Research

Research in our lab is rooted in applied forest ecology. We emphasize forest development and disturbance patterns and processes, but specific research themes vary considerably. We have ongoing projects investigating intermediate-severity forest disturbances, the influence of multiple interacting disturbances on herbaceous plants, trees, deadwood, fuels, macrofungi, and soils, establishment and maintenance of mixed pine-hardwood stands, and productivity and population dynamics of species at range limits to list just a few. The University of Alabama is located in the Fall Line Hills and provides the unique opportunity to work in a variety of forest types within a short drive of our lab including upland and bottomland hardwoods, pine-oak mixedwoods, mixed mesophytic, montane longleaf pine, bald cypress, and barren communities. We use these ecosystems to address questions with practical applications in forest management. Pictures from many of our field sites and of life in the lab are available on our social media sites.