Michigan Technological University

Our Forestry undergraduate and MF in Forestry programs are SAF accredited.


Facebook   Flickr

School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science

Ecology—Research

Wetland grasses

Ecology is the study of ecosystems, i.e., organisms and how they interact with their environment. Here at the School, on-going research in ecology explores both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Ecological interests of our faculty range from landscapes to individual species, including animal-ecosystem interactions, forest responses to global change, and carbon and water cycling through forests and wetlands.

Faculty                          Areas of Interests

Predators & ecological hotspots; Aquatic-terrestrial links; Stable isotopes in wildlife ecology; Wind energy-wildlife issues; Vertebrate habitat ecology; Conservation ethics
Forest responses to global change factors; Belowground processes; Carbon and nutrient cycling; Physiological ecology of tree roots; Undergraduate involvement in research
Forest canopy structure and function; Forest response to global change; Carbon and water cycling through forests; Tree ecophysiology; Stable isotope ecology; Invasive tree species
Applied wetland ecology; Peatland and wetland restoration; Peatlands; Mountain wetlands; Tropical peatlands; Ecosystem carbon cycling; Wetland ecohydrology
Remote sensing of vegetation structure and composition; LiDAR remote sensing; Forest mensuration and biometrics; Landscape ecology; Wildlife habitat modeling; Remote sensing of active fire and post-fire effects; Fire ecology; Spatial ecology; Statistics
Silviculture, Quantitative Silviculture, and Growth & Yield; Populus silviculture, growth and yield, and simulation modelling; Forest productivity and soil sustainability; Empirical, process and hybrid forest modelling; Sampling, inventory and monitoring program design; Forest Biometrics and Mensuration
Woody bioenergy; Climate change; Natural resource policy; Water resource policy; Bioenergy policy
Geographic information systems; Cartography; Global positioning systems; Great Lakes Quaternary (glacial) geomorphology
Soil carbon; Plant/soil relationships; Decomposition; Dissolved organic carbon; Wildfire; Black carbon
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
Environmental and Natural Resources Policy; Sustainability science; Landscape ecology; Biodiversity and Conservation; International Trade; Information Theory
Silviculture; Forest vegetation dynamics; Invasive plant species in forested ecosystems; Adaptive silviculture in the face of climate change
Forest hydrology; Micrometeorology; Ecohydrology; Carbon cycling; Stable isotopes
Forest carbon dynamics; Soil carbon sequestration; Forest restoration; Isotope applications in forests
Forest mycology, pathology, fungal ecology; Tree and forest disease diagnosis and assessment; Wood decay & mold/stain testing; Mycorrhizae, plants and mushrooms
Aquatic ecology; Aquatic-terrestrial links; Conservation and management of aquatic systems; Long-term monitoring
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
Soil organic carbon stabilization and cycling; Radiocarbon analysis and interpretation; Forest response and adaptation to climate change; Landscape scale conservation
Invasion ecology; Road ecology; Applied restoration and weed control; Stress tolerance and competition
Gap dynamics and disturbance ecology; Invasion biology of exotic species; Landscape ecology; Plant community response to herbivory; Restoration silviculture; Wildlife habitat relationships

School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science

Forestry and Wood Products Building
1400 Townsend Dr.
Houghton, Michigan 49931-1295

Ph. 906-487-2454
Toll-Free: 800-WOODS-MI
  (800-966-3764)
Email: forest@mtu.edu

Michigan Technological University

1400 Townsend Drive
Houghton, Michigan 49931-1295
906-487-1885

See a Problem?

Email the Webmaster