Rolling Stones keyboardist Chuck Leavell is combining two of his life interests – music and trees – into a new national television documentary, America’s Forests with Chuck Leavell.
Chuck Leavell’s musical career includes work with the Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, The Allman Brothers Band, John Mayer and others. He is also a conservationist, environmentalist, author and tree farmer. Leavell and his wife, Rose Lane, own and manage an award-winning tree farm near Macon, Georgia. Leavell is exploring forests across the country for a new 13-week series and his first stop to learn about the importance of forests and forest stewardship was in Oregon.
On April 1, 2017, OPB aired the series’ pilot episode. It focused on a trend toward building tall wood buildings in Portland with innovative mass timber products; mountain biking and wildfire prevention in Bend; and habitat restoration in the Siuslaw National Forest on the Oregon Coast. Leavell hosts and narrates the program as well as providing the musical accompaniment.
The America’s Forests series captures the breadth of the nation’s woodlands – public and private. It will feature stories from different regions that demonstrate how important forest habitats are to the well-being and economic health of communities across the country. The series will present individuals who embody a passion for forests and forest products, ranging from architects to artists and from climbers to carpenters.
Funding to support the pilot program comes from the U.S. Forest Service and the Oregon Forest Resources Institute, in partnership with the national nonprofit organization Choose Outdoors.
