The College of Natural Resources at Virginia Tech in collaboration with the U.S.D.A. Forest Service will premiere the Forest Service centennial film, The Greatest Good, at 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. today (Feb. 15) in the Fralin Biotechnology Center's auditorium.

The event is free and open to the public. In the event the location changes to accommodate a larger crowd, guests should check the Virginia Tech News website (http://www.vtnews.vt.edu/).

Detailed information on the film may be found here.

Taking three years to complete, the movie documents the first 100 years of forestry in America. It played to a packed house the first week of January at the National Centennial Congress held in Washington, D.C., where it received a standing ovation.

Uniquely American, the documentary brings together national organizations, renowned historians, political activists and major corporations to share their perspectives on 100 years of conservation and the prospects for the future. It includes the journey from the "wise use" of resources to the "land ethic" that has defined the evolution of the Forest Service. Viewers will get to know visionary foresters Gifford Pinchot and Aldo Leopold.

Narrated by Charles Osgood of CBS News, the film is filled with spectacular scenery. The original score is performed by the Skywalker Symphony, part of the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. The film also will be shown at 50 film festivals throughout the world, on the History Channel, and possibly on the Discovery, National Geographic Television, and PBS stations.

The producers conducted nearly 60 interviews, looked at 500 films and more than 60,000 still images, read more than 100 books, and consulted with hundreds of people to try and discover just what is "The Greatest Good."

The College of Natural Resources at Virginia Tech consistently ranks among the top five programs of its kind in the nation. Faculty members stress both the technical and human elements of natural resources and instill in students a sense of stewardship and land-use ethics. Areas of study include environmental resource management, fisheries and wildlife sciences, forestry, geospatial and environmental analysis, natural resource recreation, urban forestry, wood science and forest products, geography, and international development.

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