Christopher R. Webster

"To keep every cog and wheel is the first precaution of intelligent tinkering."
—Aldo Leopold

Contact

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

Professor

PhD, Forestry, University of Wisconsin
MS, Forest Science, Purdue University
BS, Wildlife Science, Purdue University

Quantitative Ecology

My research focuses on the interplay between disturbance, stability, and complexity in natural systems at local and landscape scales. I am particularly interested in applied questions with relevance to the sustainable management of forest ecosystems.

Areas of Expertise

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

Recent Publications

Bartlick, C.I., J.I. Burton, C.R. Webster, R.E. Froese, Y.L. Dickinson. 2023. An experimental approach to identify drivers of tree regeneration diversity, composition, and heterogeneity in northern hardwood forests. Forest Ecology and Management 546: 121320.
Bartlick, C.I., J.I. Burton, C.R. Webster, R.E. Froese, S.F. Hupperts, Y.L. Dickinson. 2023. Artificial tip-up mounds influence tree seedling composition in a managed northern hardwood forest. Canadian Journal of Forest Research. 53(11): 893-904.
Webster, C.R., J.I. Burton, Y.L. Dickinson. 2023. Influence of silvicultural practices in northern hardwood forests on a long-lived perennial herb, Trillium cernuum L. Forest Ecology and Management 545: 121282.
Webster, C.R., M.S. VanderMolen. 2023. Persistent, transient and emergent influences of deer herbivory on canopy gap ground layers, 18 years post-disturbance. Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society 150:437-454.
Sample, R.D., Z.J. Delisle, J.M. Pierce, R.K. Swihart, J.N. Caudell, C.R. Webster, M.A. Jenkins. 2023. Predicting and indexing ungulate browse intensity from local to regional scales. Ecological Indicators 154: 110564.