Associate Professor, School of Forestry

Director of Operations, Ecological Restoration Institute

Education

• B.A. Chemistry, Vassar College, New York, 1986
• M.S. Forestry, Northern Arizona University, 1990
• Ph.D. Forest Ecology, Northern Arizona University, 1996

Research Interests:

• Ecological restoration; fire ecology; Cordilleran forest ecology (southwest U.S., northern Mexico)

Overuse of natural resources, fire exclusion, and other human-caused forms of environmental degradation threaten the sustainability of forest ecosystems. Uncharacteristically severe wildfires, pathogen outbreaks, and exotic species invasions are signs of ecological damage in fire-adapted forests of western North America. Working with colleagues at Northern Arizona University’s School of Forestry and Ecological Restoration Institute, our research focuses on four areas:

1. Measuring the extent and characteristics of ecological degradation, including changes in forest structure, plant communities, fire behavior, and habitat components.
2. Studying relict sites where recent anthropogenic degradation is minimal, such as remote plateaus in Grand Canyon National Park and isolated sites in northern Mexico.
3. Experimentation in alternative methods of restoring natural structure, function, and process to western long-needled pine forests.
4. Modeling of vegetation change and fire behavior and effects across stands and landscapes.