Faculty Listing

Tara L. Bal

Research Assistant Professor, SFRES
Master of Forestry Degree Program Director

906-487-1898
tlbal@mtu.edu
Noblet Building 128

Teaching Interests

Insect Ecology
Field Techniques
Vegetation
Maple Syrup Culture & Management
Natural Resources Communication
Forest Health and Pathology

Areas of Expertise

Forest Health Management and Monitoring
Earthworm Invasion Ecology
Wood Decay Testing
Insect, Fungi, and Environmental Education
Wild Foods

William S. Breffle

Associate Professor of Economics, School of Business and Economics
Affiliate Professor, SFRES

906-487-1959
wsbreffl@mtu.edu
Academic Office Building G019

Teaching Interests

Environmental economics
Natural resource economics
International economics
Mathematical economics
Principles of economics

Research Interests

Non-market valuation
Discrete choice modeling
Benefit-cost analysis
Restoration program planning
Health economics

Kristin Brzeski

Assistant Professor, SFRES

Cell: 262-844-5946
kbrzeski@mtu.edu
Noblet Building 127

Links of Interest

My webpage

Biodiversity Initiative

Areas of Expertise

Conservation genetics
Canid genomics
Noninvasive methods in wildlife management
Wildlife immuno- & epi- genetics
Applied conservation in Central Africa

"Every day in the woods is a good day - don't get so caught up in the work at hand that you forget to look around and appreciate where you are."

Andrew J. Burton

Professor, SFRES
Director, Ecosystem Science Center

906-487-2566
ajburton@mtu.edu
Noblet Building 174

Links of Interest

Areas of Expertise

Forest responses to global change factors
Belowground processes
Carbon and nutrient cycling
Physiological ecology of tree roots
Undergraduate involvement in research

"I consider myself extremely fortunate to live in a time when genome revolution in many areas of biology is enabling unprecedented depth into our understanding of life."

Victor Busov

Professor, SFRES

906-487-1728
vbusov@mtu.edu
Horner Hall 185

Links of Interest

Areas of Expertise

Functional genomics of plant development
Gibberellins metabolism and signal transduction pathway
Regulation of lateral root formation in relation to abiotic stress
Regulation and evolution of secondary growth in woody perennials
Micro and small RNAs regulation of development and response to environment

"The wonder is that we can see these trees and not wonder more."
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Molly A. Cavaleri

Associate Professor, SFRES

906-487-2843
macavale@mtu.edu
Noblet Building 162

Links of Interest

Tropical Responses to Altered Climate Experiment (TRACE)
Follow on Twitter: @MollyCavaleri

Areas of Expertise

Forest canopy structure and function
Forest response to global change
Carbon and water cycling through forests
Tree ecophysiology
Stable isotope ecology
Invasive tree species

"We are what we imagine ourselves to be."
—Kurt Vonnegut, Jr

Rodney A. Chimner

Professor, SFRES

906-487-1464
rchimner@mtu.edu
Noblet Building 114

Links of Interest

Areas of Expertise

Peatland and wetland restoration
Peatland and wetland carbon cycling
Mountain wetlands
Tropical peatlands
Ecosystem carbon cycling
Wetland ecohydrology

Zhaohua Dai

Research Assistant Professor, SFRES

zhaohuad@mtu.edu

Yvette Dickinson

Assistant Professor, SFRES

906-487-2387
yldickin@mtu.edu
Noblet Building 170

Links of Interest

Faculty Webpage

Specialties

Applied forest ecology and silviculture
Stand- and landscape-scale forest structure
Forest restoration

Paul V. Doskey

Professor, SFRES
Director, Microanalytical Facility (MAF)
Director, Molecular Biogeochemistry Laboratory (MBL)

906-487-2745
pvdoskey@mtu.edu
Noblet Building 113

Research Interests

Environmental Biogeochemistry
Biogeochemistry of Surface-Atmosphere Exchange
Atmospheric Organic Chemistry
Environmental Analytical Chemistry

Curtis Edson

Assistant Professor, SFRES
Remote Sensing
Geospatial Information Science

906-487-2596
cbedson@mtu.edu
Horner Hall (Forestry) 184

Areas of Expertise

Remote Sensing
Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
Surveying and Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS)
Aerial Photogrammetry
Cartography
Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR)
Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS)

"Hope is the thing with feathers. That perches in the soul."
—Emily Dickinson

David J. Flaspohler

Professor, SFRES

906-487-3608
djflaspo@mtu.edu
Noblet Building 115

Links of Interest

Conservation Biology and Avian Ecology

Areas of Expertise

Conservation biology
Avian ecology and reproduction
Cascading effects of deer overbrowse
Island ecology

"If you can't measure it, then you can't manage it."

Robert E. Froese

Associate Professor, SFRES
Director, Ford Center and Forest

906-487-2723
froese@mtu.edu
Noblet Building 175

Links of Interest

Certifications

Registered Professional Forester, Association of BC Forest Professionals
Certified Forester, Society of American Foresters
Registered Forester, State of Michigan, Board of Foresters

Areas of Expertise

Forest Inventory, Mensuration, and Biometrics
Silviculture, Quantitative Silviculture, and Growth & Yield
Empirical, process and hybrid forest modelling
Biomass and Carbon Inventory, Management, and Life Cycle Assessment

Kathleen E. Halvorsen

Professor of Natural Resource Policy, SFRES
Joint Appointment in Social Sciences and SFRES

906-487-2824
kehalvor@mtu.edu
Academic Office Building 225

Links of Interest

Areas of Expertise

Woody bioenergy
Climate change
Natural resource policy
Biodiversity policy
Bioenergy policy

"A good map tells a multitude of little white lies; it suppresses truth to help the user see what needs to be seen. ...the value of a map depends on how well its content reflects a chosen aspect of reality."
—Mark Monmonier

Mike Hyslop

Principal Lecturer, SFRES
Master of Geographic Information Science Degree Program Director

906-487-2308
mdhyslop@mtu.edu
Noblet Building 140A

Links of Interest

Areas of Expertise

Geographic information systems
Cartography
Global positioning systems
Great Lakes Quaternary (glacial) geomorphology

"Cellulose is the fiber of human civilization."

Chandrashekhar P. Joshi

Department Chair and Professor, Biological Sciences
Affiliated Professor, SFRES

906-487-2738
cpjoshi@mtu.edu
Dow 741

Links of Interest

Research Interests: Biological Sciences

Plant Molecular Genetics

Areas of Expertise: Biology and Forestry

Cellulose and lignin biosynthesis in trees
Wood formation
Tree growth and development
Engineering trees
Forest bioinformatics

"Soil is the basis of all terrestrial life."

Martin F. Jurgensen

Research Professor, SFRES

906-487-2206
mfjurgen@mtu.edu
Noblet Building 137

Links of Interest

Teaching Excellence Fund

Areas of Expertise

Forest soil productivity, management and sustainability
Global climate change impact on soil biology
Organic matter decomposition and ecosystem nutrient cycling

"If trees could run away from their place of establishment, believe me many of them probably would!"

Evan S. Kane

Associate Professor, SFRES

906-482-6303
eskane@mtu.edu
Forest Service Building 123

Areas of Expertise

Soil carbon
Plant/soil relationships
Decomposition
Dissolved organic carbon
Wildfire
Black carbon

"Forestry will become a major provider of key materials; from construction to high-tech to biofuels. It is our job to ensure trees thrive."

Carsten Külheim

Associate Professor, SFRES

ckulheim@mtu.edu
Noblet 167

Areas of Expertise

Genetic basis of trait variation
Plant adaptation to local environment
Plant secondary metabolism
Chemical ecology including plant –herbivore interactions
Functional genomics of plant defences

Matthew C. Kelly

Assistant Professor of Natural Resource Management, SFRES

906-487-3403
mackelly@mtu.edu
Noblet 178

Links of Interest

Faculty Webpage

Areas of Expertise

Forest operations
Forest and natural resource management
Human dimensions of natural resources
Watershed management
Natural resources policy

"Wood is good!"

Peter Laks

Research Professor, SFRES

plaks@mtu.edu

Links of Interest

Wood Protection Website

Areas of Expertise

Fungal and insect resistance of wood-based composites
Preservative systems for solid and composite wood building products
Nanoparticle wood preservative systems
Field-testing of wood products for biodegradation resistance

Nancy Langston

Professor of Environmental History, Social Sciences
Member of the Great Lakes Research Center
Affiliated Professor, SFRES

nelangs3@mtu.edu
220 AOB MTU, 1400 Townsend D Houghton MI 49931

Links of Interest

Areas of Interest

Toxics, forested watersheds, and northern lakes
Environmental history
Watershed change and water quality
Mining history

"We are, in actuality, students of that greater order known as nature. It is into nature that man vanishes."
—Loren Eiseley

Robert James Laverne

Instructor, SFRES

330-673-9511
rlaverne@mtu.edu

Links of Interest

Areas of Expertise

Urban Forestry
Arboriculture
Tree Appraisal and Expert Witness Services
Environmental, Economic and Social Benefits of Urban Forests
Soundscape Ecology

"Change is the norm in ecosystems. What is new is the rate of change. How we respond to this change will be our legacy to future generations."

Erik Lilleskov

Adjunct Professor, SFRES

906-482-6303
elilleskov@fs.fed.us
Forest Service Building

Links of Interest

Areas of Expertise

Forest ecology
Ecosystems ecology
Physiological ecology
Community ecology
Fungal ecology
Mycorrhizal fungi
Molecular ecology
Soil ecology
Global environmental change impacts on forest ecosystems
Invasive species impacts
Biogeography of invasive soil organisms

"Water is the new oil: a resource long squandered and soon to be overwhelmed by insatiable demand."
—The Economist

Fengjing Liu

Associate Professor, SFRES

906-487-1089
fliu7@mtu.edu
Noblet 171

Areas of Expertise

Ecohydrology in forests
Watershed hydrology in montane and lake-dominated catchments
Biogeochemistry in snow-dominated, agricultural and forested catchments
Numerical modeling in watershed hydrology
Forensic hydrology with natural geochemical and isotopic tracers

"The practical application of knowledge is what moves us forward."

Ann Maclean

Professor, SFRES

906-487-2030
amaclean@mtu.edu
Noblet Building 189

Links of Interest

Ecological Monitoring and Mapping Laboratory

Areas of Expertise

Remote sensing
Digital image processing
Geographic information systems
Spatial modeling

Audrey L. Mayer

Associate Professor of Ecology and Environmental Policy, SFRES
Coordinator, Peace Corps Masters International Program in Forestry

906-487-2864
almayer@mtu.edu
Academic Office Building 206

Links of Interest

Private Land Management and Voluntary Incentive Programs project
Environmental and Energy Policy Program
Sustainable Futures Institute
Follow me on Twitter! @AudreyLMayer

Areas of Expertise

Landscape ecology
Conservation Biology
Environmental and Natural Resources Policy
Sustainability science

"That one little mushroom won't hurt me..."
—Anonymous mushroom collector

Blair Orr

Professor, SFRES

906-487-2291
bdorr@mtu.edu
Noblet Building 145A

Links of Interest

Areas of Expertise

Community Economics
Forest economics
Land use in the Upper Peninsula
Ethnobotany

"The challenge of wild carnivore restoration."

Rolf O. Peterson

Research Professor, SFRES

906-487-2179
ropeters@mtu.edu
Noblet Building 173

Areas of Expertise

Mammalian ecology
Predator-prey relationships
Ecology and behavior of gray wolves

"If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in."
—Rachel Carson (1907-1964)

Sigrid Resh

Research Assistant Professor, SFRES
Coordinator, Keweenaw Invasive Species Management Area

906-487-1139
scresh@mtu.edu
Noblet Building 116

Links of Interest

Areas of Expertise

Forest carbon dynamics
Soil sustainability
Invasive species education/outreach, control, and research

"The careful observation of nature is the first step in caring for the earth."

Dana L. Richter

Research Scientist II, SFRES

906-487-2149
dlrichte@mtu.edu
Noblet Building 112

Links of Interest

Wood Protection Group

Areas of Expertise

Forest mycology, pathology, fungal ecology
Tree and forest disease diagnosis and assessment
Wood decay: mold/stain testing
Fungal Isolation & Identification

Robert Ross

Research Professor, SFRES

608-231-9221
rjross@mtu.edu
USDA Forest Products Laboratory

Links of Interest

Areas of Expertise

Forest Biomaterials
Nondestructive Evaluation
Structural Condition Assessment

Mark Rudnicki

Professor of Practice in Forest Biomaterials, SFRES

906-487-2603
mrudnick@mtu.edu
Noblet Building 168

Areas of Expertise

Forest Biomaterials
Tree biomechanics
Wind and trees
Dendrochronology
Extension and Outreach

"Useful concepts must be placed in context and rendered operational."

James M. Schmierer

Forester/Instructor, SFRES

906-487-2963
jmschmie@mtu.edu
Noblet Building 130

Links of Interest

Areas of Expertise

Management and silviculture of northern hardwoods and boreal forests
Timber harvesting and site preparation effects on forest regeneration
Forest recreational development and management

Terry Sharik

Dean, SFRES
Robbins Chair in Sustainable Resources

906-487-2352
tlsharik@mtu.edu

Areas of Interest/Study

Academic leadership in natural resources
Educational reform in natural resources
Trends in natural resource enrollments
Regeneration ecology of forests

Andrew J. Storer

Professor, SFRES
Associate Dean, SFRES

906-487-3470
storer@mtu.edu
Noblet Building 120

Links of Interest

Areas of Expertise

Forest insect ecology
Insect/fungus/plant interactions in forest ecosystems
Impacts of exotic species on forest ecosystems
Interactions among fire, insects and disease in forests
Urban forest health

Christopher W. Swanston

Research Ecologist, SFRES
Adjunct Professor, SFRES
Director, Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science

906-482-6303
cswanston@fs.fed.us
Forest Service Building

Links of Interest

Areas of Expertise

Soil organic carbon stabilization and cycling
Radiocarbon analysis and interpretation
Forest response and adaptation to climate change
Landscape scale conservation

John A. Vucetich

Professor, SFRES

906-487-1711
javuceti@mtu.edu
Noblet Building 186

Links of Interest

Areas of Expertise

Demographic and genetic elements of population biology
Ecology of wolves and moose
Environmental ethics

"Whether working with students in the lab, field or classroom, nothing beats seeing the spark of understanding ignite a passion for learning."

Leah M. Vucetich

Research Assistant Professor, SFRES

906-370-2374
lmvuceti@mtu.edu
Noblet Building 188

Links of Interest

Wolves and Moose of Isle Royale

Areas of Expertise

Isle Royale wolf genetics
Field research methods

"Maintaining balance and stability in natural systems requires embracing their underlying chaos."

Christopher R. Webster

Professor, SFRES

906-487-3618
cwebster@mtu.edu
Noblet Building 166

Areas of Expertise

Gap dynamics and disturbance ecology
Invasion biology of exotic species
Landscape ecology
Plant community response to herbivory
Restoration silviculture
Wildlife habitat relationships

"We are doing excellent job in describing how an individual gene functions, but not how life functions. Systems biology is to fill this gap."

Hairong Wei

Associate Professor, SFRES
Affiliated Associate Professor, Mathematical Sciences
Affiliated Associate Professor, Computer Science

906-487-1473
hairong@mtu.edu
Noblet Building 176

Links of Interest

Areas of Expertise

Identification of genes regulating complex traits via systems biology approaches
Gene expression data analysis
Gene network construction and decomposition
Developing software for mining large-scale biological data
Genomics of wood formation

Jared D. Wolfe

Research Assistant professor, SFRES

Cell: 262-443-6866
jdwolfe@mtu.edu
Noblet Building

Links of Interest

My webpage

Biodiversity Initiative

Fields of Expertise

Ornithology
Neotropical and Afrotropical ecology
Long-term demographic monitoring of birds and mammals
Conservation biology

Xinfeng Xie

Assistant Professor of Forest Biomaterials, SFRES

906-487-2294
xinfengx@mtu.edu
Noblet Building 110

Areas of Expertise

Carbon materials derived from wood, lignin, and cellulose
Integrated thermochemical conversion and fractionation of lignocellulosic biomass
Carbon-polymer composites and hybrid materials
Wood protection and preservation
Wood properties, quality, and modification

"The RNA regulatory system might have been essential prerequisite to both the evolution of developmentally sophisticated multicellular organisms and the rapid expansion of phenotyptic complexity into uncontested environment."

Yinan Yuan

Research Assistant Professor, SFRES

906-487-1835
yinyuan@mtu.edu
Noblet Building 180

Areas of Expertise

Identification and characterization of natural antisense transcripts in woody plants
Alternative splicing and salicylic acid metabolism in populus
Sequencing complex plant genome through gene-enriched methods