University of Idaho Forest Regeneration
PEOPLE
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Dr. Andrew Nelson
Dr. Andrew Nelson is the Tom A. Alberg & Judith Beck Edowed Chair of Native Plant Regeneration and Director of the Center for Nursery and Seedling Research and Franklin H. Pitkin Forest Nursery at the University of Idaho. His research includes natural regeneration ecology, nursery propagation, and silviculture.
He received his Ph.D. and M.S. in forestry at the University of Maine and his B.S. in Conservation and Resources Studies from the University of California, Berkeley.
He has worked in forests across the United States, including California mixed conifer and coastal forests, mixed-species Acadian forests in Maine, southern pine-hardwood forests in Arkansas, and mixed-conifer forests of the Northern Rockies.
Current Lab Members
Dr. Cen Chen
Post-doc
Dr. Chen is a post-doc that started in the lab in 2019. Originally he began as a National Science Foundation INTERN while completing his Ph.D. at the University of Maine. Cen is biometrician and his work focuses on modeling the effects of various site, climate, and nursery factors on survival and growth of recently-planted seedlings. He is also working on a project to model maximum stand density index in forests across the United States as part of the NSF Center for Advanced Forestry Systems. Dr. Chen has a Ph.D. in Forest Resource Management from the University of Maine, a M.S. in Environmental Monitoring and Assessment from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, and B.A. in Horticulture from South China Agricultural University.
Dr. Jessie Godfrey
Post-doc
Dr. Godfrey started in the lab in spring 2020 as a post-doc in collaboration with Dr. Jeremy Pinto at the USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. Dr. Godfrey is a tree physiologist studying physiological responses of conifer seedlings to drought conditioning and post-planting drought. She has a Ph.D. in Horticulture and Agronomy from UC Davis and a B.S. in Environmental Systems from UC San Diego.
Dr. Ehren Moler
Post-doc
Dr. Moler started in the lab in fall 2020 as a post-doc. He is working on a project examining the effects of nursery drought conditioning and seed populations on root system architecture, physiology, and organ anatomy of western larch and Douglas-fir seedlings. The project is a collaboration with with Purdue University and Oregon State University funded by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture and National Science Foundation.
Emily Behrens
M.S. student
Emily's thesis project examine mountain huckleberry seedling physiological responses to root herbivory by black vine weevil. She has a B.S. in Forestry from the University of Idaho. Her project is funded by USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
Alex Hoffman
Ph.D. student
Alex is pursuing a PhD in Natural Resources. He has B.A. from Augustana University and a M.S. from the University of Arkansas-Monticello. Alex's research will examine mechanisms of dormancy in loblolly pine seedlings
Mary James
M.S. student
Mary is a Gates Millennium Scholar funded through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation pursuing a M.S. in Environmental Science. Mary has a B.S. in Public Relations from the University of Idaho. Her research is examining the nursery chilling requirements of common camas (Camassia quamash), a native bulb to the Pacific Northwest to help restore native prairies.
Lauren King
M.S. student
Lauren is pursuing a M.S. in Natural Resources. She has a B.S. in Wildlife Resources and B.S. in Rangeland Ecology and Management. Lauren's research is examining the effects of different forms of nitrogen on growth, physiology, and nitrogen re-translocation in western larch seedlings under greenhouse conditions.
Thomas McDonough
M.S. student
Thomas is pursuing a M.S. in Natural Resources. He has a B.S. in Botany from Weber State University. Thomas is studying growth and physiological responses of Basin sagebrush in response to nursery drought conditioning.
Joshua Mullane
M.S. student
Joshua is pursuing a M.S. in Natural Resources. He has a A.A.S. in Forest Management Technology from Haywood Community College in North Carolina and a B.S. in Forestry from the University of Idaho. Joshua's research is examining the effects of post-planting competition removal on the growth and survival of western larch and Interior Douglas-fir seedlings across a site productivity gradient.
Former Lab Members
Meghan Foard
Ph.D. 2020
Dr. Foard was a National Science Foundation Integrative Graduate Education and Research Trainee (IGERT) in Water Resources. Meghan has a M.S. in Environmental Science from Arkansas State University and a B.S. in Natural Science from Christian Brothers University, and a PhD in Water Resources from the University of Idaho. Her research used dendrochrology to investigate multiscale drivers of conifer growth in the Pacific Northwest.
Brooke Durnin
M.S. 2020
Brooke completed her M.S. in Natural Resources from the University of Idaho in 2020. Her research studied stand structure and understory floristic diversity in restored western white pine stands. Brooke currently works with American Forest Management in Kalispell, MT.
Kelsie Grover
M.S. 2019
Kelsie completed her M.S. in Natural Resources from the University of Idaho in 2019. Her research examined the response of improved western larch seedlings to drought stress and site quality. She currently works in tree improvement at the USDA Forest Service Coeur d'Alene Nursery.
Jonathan Cherico
M.S. 2018
Jonathan completed his M.S. in Natural Resources from the University of Idaho in 2018. His research compared the multi-decdal effects of different site preparation treatments on growth and growth efficiency of Interior Douglas-fir and western white pine. He is currently a Protection Forester with the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation.
Jacob Reely
M.S. 2018
Jacob completed his M.S. in Natural Resources from the University of Idaho in 2018. His research examined growth, survival, and seasonal root and allometric responses of western larch, Interior Douglas-fir, and grad fir seedlings in response to nursery seedling quality and site productivity. He is currently a Forester with Hancock Forest Management in Oklahoma.
Geoffrey Williams
M.S. 2017
Geoffrey completed his M.S. in Natural Resources from the University of Idaho in 2017. His research focused on developing spatial foliage distribution models for western larch trees. He is currently a Van Eck Ph.D. Fellow in the Forest Entomology Lab and Hardwood Tree Improvement and Regeneration Center at Purdue University.