Lauren E. Oakes

Speaking events featuring Lauren E. Oakes, scientist and writer

Events

Treekeepers Tour

January 14, 2025: Bozeman Public Library | Bozeman, MT

January 29, 2025: Elliot Bay Book Company | Seattle, WA

January 30, 2025: Powell’s Books in Conversation with Daniel Mathews | Portland, OR

February 24 & 25, 2025: Hamilton College | Clinton, NY

February 26, 2025: The World Bank | Washington, DC

February 26, 2025: Sustainable Urban Forests Coalition Annual Meeting | Arlington, VA

March 25, 2025: Bozeman Public Library with the Bozeman Tree Coalition | Bozeman, MT

April 19, 2025: Toadstool Bookshop with the Harris Center for Conservation Education | Hancock, NH

April 25 & 26, 2025: Society of Environmental Journalists Annual Conference | Phoenix, AZ

May 8, 2025: Ennis Public Library | Ennis, MT

July 1, 2025: Murie Ranch, Front Porch Conversations | Grand Teton National Park, WY

September 25, 2025: Our Trees, Our Stories with the Doris Duke Foundation and National Geographic | NYC Climate Week

October 7, 2025: Women’s Council on Energy & the Environment, Author’s Spotlight | Online

October 30, 2025: The Art of Forests | Online

November 15, 2025: Writing Place: Exploring the Landscape Around and Within Us | The Loft Literary Center | Online Workshop

November 24, 2025: The Royal Scottish Forestry Society | Online

January 22-February 26 (Thursdays), 2026: Storytelling in Science – Turning Scientific Research into Powerful Narratives, Stanford University Continuing Studies | 6-Week Online Workshop

Stay tuned for upcoming events and details for 2027 workshops…

Bring Lauren to Your Event

Lauren is available to speak at public and private events, big or small. She has given commencement speeches and presented for companies and policymakers.

She’s also visited book clubs, classrooms, and local communities and led productive workshops for non-governmental organizations and writers.

Here’s a sample of themes she can address:

  • Climate action and nature-based solutions
  • The science and philosophy of what a forest is
  • Restoring forests and growing more trees
  • Net Zero and carbon credits
  • The inextricable links between human and environmental health
  • Communicating science through story
  • Reporting from the frontlines of environmental change and action
  • The art of the interview
  • Crafting a non-fiction book proposal

Inquire for availability and rates.

Inquire Now
Lauren E. Oakes, scientist and author, is speaking into a microphone while others on stage listen attentively.

Photo Credit: Griffin Moores

Feedback from past events

“Oakes touched our audience with her story.”
Oakes delivered, educating our audience with the science behind her research and then touching them with the deep humanity of her story.
David Holbrooke
Founder, Original Thinkers
“Lauren inspired all of us.”
Our students loved Lauren’s writing—the perfect blend of story and science—and they were so grateful to have the chance to engage in conversation. Lauren inspired all of us with her ability to weave personal and biographical narratives with compelling syntheses of data to help us see both the forests and the trees, the individuals and the wider communities, at the heart of conservation efforts.
Amanda Stronza
Texas A&M University
“Lauren helped us elevate our work.”
We are grateful for Lauren’s engagement with our staff and partners as we work to connect and protect habitat so that people and nature can thrive. She shared stories of science-based efforts to facilitate better environmental stewardship. Lauren helped lead several sessions that helped us elevate our work.
Scott Brennan
Senior Director of Conservation Programs, Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative
“Our attendees raved… Lauren helped set the stage for a dynamic and productive conference.”
The attendees at our symposium raved about her keynote on nature-based solutions through a lens of science, policy, and community action. Lauren’s ability to showcase relevant research and reporting on forest restoration and climate action helped set the stage for a dynamic and productive conference. I highly recommend Lauren Oakes as a keynote speaker for any event.
Leslie Harroun
Executive Director, Salazar Center for North American Conservation
A forest painted with vibrant autumn colors is depicted on the cover of "Treekeepers: The Race for a Forested Future" by scientist and author Lauren E. Oakes.

Available at a Bookstore Near You

Treekeepers: The Race for a Forested Future

How the path from climate change to a habitable future winds through the world’s forests.

“Can trees really save us? Oakes digs deep into the complexities of planting forests to soak up carbon. The result is a frank, probing, but ultimately hopeful book.” –Elizabeth Kolbert, Pulitzer-Prize winning author of The Sixth Extinction

“Forests—especially mature ones, with big trees—are clearly crucial to our future. Here’s an in-depth exploration of exactly why, and it’s filled not just with numbers but with stories!” – Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature
Order Now