A research forester is a scientist who studies the patterns and processes impacting forests. My work focuses on the human dimensions of forests and specifically the people and organizations who own and manage forests.
My greatest assets are my persistence, work ethic, and desire to ask questions. I readily jump into projects and work hard to see them through to completion (although it often takes me much longer than I expect!).
Who owns America’s forests? What have those forest owners done with forests in the past? What is the plan for the forests in the future? What are the factors influencing forest owner decisions?
On an annual basis, we contact over 5,000 randomly selected, private forest owners from across the U.S. as part of the National Woodland Owner Survey. We use social sciences to design and implement the survey. Our rigorous statistical techniques enable us to draw conclusions about forest owner attitudes and behaviors and estimate our confidence in these conclusions.
Over half of the forestland across the U.S. is privately owned, and of this private forestland, nearly two-thirds is owned by an estimated 10 million family and individual ownerships. This estimated 272 million acres of family and individual forestland is more than any other ownership group, including the Federal government. The families and individuals who own forests are often very passionate about their land, and I find their stories very inspiring.
I have always been inquisitive and am constantly asking “why” things happened, but it was when a college advisor brought me into her work group that I got fully hooked on research. I have always found forests to be special places, and I have been fortunate enough to combine these two lifelong passions into a career as a research forester.
