Ecological Forestry

"ecological forestry is less a philosophy of management and more of a framework, a toolbox if you will, for management of forests where the goal is to reduce the divergence between managed and natural ecosystems ..." Palik and D'Amato 2017

My research falls within the realm of understanding what ecological forestry "tools" we can use to reduce this divergence between managed and natural ecosystems. In particular, I am interested in how forest management decisions influence the flow of benefits - like timber, clean water, and carbon sequestration - that we have come to expect from forests. It is not enough to produce the science, but it is also important to translate the science into knowledge and put it into the hands of people making natural resource decisions.

NH_mtnforest

Relevant Literature

Evans, A.M., Clark, F.A., 2017. Putting the Forest First. J. For. 115, 54–55. https://doi.org/10.5849/jof.16-070

Palik, B.J., D’Amato, A.W., 2017. Ecological Forestry: Much More Than Retention Harvesting. J. For. 115, 51–53. https://doi.org/10.5849/jof.16-057

Latest News

Nova Scotia Budworm Trees

Long-Term Greenhouse Gas Benefits from Salvaging Dead Trees Balance Short-Term Excess Emissions

April 13, 2020

The next major eastern spruce budworm outbreak likely will hit Northeastern United States forests over the next few years, putting more than 11.4 million acres of forest and 94.8 million metric tons of stored carbon in spruce and balsam fir at risk. While salvaging these trees for energy or lumber increases carbon dioxide emissions in the short-term, New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station researchers have found that certain forest management practices result in long-term benefits that can balance these short-term setbacks.

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Read more about Long-Term Greenhouse Gas Benefits from Salvaging Dead Trees Balance Short-Term Excess Emissions