"My graduate work at MTU gave me a great start in ecological research and has served me well over the years, plus great memories!"

—Douglas W. Smith
Wolf Project Leader
Yellowstone National Park

"The education I received at MTU while working on my MS degree prepared me to continue on for my PhD and for my career as a soil scientist and project leader."

—Deborah S. Page-Dumrose, PhD
Project Leader/Soil Scientist
Rocky Mountain Research Station, US Forest Service

Program
Located in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, the School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science offers MS and PhD programs in Forest Ecology and Management. The Upper Peninsula of Michigan, often called the “jewel” of the Great Lakes Region, is a diverse area where boreal and northern hardwood forests merge. Research in the School covers a wide range of issues from conservation biology to managing forests for sustainable production of timber, wildlife, and clean water. Through our graduate program, students acquire the knowledge and skills necessary for successful career development in either the public or private sector as forest managers, researchers, or educators.

The Upper Peninsula of Michigan also offers premiere recreational opportunities, including biking, hiking, boating, skiing, fishing, and hunting.

Current focus areas in forest ecology and management include:

• Biogeochemistry and nutrient cycling
  • Below-ground ecology and C allocation to roots
  • Impact of global change
  • Soil biology
  • Carbon sequestration and organic matter decomposition
• Forest productivity
  • Growth and yield
  • Ecophysiology
  • Optimization and modeling
  • Silviculture and vegetation dynamics
• Wetland and riparian ecology
• Wildlife ecology
  • Forest biodiversity
  • Conservation biology
  • Ornithology
  • Wildlife management
  • Mammalian ecology
• Forest protection
  • Entomology
  • Pathology
  • Fire ecology/management
• Remote sensing and geographic information systems
• Natural resource policy and social dimensions
• Wood utilization and engineering

Our graduate program stresses a field-oriented, hands-on approach, but we also have excellent laboratory facilities that complement field research. Faculty and graduate students have active research in all parts of the US and throughout the world. Recent studies include:

• Predator/prey relationships (Isle Royale National Park–Michigan; Yellowstone National Park–Wyoming)
• Impacts of exotic forest insects and diseases (eastern US, California, China)
• Restoration of native biodiversity at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (Michigan)
• Below-ground C cycling in North American forests (Alaska, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, New Mexico, North Carolina, Washington)
• Potential effects of the decline in Canada yew (Michigan, Wisconsin)
• Impact of elevated atmospheric CO2 and ozone on ecosystem processes (Wisconsin)
•  Effects of red wood ants on forest ecosystems (Finland, Switzerland)
• Pre-settlement patterns of fire and wind damage on national forests (Wisconsin)
• Impact of forest management on soil organic matter decomposition (US, Canada, Finland, Germany, Switzerland)
• Management of forested wetlands (Michigan, Minnesota)

The Loret Miller Ruppe Peace Corps Master’s International Program, conducted in conjunction with the Peace Corps, and an MS and PhD in Forest Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology are also available through the School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science.

Prospective graduate students are encouraged to contact individual faculty directly to investigate potential openings in their research programs. Visit our website at <http://forest.mtu.edu>.

Facilities
Michigan Tech is ideally suited for research in forest ecology and management. In 2000, a 50,000 square-foot addition doubled the amount of space for teaching, research laboratories, graduate student offices, and study space. Many of these new facilities are dedicated to below-ground ecology, remote sensing, forested wetlands, and landscape ecology. The School also houses state-of-the-art molecular biology and microarray functional genomics instrumentation that enables studies of population genetics and biodiversity using molecular tools. A new stable isotope laboratory enables cutting-edge research in nutrient cycling and trophic studies. Graduate students in the SFWP can also take advantage of several well-equipped laboratories in GIS/remote sensing through an interdisciplinary Remote Sensing Institute.

The US Forest Service North Central Research Station maintains a research laboratory on the Michigan Tech campus, where its scientists teach graduate courses and collaborate closely with faculty and students on below-ground ecology.

Ford Center and Research Forest is a 4,547-acre facility for research and education. The Ford Center can accommodate programs of education, research, and service. A modern dormitory and related facilities provide year-round housing capability for ninety-four people. A dining hall, four classrooms, a large conference/meeting room, and office buildings provide support facilities.