Forest Management and Climate Change

Forests across the United States experience a range of management activities including harvesting and controlled burning that are designed to maximize ecosystem services and forest health. However, the influence of these management activities on long-term and large-scale forest dynamics in an era of global change is unclear. For example, in many Eastern and Midwestern forests, oaks are experiencing regeneration decline and managers are using a variety of strategies to try and promote oak populations. We are evaluating how site conditions and climate change influence the efficacy of forest management restoration using empirical and modeling approaches to understand historical, modern, and future effects of management.

Related Projects

2018-2022: ​ “The Future of US Forest Function Under Changing Climate, Disturbance, and Forest Management”; National Science Foundation, Macrosystems Biology (PI: C. Staudhammer, University of Alabama)

2018: “Effect of Restoration Treatments on Oak Ecosystem Recovery”, Center for Tree Science, The Morton Arboretum (PI: M. Midgley, The Morton Arboretum)