Laurie is an accomplished forest and conservation innovator who advises policy makers at the state, regional, national and international level. She pioneers new approaches to develop sustainable resource economies using her deep experience in the fields of conservation, ecosystem services and sustainability.  A preeminent authority on the climate and ecosystem benefits of forests, she leads efforts enacting climate change policies that unite conservation and sustainable management with market-based approaches.

She has received several highly prestigious honors bestowed for her leadership, and is a frequent speaker, writer and media commentator on working forest conservation.

Prior to co-founding Pacific Forest Trust with Connie Best in 1993, Wayburn worked internationally for 10 years in the United Nations Environment Program and Ecological Sciences Division of UNESCO. She later served as Executive Director of the Point Reyes Bird Observatory and was the Founder and first Coordinator of the Central California Coast Biosphere Reserve.