RESTORATION ECOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL HORTICULTURE INTEREST GROUP
Program Description
The Restoration Ecology and Environmental Horticulture (REEH) interest group investigates plants, soils, and their importance
in the restoration and sustainable management of ecosystems. Two learned degrees, Master of Science (MS) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD),
and a professional degree, Master of Environmental Horticulture (MEH), are tailored to the interests and needs of individual students.
These degrees are described in more detail below.
Restoration Ecology and ecological restoration refer to intentional activities that initiate or accelerate the recovery of
ecosystems with respect to their health, integrity, and sustainability. Frequently, the ecosystem that requires restoration has been degraded,
damaged, transformed or entirely destroyed as the direct or indirect result of human activities. In some cases, these impacts have been caused
or aggravated by natural agencies such as wildfire, floods, storms, or volcanic eruption.
Environmental Horticulture is concerned with the function, management, and uses of plants in human-altered environments.
Emphases of the REEH interest group include:
- • Restoration of terrestrial and marine ecosystems
- • Community ecology
- • Physiological ecology
- • Invasive species
- • Soils
- • Use of soil amendments in restoration
- • Phytoremediation
- • Arboretum and botanic garden management
- • Urban forest management
- • Conservation biology (see also, Forest Ecology interest group)
- • Horticultural education and interpretation
- • Landscape plant selection and management
Master of Science (MS) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Degrees
Students in these degree programs are involved in research, teaching, and public outreach. Cross-disciplinary interactions
in the physical, biological and social sciences are encouraged. REEH MS and PhD degrees prepare students for careers in university
research and teaching, restoration, management of parks, gardens and arboreta, urban forestry, horticultural education, and supporting
service professions and management agencies and organizations.
Course selection is flexible to cover the range of disciplinary interests
within the interest group.
Master of Environmental Horticulture (MEH) Degree
The Master of Environmental Horticulture (MEH) degree is a coursework and internship/project based master’s degree. The program is
designed for developing and mid-career professionals in the fields of arboretum/botanic garden management, landscape management,
plant conservation, public and institutional horticulture, teaching (at vocational and community college levels), and urban forest management.
The MEH degree provides a wide array of tools for improving the management of plants in human-altered environments and advancing professional
careers in this new field. The program does not emphasize research, but students graduate with the ability to understand and apply current
research in their practice. This degree is not recommended for students who plan to continue in academia. Coursework and degree requirements
can be found here.
| Faculty | Areas of Interest |
|
Jonathan Bakker
| Ecological restoration; Sustainable ecosystem management |
|
Susan Bolton
| Surface water hydrology; Watershed management; Water quality |
|
Gordon Bradley
| Forest land use planning; Impact assessment; Conservation area planning; Urban ecology and urban forestry |
|
Sally Brown
| In situ remediation of soils; Use of biosolids; Phytoremediation of heavy metals |
|
Matt Davies
| Fire ecology; Vegetation ecology; Conservation biology |
|
Sharon Doty
| Phytoremediation; Plant biotechnology |
|
Kern Ewing
| Wetland plant ecology; Restoration ecology |
|
James Fridley
| Forest engineering systems design; Interactive computer simulation |
|
Robert Harrison
| Forest nutrition; mineral cycling; long-term forest productivity; organic waste utilization; carbon sequestration |
|
Thomas Hinckley
| Woody plant ecophysiology; Stress and carbon physiology; Subalpine-alpine systems; Old-growth to plantations; Mountain communities |
|
Soo-Hyung Kim
| Plant ecophysiology; Urban plant science; Environmental horticulture; Quantitative modeling |
|
Sarah Reichard
| Biology of invasive organisms; Reintroduction of rare species; Rare plant preservation |
|
Darlene Zabowski
| Forest soils and soil genesis and classification; Biogeochemical cycling of forest soils |
Current Research
Research in this interest group is funded by a range of government, private, and non-profit organizations. For current funded grants
in this interest group, click here.
For further information:
Interest Group Coordinator: Professor Jim Fridley
School of Forest Resources
Box 352100
University of Washington
Seattle, WA 98195-2100
email fridley@u.washington.edu; FAX 206-685-3091; Phone 206-543-6993
For admissions information, go to the Graduate Application Process page, or contact:
Office of Student and Academic Services
School of Forest Resources
Box 352100
University of Washington
Seattle, Washington 98195-2100
email sfradv@u.washington.edu; FAX 206-685-0790; Phone 206-543-7081