In Tech's College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, no Husky wanders into the forest of their future alone. Faculty guide our students through education and by example as leaders in their fields, preparing the way for the next generation of natural resource professionals—the very same students they teach.
Michigan Tech Research Award Winner Continues to Redefine His Life's Work
By Cyndi Perkins
John Vucetich is one of the most recognized wildlife ecologists on the planet, with a body of research that ranges across species and disciplines. The 2025 Michigan Tech Research Award winner expects his work to continue to expand in directions that defy easy predictions—even his own.
A College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science (CFRES) distinguished professor, Vucetich is perhaps best known for his research related to Michigan Tech's Isle Royale wolf-moose project. The 68-year-old study has been based at Tech since 1975, and Vucetich has been a member of the research team since the 1990s, joining the project led by Rolf Peterson, now a CFRES professor emeritus. Vucetich earned his BS in Biology in 1995 and his PhD in Forest Science in 1999 at Tech.
Read more about John Vucetich on Michigan Tech News.
CFRES Faculty Tara Bal Ascends to Society of American Foresters President
By Windy Veker
Tara Bal, CFRES associate professor of forest health, was elected vice president of the Society of American Foresters in 2024 and ascended to president of the organization in 2025. The SAF represents foresters and natural resources professionals, helping them promote thriving forests by bringing the best science, the best practices, and the best people together.
Bal said the organization represents a community that ultimately supports sustainable forests and sustainable forest management—a community she has been a part of since she was an undergraduate forestry student.
Read the full story of Bal's election.
CFRES Welcomes New Professor
By Windy Veker
The College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science welcomes John McCarty as a new professor of practice. He holds a PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Cornell University.
McCarty describes himself as "broadly interested in ecology and environmental science and how science can contribute to multidisciplinary solutions to environmental problems," and sets his focus here at Tech on training and mentoring the next generation of ecologists and natural resource professionals.
Learn more about John McCarty.
Michigan Technological University is an R1 public research university founded in 1885 in Houghton, and is home to nearly 7,500 students from more than 60 countries around the world. Consistently ranked among the best universities in the country for return on investment, Michigan's flagship technological university offers more than 185 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science and technology, engineering, computing, forestry, business, health professions, humanities, mathematics, social sciences, and the arts. The rural campus is situated just miles from Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, offering year-round opportunities for outdoor adventure.
