School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science
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Faculty Listing

Tara Bal

Tara L. Bal

  • Research Assistant Professor, SFRES
  • Master of Forestry Degree Program Director

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 Breffle

William S. Breffle

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

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

Kristin Brzeski

  • Assistant Professor, SFRES

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

 

Andrew Burton
"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
  • Coordinator of Interdisciplinary, Multi-Institutional Research

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
Victor Busov
"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

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

Molly A. Cavaleri

  • Associate Professor, SFRES

Links of Interest

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

Rodney A. Chimner

  • Professor, SFRES

Links of Interest

Areas of Expertise

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

Stacy Cotey

  • Advisor, Undergraduate Students
  • Instructor

  Areas of Interest  

Student success

Scheduling, degree planning

Landscape ecology

Wildlife-habitat relationships

Watershed management

Zhaohua Dai

Zhaohua Dai

  • Research Assistant Professor, SFRES
Yvette Dickinson

Yvette Dickinson

  • Assistant Professor, SFRES

Links of Interest

Specialties

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

Paul V. Doskey

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

Research Interests

  • Environmental Biogeochemistry
  • Biogeochemistry of Surface-Atmosphere Exchange
  • Atmospheric Organic Chemistry
  • Environmental Analytical Chemistry
Curtis Edson

Curtis Edson

  • Assistant Professor, SFRES
  • Remote Sensing
  • Geospatial Information Science

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

David J. Flaspohler

  • Professor, SFRES

Links of Interest

Areas of Expertise

  • Conservation biology
  • Avian ecology and reproduction
  • Cascading effects of deer overbrowse
  • Island ecology
Robert Froese
"If you can't measure it, then you can't manage it."

Robert E. Froese

  • Associate Professor, SFRES
  • Director, Ford Center and Forest

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 Halvorsen

Kathleen E. Halvorsen

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

Links of Interest

Areas of Expertise

  • Woody bioenergy
  • Climate change
  • Natural resource policy
  • Biodiversity policy
  • Bioenergy policy
Mike Hyslop
"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

Links of Interest

Areas of Expertise

  • Geographic information systems
  • Cartography
  • Global positioning systems
  • Great Lakes Quaternary (glacial) geomorphology
Chandrashekhar Joshi
"Cellulose is the fiber of human civilization."

Chandrashekhar P. Joshi

  • Department Chair and Professor, Biological Sciences
  • Affiliated Professor, SFRES

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
Martin Jurgensen
"Soil is the basis of all terrestrial life."

Martin F. Jurgensen

  • Research Professor, SFRES

Links of Interest

Areas of Expertise

  • Forest soil productivity, management and sustainability
  • Global climate change impact on soil biology
  • Organic matter decomposition and ecosystem nutrient cycling
Evan Kane
"If trees could run away from their place of establishment, believe me many of them probably would!"

Evan S. Kane

  • Associate Professor, SFRES

Areas of Expertise

  • Soil carbon
  • Plant/soil relationships
  • Decomposition
  • Dissolved organic carbon
  • Wildfire
  • Black carbon
Carsten Külheim
"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

Links of Interest

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 Kelly

Matthew C. Kelly

  • Assistant Professor of Natural Resource Management, SFRES

Links of Interest

Areas of Expertise

  • Forest operations
  • Forest and natural resource management
  • Human dimensions of natural resources
  • Watershed management
  • Natural resources policy
Peter Laks
"Wood is good!"

Peter Laks

  • Research Professor, SFRES

Links of Interest

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

Nancy Langston

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

Links of Interest

Areas of Interest

  • Toxics, forested watersheds, and northern lakes
  • Environmental history
  • Watershed change and water quality
  • Mining history
Robert Laverne
"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

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
Erik Lilleskov
"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

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

Fengjing Liu

  • Associate Professor, SFRES

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

Ann Maclean

  • Professor, SFRES
  • Director of Graduate Studies

Links of Interest

Areas of Expertise

  • Remote sensing
  • Digital image processing
  • Geographic information systems
  • Spatial modeling
Audrey Mayer

Audrey L. Mayer

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

Links of Interest

Areas of Expertise

  • Landscape ecology
  • Conservation Biology
  • Environmental and Natural Resources Policy
  • Sustainability science
Chris Miller

Chris Miller

  • Instructor
  • Soils Lab/Greenhouse Manager
  • Facility Space Coordinator

Teaching Interests

Biometrics

Wildland Fire

Soil Science

Specialties

Ecological effects of wildland fire

Soil bulk density

Wood decay data analysis

 

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

Blair Orr

  • Professor, SFRES

Links of Interest

Areas of Expertise

  • Community Economics
  • Forest economics
  • Land use in the Upper Peninsula
  • Ethnobotany
Rolf Peterson
"The challenge of wild carnivore restoration."

Rolf O. Peterson

  • Research Professor, SFRES

Areas of Expertise

  • Mammalian ecology
  • Predator-prey relationships
  • Ecology and behavior of gray wolves
Sigrid Resh
"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

Links of Interest

Areas of Expertise

  • Forest carbon dynamics
  • Soil sustainability
  • Invasive species education/outreach, control, and research
Dana Richter
"The careful observation of nature is the first step in caring for the earth."

Dana L. Richter

  • Research Scientist II, SFRES

Links of Interest

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

Robert Ross

  • Research Professor, SFRES

Links of Interest

Areas of Expertise

  • Forest Biomaterials
  • Nondestructive Evaluation
  • Structural Condition Assessment
Mark Rudnicki

Mark Rudnicki

  • Professor of Practice in Forest Biomaterials, SFRES
  • Coordinator of Industrial Research, Innovation, and Commercialization

Areas of Expertise

  • Forest Biomaterials
  • Tree biomechanics
  • Wind and trees
  • Dendrochronology
  • Extension and Outreach
James Schmierer
"Useful concepts must be placed in context and rendered operational."

James M. Schmierer

  • Forester/Instructor, SFRES

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

Terry Sharik

  • Research Professor
  • Dean Emeritus & Professor Emeritus, SFRES

Areas of Interest/Study

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

Andrew J. Storer

  • Dean and Professor, SFRES

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 Swanston

Christopher W. Swanston

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

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
Ken Vrana

Ken Vrana

  • Associate Director and Operations Manager, Ford Center, SFRES
  • Director, Isle Royale Institute
  • Professor of Practice, SFRES
John Vucetich

John A. Vucetich

  • Professor, SFRES

Links of Interest

Areas of Expertise

  • Demographic and genetic elements of population biology
  • Ecology of wolves and moose
  • Environmental ethics
Leah Vucetich
"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

Links of Interest

Areas of Expertise

  • Isle Royale wolf genetics
  • Field research methods
Christopher Webster
"Maintaining balance and stability in natural systems requires embracing their underlying chaos."

Christopher R. Webster

  • Professor, SFRES

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
Hairong Wei
"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

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 Wolfe

Jared D. Wolfe

  • Research Assistant professor, SFRES

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

Xinfeng Xie

  • Assistant Professor of Forest Biomaterials, SFRES

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
Yinan Yuan
"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

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