Research

Forest Understory Plant Community Dynamics

Understory herbs account for a substantial portion of the plant diversity found in forest ecosystems, including more than 80% of temperate woodland plant diversity. While forest herbs are increasingly recognized for their contribution to diversity, ecosystem function, resiliency, and forest structure, this group remains underrepresented in forest science research. We are currently working on a variety of projects focused on understanding patterns of plant diversity and composition in understory plant communities.

Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs):
Conservation through Cultivation

Demand for native temperate forest herbs for medicine and food (e.g., ginseng, ramps, goldenseal, black cohosh, and bloodroot) has led to overharvesting and in some cases local extirpation of species. Increasing the cultivating of at-risk native understory species reduces pressure on wild plant populations. In addition, forest farming practices have the capacity to increase farm income, crop diversity, and carbon sequestration. Yet, there are also some conservation risks, especially in New England. We are working on a variety of projects examining the potential conservation benefits and impacts of forest farming medicinal herbs.

Urban Forest Dynamics & Resiliency

The world in increasingly urbanizing. Natural forested areas comprise most urban green space, and provide a range of social, ecological, economic, and health benefits. These urban forests have long been undervalued and understudied, resulting in a scarcity data to inform management for resiliency. Further these forests are at increased risk and stress from forest pests, pathogens, and species invasions. Ensuring the conservation of these forests and their associated benefits requires an understanding of current and potential future forest conditions. We are asking a variety of questions in Forested Urban Natural Areas to better understand species community dynamics and ecosystem function to promote resilience in urban forest stands and landscapes.

Ecological Restoration

An important goal of our research is providing useful data to conservation and natural resource professionals. Ecological restoration is a growing field and has the capacity to increase biodiversity and ecosystem services in degraded landscapes. Unfortunately, in the current funding landscape most restoration projects have limited capacity for long-term monitoring, leaving critical gaps in defining and understanding restoration success. Collaborating with conservation organizations and restoration practitioners we are interested in how “success” is evaluated following ecological restoration projects, and how different methods can best be utilized to maximize efficiency (financial and human) as well as precision and accuracy.