensics: A Field Guide to reading the Forested Landscape.

Tom Wessels is chair of The Center for Whole Communities (www.wholecommunities.org), fostering inclusive communities strongly rooted in place where all people regardless of income, race, or background have access to and a healthy relationship with land. Tom is former chair of the Robert and Patricia Switzer Foundation. He serves as an ecological consultant to the Rain Forest Alliance's SmartWood Green Certification Program, helping draft green certification assessment guidelines for forest operations in the northeastern United States and adjacent Canada.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx