REPORT

 

FUTURE RESEARCH DIRECTIONS AT CFR

 

COLLEGE OF FOREST RESOURCES FACULTY  RETREAT

September 21, 2004, Center for Urban Horticulture

 

Robert L. Edmonds

Associate Dean for Research

 

SUMMARY

 

Forty faculty, research staff and graduate students from the College of Forest Resources (CFR) met at the Center for Urban Horticulture on September 21, 2004 to discuss questions pertaining to the future research agenda for CFR.  Dean B. Bruce Bare provided introductory remarks.  Associate Dean Bob Edmonds followed and presented an overview of the reading materials provided in advance of the meeting, including the Draft Report of the Faculty Ad Hoc Committee on Future Directions for CFR, chaired by Bob Edmonds and Steve West (May 2004).  Six small discussion groups considered the eight questions below.  A summary of the discussion on these questions follows.  Professor E. David Ford provided some thoughts on a NODE approach to research.  At the end of the retreat Professor Jerry Franklin provided a description of the new National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) program funded by the National Science Foundation.  Jerry is involved with a $6 million planning grant that was recently awarded and the hope is that other CFR and UW faculty will become involved.  More information on NEON is available at: www.neonic.org and http://ibrcs.aibs.org.  .

 

Question 1. What are the most pressing natural resource and environmental quality issues facing the PNW and the nation over the next 10 years? Which of these problems and what dimensions of these problems (ecological, social, and economic) should the College address? Why?

 

The major issues facing the PNW and the nation revolve around maintaining a natural system land base in face of land use changes driven by higher economic returns for other land uses. How can we produce products from a shrinking land base and create high quality jobs in natural resource fields?

 

Furthermore, how do we maintain forested landscapes in the face of urbanization, forest health problems, macro-economic trends, globalization, environmental trends (e.g.: climate change) and invasive species? We need to better understand complex biological systems – their functionality and sustainability.  The next generation will face increasing risk with respect to forest health, invasive and endangered species, water use, wildlife, and recreation. Humans are leaving an increasing ecological footprint.  We need to make the transition from a fossil fuel based society to one based on renewable sources of energy.

 

Maintaining ecosystem sustainability will be a challenge to our social systems and technology. Particular attention needs to be paid to the wildland-urban interface and ecosystem restoration. We need to better understand human perceptions and motivations as they affect our natural resources and environmental systems. Rates of consumption must be balanced against rates of production to ensure long-term sustainability on a global scale.

 

Question 2. Based upon the most promising research areas, what faculty positions will we need? Should we obtain input on faculty needs from outside CFR (within the university and outside)? If so, how should we do this?

 

The following is a list of potential faculty positions that were identified:

 

 

Additionally, a variety of discipline-based faculty needs were identified to include: water scientist, silviculturalist, natural resource policy development and analysis expert, natural resource conversion technologist (e.g., natural products chemist), and a forest health expert.

 

Needed faculty positions will continue to be discussed and advice will be sought from outside of CFR

 

Question 3. What should the Dean's office be doing to foster research (grant opportunities, processing, reporting, accounting, facilities, space, etc.)?

 

The Dean needs to lobby in Olympia and Washington, DC and be an advocate for CFR research initiatives.  Federal and state research opportunities need to be communicated. Our facilities need to be upgraded.

 

Question 4.  How can we increase our grant activity? Which incentives for faculty would be most effective?

 

The New Initiatives Team (NIT) should be re-energized with faculty release time and other resources, including research assistant support.

 

Question 5. What is the role of Centers, Cooperatives, and Initiatives in our research program?

 

Research centers, cooperatives, and initiativesperform an important role in CFR.  They provide research foci, bring faculty together, increase interdisciplinarity, and provide an outreach role.  They also provide funding for graduate and undergraduate students.  Challenges facing these programs are to maintain relevance, keep adequate facilities to support infrastructure, and remain objective.

 

Question 6. How does graduate education relate to our research program?

 

The CFR research program links faculty and graduate student education.  Research helps faculty to work on relevant issues and introduce current research into classes. Graduate students need funding, career counseling, and faculty mentoring.

 

Question 7.  Should we have a graduate/research program review?

 

A major review should be considered after our research focus has been more fully defined.

 

Question 8. How should recruitment fellowships and other forms of support be allocated?

 

The discussion on recruitment revolved around the question of leverage for strong programs versus equity across programs.  More discussion on this question is need by the faculty.

DETAILED REPORT

 

Faculty, staff and graduate students from the College of Forest Resources (CFR) met at the Center for Urban Horticulture to discuss the following questions pertaining the future research agenda for CFR.  The retreat agenda is shown in Appendix 1. Appendix 2 lists retreat attendees, while Appendix 3 lists members of breakout groups and the questions they were assigned to discuss. 

 

1. What are the most pressing natural resource and environmental quality issues facing the PNW and the nation over the next 10 years? Which of these problems and what dimensions of these problems (ecological, social, and economic) should the College address? Why?

 

2. Based upon the most promising research areas, what faculty positions will we need? Should we obtain input on faculty needs from outside CFR (within the university and outside)? If so, how should we do this?

 

3. What should the Dean's office be doing to foster research (grant opportunities, processing, reporting, accounting, facilities, space, etc.)?

 

4. How can we increase our grant activity? Which incentives for faculty would be most effective?

 

5. What is the role of Centers, Cooperatives, and Initiatives in our research program?

 

6. How does graduate education relate to our research program?

 

7. Should we have a graduate/research program review?

 

8. How should recruitment fellowships and other forms of support be allocated?

 

Background reading for the retreat was provided.  The list of reading materials is shown in Appendix 4. Focus was on the Draft Report of the Faculty Ad Hoc Committee on Future Directions for the College of Forest Resources chaired by Bob Edmonds and Steve West.  A summary of this report is given in Appendix 5.  Dean Bruce Bare provided introductory remarks (Appendix 6). David Ford’s thoughts on a node approach to CFR research are presented in Appendix 7.

 

Six small discussion groups considered the above questions.  Each group discussed questions 1 and 2.  One of the other questions was assigned to each group, such that each group had a total of 3 questions to consider.  Below are the reports of each group.

 

GROUP 1.

 

Question 1. Most pressing natural resource and environmental quality issues facing the PNW and the nation over the next 10 years

 

Invasive species

Development of the wildland-urban interface

Ecosystem restoration

 

Question 2. What faculty positions will we need?

 

Get advice outside of CFR

Emphasize characteristics (expert in specialty, broad interdisciplinary experience, team player, accountability)

 

Question 3. What should the Dean's office be doing to foster research (grant opportunities, processing, reporting, accounting, facilities, space, etc.)?

 

Dean needs to lobby in Olympia and Washington, DC – advocate for CFR research initiatives and communicate federal and state opportunities.  Look at other Colleges and Departments for models.

 

GROUP 2

 

Question 1. Most pressing natural resource and environmental quality issues facing the PNW and the nation over the next 10 years

 

Lack of creativity

Create high quality jobs in natural resources fields

Produce products from a shrinking land base

How to maintain natural system land base in face of higher economic return for other products? – ecosystem function, social systems, technology

 

Question 2. What faculty positions will we need?

 

Creative people (and somewhat aggressive)

Non-market values economist (a non-traditional role)

Quantitative landscape ecologist – silviculture, remote sensing technologies, modeling, scale beyond stands

Water scientist

Recreation

Split appointments across campus

Non-market evaluation problems (water, carbon, recreation, biodiversity, air quality)

How to value these products

Regulations acts as clubs rather than incentives

Recognizing these values would help create the desired natural conditions

Non-market values may be higher than costs of remediation

 

Question 4. How can we increase our grant activity? Which incentives for faculty would be most effective?

 

Hiring versus redirecting faculty research

Most useful incentives (release time, RA time)

Energize New Initiatives Team (NIT) with release time and other resources

 

GROUP 3

 

Question 1. Most pressing natural resource and environmental quality issues facing the

PNW and the nation over the next 10 years

 

Urbanization and its impacts - Population growth, demography, consumption

Globalization (resource cost, regulations)

Forest health (restoration)

Sources of increased risk – Invasive species, health, biodiversity, use

Rural – urban disparity

Increasing the sustainability of human activities

Materials, energy, water, ecological footprint – increasing the sustainability of human activities in urban to wildland spectrum (materials, energy, water), transition from fossil fuel based societies to bioenergy

 

Question 2. What faculty positions will we need?

 

Research areas/            Existing CFR                Existing campus/                       Needs

themes                          strengths                       external strengths         

 

Urbanization                 CUH, UE,                    Geographic location                  Social,

                                                UE-IGERT,                             LARC, CBA                                          Economic

                                    lands                            UWB, Evans School

                                                                                               

 

Globalization                 CINTRAFOR              Jackson and Evans Schools      Integration,

                                    I-IGERT,                     FPL, COE,                              Focus,

                                                                                                                        Organization

                                                                       

Forest Health                RTI, Forest                  US Forest Service – FPL,        Silviculture,

(Healthy terrestrial        Protection                     PNW Station, USGS, NPS,     Social/

systems - urban,                                               OSU, WSU, Yakama               Economic,

production,                                                       Nation, Colville Tribes,             Policy,

wildland)                                                          DNR,WSU                              Horticulture

 

 

 

 

 

Question 5. What is the role of Centers, Cooperatives, and Initiatives in our research program?

 

Facilities

Funding – external and internal (Fund graduate and undergraduate students)

Provide strategic foci

Organization – bring faculty together (increase interdisciplinarity)

Service – outreach

 

Challenges - Maintaining relevance and objectivity (not becoming a “consultant”).  Also need adequate funding

 

GROUP 4

 

Question 1. Most pressing natural resource and environmental quality issues facing the PNW and the nation over the next 10 years

 

Nodes – yes!

Restoration/Conservation/Biodiversity

Risk Assessment

Urban to wildlands (CFR theme)

e.g., undeveloped areas

            what to do with

            how to assess structure and function (natural world, human health, economics)

            how to maintain/manage restore

Human interface (key!)

            Theory/science

            Practical/management

Interdisciplinary/integration of disciples (major role for CFR on campus)

 

Question 2. What faculty positions will we need?

 

Silviculture

Landscape analysis/conservation biologist especially with tools (GIS, large scale spatial analysis, modeling)

 

Question 6. How does graduate education relate to our research program?

 

Graduate program linked with faculty

Helps faculty work on issues

Classes

Students need: funding, career counseling, mentoring

 

 

 

 

GROUP 5

 

Question 1. Most pressing natural resource and environmental quality issues facing the PNW and the nation over the next 10 years

 

Maintaining forested landscapes given a dynamic environment

–Urbanization

–Forest health

–Macro-economic trends

–Environmental trends e.g.: climate change

- Invasive species

•Increased natural resource consumption require us to address social, economic, and ecological needs and develop and transfer new technological tools.

 

•Attracting and retaining the next generation of natural resource leaders, scientists, and teachers.

 

•A lack of methodology to integrate social, economic, ecological values to make long term decisions involving conservation, restoration, and sustainable development.

 

 

Question 2. What faculty positions will we need?

 

•Modeling and quantitative analysis expert with focus on landscape level

 

•Natural resource policy development and analysis expert

 

•Natural resource conversion technologist e.g.: natural products chemist

 

•Natural resource management expert with experience in modern silviculture

 

•Restoration expertise along the entire urban to wildland gradient

 

Question 7. Should we have a graduate/research program review?

 

•Should seek to place CFR in an international context, for example an application of research findings to global natural systems.

 

•Maintain a commitment to integration at the graduate level while ensuring sufficient specialization and in-depth knowledge.

 

•A major review should be considered after our research focus has been more fully defined.

 

 

 

 

 

 

GROUP 6

 

Question 1. Most pressing natural resource and environmental quality issues facing the PNW and the nation over the next 10 years

 

Complex biological systems (modeling, statistical/informatics)

The group felt that a 10 year time frame  is too short; we should be looking further into the future

 

Question 2. What faculty positions will we need?

 

Landscape ecology (urban interface, hydroecology, bioenergy)

Recreation

 

Question 8. How should recruitment fellowships and other forms of support be allocated?

 

The discussion revolved around the question of leverage for strong programs versus equity across programs.  The Biology Program model is to admit fewer students who are all fully supported (however, they can do this because of access to TAs as recruiting tools).  More discussion of this question is need by the faculty.

 

APPENDIX 1

 

AGENDA

CFR Faculty Retreat

The Future Research Agenda for the College

Northwest Horticultural Society Hall, CUH

Tuesday - September 21, 2004

 

8:30-9:00 - Coffee and treats

 

9:00 - Introduction and agenda (Associate Dean Edmonds)

 

9:05 - 9:20 - Opening remarks and retreat objectives (Dean Bruce Bare)

 

9:20 - 10:00 Discussion of draft report on Future CFR directions and other reading materials (Associate Deans Edmonds and West)

 

10:00 - 10:15 - Coffee Break

 

10:15 - 11:30 - Break into small groups to discuss the following questions:

 

1. What are the most pressing natural resource and environmental quality issues facing the PNW and the nation over the next 10 years? Which of these problems and what dimensions of these problems (ecological, social, and economic) should the College address? Why?

 

2. Based upon the most promising research areas, what faculty positions will we need? Should we obtain input on faculty needs from outside CFR (within the university and outside)? If so, how should we do this?

 

3. What should the Dean's office be doing to foster research (grant opportunities, processing, reporting, accounting, facilities, space, etc.)?

 

4. How can we increase our grant activity? Which incentives for faculty would be most effective?

 

5. What is the role of Centers, Cooperatives, and Initiatives in our research program?

 

6. How does graduate education relate to our research program?

 

7. Should we have a graduate/research program review?

 

8. How should recruitment fellowships and other forms of support be allocated?

 

9. Other questions

 

11:30 - 12:30 - Small groups report back to larger group (continue discussion)

 

12:30-1:00 - Lunch (plans for future meetings to discuss research)

 

1:00 - adjourn

 

1:00 - 2:00 - The NEON (National Ecological Observatory Network) planning effort and how it relates to CFR (Jerry Franklin) - for those who are interested.


APPENDIX 2

 

ATTENDEES AT CFR FACULTY RETREAT

September 21, 2004

 

 

FACULTY:

Jim Agee

Graham Allan

Bruce Bare

Linda Brubaker

Sharon Doty

Ivan Eastin

Bob Edmonds

David Ford

Jerry Franklin

Jim Fridley

Rick Gustafson

Charlie Halpern

Tom Hinckley

Kevin Hodgson

Jay Johnson

Bruce Lippke

Dave Manuwal

John Perez-Garcia

Ken Raedeke

Gerard Schreuder

Doug Sprugel

Kristiina Vogt

Dan Vogt

Steve West

John Wott

 

GRADUATE STUDENTS:

Jon Honea

Elaine O'Neil

Caren Crandell

Edie Sonne

Mitchell Almaguer-Bay

 

 

STAFF:

Ken Bible

Brian Boyle

Rose Braden

John Calhoun

Shelley Evans

John Hanby

Larry Mason

Tom Mentele

Cecilia Paul

Miranda Wecker

 
APPENDIX 3

 

BREAKOUT GROUPS

 

Group 1 (questions 1,2,3)                     Group 2 (questions 1, 2, 4)

Jim Agee                                                          Graham Allan

Ivan Eastin                                                        Jerry Franklin

Kevin Hodgson                                                Bruce Lippke

Gerard Schreuder                                             Steve West (reporter)

John Honea (reporter)                                      Caren Crandell

Brian Boyle                                                      Shelley Evans

Miranda Wecker                                 

 

 

Group 3 (questions 1,2 5)                                 Group 4 (questions 1,2 ,6)

Bruce Bare                                                       Linda Brubaker

Tom Hinckley                                                   Jim Fridley

Ivan Eastin                                                        David Ford

John Perez-Garcia                                            Dan Vogt (reporter)

John Wott                                                        Charlie Halpern

Elaine O’Neill                                                   Edie Sonne

John Hanby (reporter)                          Rose Braden

                                                                        Larry Mason

                                   

 

 

Group 5 (questions 1,2,7)                                 Group 6 (questions 1,2, 8)

Sharon Doty                                                     Bob Edmonds

Rick Gustafson                                     Jay Johnson

Ken Raedeke                                                   Doug Sprugel

Kristiina Vogt                                                   Dave Manuwal

Mitchell Almaguer-Bay (reporter)                     Ken Bible        

John Calhoun                                                    Cecilia Paul (reporter)

Tom Mentele                                                                           

 

APPENDIX 4

 

RETREAT READINGS

 

1.A Draft Report to Dean Bare of the Faculty Ad Hoc Committee (Chaired by Bob Edmonds and Steve West) on Future Directions for CFR, May 3, 2004.

 

2.Faculty Responses to a research questionnaire. Bob Edmonds  Feb. 2004.

 

3. Future Challenges For The Science To Shape Forest Management: An Academic Perspective. Don DeHayes, Dean, The Rubenstein School, UVM. Presented at the Forestry  Dean's tour in August, 2004.

 

4.Report of a Blue Ribbon Panel on America's Forestry Research Policy.

 

5. National Graduate Education Needs and Priorities in Natural  Resources, NAPFSC, Dan Keathley 2003

 

6.USDA Forest Service. Social Science Research Agenda, February 2004.

 

7. Ecology for a crowded planet. Science 304, May 2004

 

8. Towards a shared vision. Ann Bartuska, USDA Forest Service.

 

9. Federal natural resources agencies confront and aging  workforce and challenges to their future roles. Renewable Natural Resources Foundation, Renewable Resources Journal 21:4 (winter 2003-04)

 

10. The Graduate Curriculum in Forest Science at Oregon State University

 

11. National Capacity in Forestry Research - see exec Summary at:

http://books.nap.edu/catalog/10384.html

 

12. Environmental Issues in Pacific Northwest Forest Management

http://books.nap.edu/catalog/4983.html

 

13. Complex Environmental Systems, NSF, Environmental  Research and Education, January 2003.

 

 

APPENDIX  5

 

Summary of Draft Report of the Faculty Ad Hoc Committee on

Future Directions for the College of Forest Resources

May 3, 2004

 

Bob Edmonds (Co-Chair)

Steve West (Co-Chair),

Gordon Bradley

Ivan Eastin

Jim Fridley

Tom Hinckley

Bruce Lippke

John Marzluff

Sarah Reichard

Clare Ryan

Although the undergraduate teaching needs in CFR will  continue to be important it is felt that the best approach to hiring faculty is to emphasize our research strengths and develop new research areas rather than filling teaching gaps.  There are many research areas

 that could be developed, however.  How do we go about determining these areas and how do we want to position ourselves for the future with respect to faculty hiring?

 

In response to these questions Dean Bruce Bare established an ad hoc faculty group on January 27, 2004 to identify the scientific research and educational initiatives that have the best chance of producing significant and compelling breakthroughs over the next 5-8 years and where the College could (should) play an important leadership role.

 

These new initiatives should have the promise of propelling CFR to world-class status and should represent the collective views of the faculty, staff and students of CFR. The Dean specifically charged the group to identify new faculty, facility and other resources needed to achieve these breakthroughs.  This report is a summary of our deliberations.

 

The College currently has many areas of research strength with national and international reputations as indicated below. Associated faculty members are listed.

 

Wildlife Science - West, Manuwal, Marzluff, Raedeke

Forest Soils – Harrison, Zabowski, D. Vogt, Brown, Edmonds

Forest Ecosystems/Ecology - Franklin, Halpern, Agee, Edmonds, Brubaker, Sprugel

Paper Science – Gustafson, McKean, Hodgson, Allan

Forest Health – Agee, Gara, Edmonds

Conservation/Restoration – Reichard, Ewing, Brown

Urban Ecology – Marzluff, Bradley, Ryan

 

In addition a number of our research centers have excellent reputations including the:

Rural Technology Initiative (Lippke), the Stand Management Cooperative (Briggs, Harrison, Turnblom), the Olympic Natural Resources Center (Calhoun), the Center for Water and Watershed Studies (Steinemann), the Center for Urban Horticulture (Mabberley), CINTRAFOR (Eastin) and the Canopy Crane (Franklin), These research strengths are still topical and deserve future support. New initiatives include the new Center for Sustainable Forestry at Pack Forest (Calhoun) and the Precision Forestry Initiative (ATI).

 

Further ideas came by examining the areas being considered under the developing NSF sponsored NEON (National Ecological Observatory Network) program.

Areas being addressed by NEON are:

Climate change

Biodiversity

Land use change

Exotic species

Hydroecology

Education K to old

 

CFR faculty, staff and students were also asked to submit their ideas and these are summarized below:

Sustainable Forestry enterprises – sustainable forestry and ecosystes, intensive forestry, international forestry, sustainable environmental technologies, silviculture

Genetics and biotechnology – population genetics, conservation genetics

Restoration and conservation – ecosystem restoration, restoration ecology

Urban Ecosystems – urban forestry, urban land management, urban ecology

Ecosystem Change

Water – hydrology and water quality

A need for integrative scientists

Social science – leadership in natural resources, politics, environmental-social problems

Geospatial sciences – remote sensing/GIS

Understanding complex systems – mathematical modeling, complex system theory

Biochemistry – plant biochemistry, polymer biochemistry

Whole Plant Physiology

Forest Health – entomology, pathology, fire

 

With this information on currently funded competitive grants, NEON and input from CFR faculty, staff and students the committee discussed the idea that a research cluster or node approach might provide insights into research directions.  Nodes are areas of interdisciplinary inquiry. Emphasis areas could be:

 

Conservation – genetics, biology, wildlife, ecology, policy, economics, ethics

Biotechnology – restoration, bioenergy

Climate change – hydrology, fire, C sequestration

 

 


 


There are other boxes, but this serves the idea.

·           Many present and future activities of the College are related to risk assessment and management. It is a useful concept for dealing with management alternatives given limited resources.

·           Thinking about these issues and relationships will help place the College’s efforts in a larger context within the University and hopefully clarify which directions to take in future faculty hires.

·           Which of these issues will remain large or increase in the future? Where are the College’s current strengths? Which areas would we like to build and which would we leave to other campus groups (partnerships)?

·           We feel that the strength of the College (and its greatest opportunities) will lie at levels of organization at the organism and higher.

 

Recommendations

 

The following are our recommendations to date.

 

1.We should build on our research strengths and identify new research areas in which we can excel and develop a world-class reputation.  We should not attempt to cover all aspects of forestry research.  Cluster hiring should be attempted where possible. 

 

2. Priority areas for faculty hiring (see Table 1):

Potential Research Areas (Nodes – Areas of interdisciplinary inquiry) or Expertise Needed

GIS/Remote Sensing/Geospatial

Fire

Hydrology/riparian management

Conservation/restoration

Threatened and endangered species

Risk management

Social Science

Recreation

Non-commodity economics

Silviculture

Biotechnology

Bioenergy/Carbon sequestration

Modeling

NEON

Plant biology/whole plant physiology

Horticulture

Forest Health

 

Potential Faculty Positions

Natural Resource (non-commodity) economist

Fire scientist

Quantitative landscape scientist/silviculturalist

Recreation scientists (2) – social, natural

Land use planner (GIS expertise)

Restoration scientist

Horticulturalist

Land/water interface scientist

Risk management (related to fire, invasive species, habitat - could be policy person, statistician, or psychologist)

 

3. Use the undergraduate curriculum transformation imagery in developing our research program. Develop the urban to wildland theme in our research program (see Table 2)

 

4. Input on future directions and faculty hiring should be obtained from others on the University of Washington campus (Biology, Evans School, Engineering, Ocean and Fishery Sciences), and outside organizations (e.g., U.S. Forest Service Pacific Northwest Station, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, USGS, DNR, Weyerhaeuser Company, Simpson, Boise and consultants).

 

5. Effort should be put into obtaining buildings and facilities for the Environmental Forum, the Center for Sustainable Forestry at Pack Forest, the Pacific Northwest Fire Center and the NEON program.

 

6. Develop the use of remote access distance learning to distribute our research information (e.g., streaming video).

 

7. Pursue NSF research training grants.

 

8. Employ post-docs to write research grants.

 

9. Encourage ethnic diversity in the CFR research program.

 

10. Upgrade CFR research facilities

Dean’s opportunity funds could be used for items 5, 6, 7, 8, 9,10

 

APPENDIX  6

Introductory Remarks

Research Agenda for the Future

B. Bruce Bare, Dean

College of Forest Resources

September 21, 2004

College Mission

¡Study and investigate the functionality and sustainability of natural resource systems

¡Natural and managed environments

¡Interdisciplinary approach across multiple scales of urban and wildlandlandscapes

¡Generate and disseminate information through our teaching, research and outreach programs

College Vision

  To be a world-class internationally recognized source of knowledge relevant to environmental and natural resource issues

 

A World Class Vision Implies

¡High quality(faculty, staff, students, programs, graduates)

¡High impact(at UW and throughout our external community)

¡Sufficient resources (facilities, space, funds)

Integrating Theme Is Sustainability

¡Sustainable forestry in managed and natural forests

lPlantations, parks, reserves, watersheds

¡Sustainable urban environments

lUrban forestry, horticulture, restoration ecology, water, wildlife

¡Sustainable forest enterprises

lPaper mills, precision forestry technologies, tourism, recycling, wood products, non-timber products

 

Sustainability

Economics

Our Academic Programs

¡Stress key principles and processes that explain the behavior and interaction of biotic and socialsystems along gradients from highly to minimally impacted terrestrialecosystems

¡Focus on the interaction between nature and humans with a synthesis of scientific knowledge related to natural resources and environmental sustainability

Our Research Programs

¡Emphasize the functionality and sustainability of complex natural resource and environmental systems featuring:

lIntegration

lInterdisciplinary

lCollaboration (on and off campus)

lTeam-approach

lMultiple scales

lGradient from urban to ruralecosystems

 

 

Characteristics Of Our Research Agenda

¡Emphasize coupled human and bio-physicalsystems

¡Supports development of a new science of sustainability to integrate ecological and economic approaches in a socially acceptable manner

¡Develops technology; discovers new scientific knowledge; and transfers knowledge to the user community

Assumptions Relevant to Our Research Mission

¡We are being asked to do more with less governmental support

¡To maintain or enhance our research, we must look to alternate sources of funding

lPrivate fund raising will grow in importance (foundations, corporations, individuals, NGOs)

lAggressively seek federal funding

¡Continually look inward to gain new efficiencies and to build campus partnerships

 

Assumptions Relevant to Our Research Mission

¡Build strong partnerships with external collaborators

¡Our research agenda must align with the priorities and expectations of both society and governmentfunders

¡To prosper in this climate, we must proactively seek research funds to support our agenda

 

We Recognize

¡The use of science is absolutely necessary but is by no means sufficient

¡Value preferences expressed through the economic, political, and legal systems will largely determine the ultimate balance

¡We need an integrated,holistic, adaptive approach that interprets  scientific evidence in a context of long-term societal welfare

We Recognize

¡Our MS and PhD graduate programs must continue to:

lProvide an in depth specialized, disciplinary education

lPromote interdisciplinary systems thinking for an integrated team-based approachto help solve our complex biological and social problems

 

We Recognize

¡Research funding will always be somewhat opportunistic as funding sources dictate

¡Faculty will pursue research agendas best suited to their disciplinary needs

¡Priority will be given to the College’s research agenda when resources are allocated

 

Possible Research Mission

¡To discover and understand ecosystem processes, develop new approaches for the use and protection of natural resources and environmental  services, and understand human behavior and decisions about natural resources

 

Source: Don DeHayes, President, NAPFSC

 

 

 

Possible Research Questions

oHow does the natural world work?

oHow do people use the natural world?

oHow do such uses change the way the world works?

oHow do these uses and changes affect people?

 

Source: Don DeHayes, President, NAPFSC

 

Critical Capacity Shortages

¡Quantitative analysis

¡Decision sciences

¡Land useand landscape analysis

¡Ecosystem processes (forest health)

¡Utilization technology

 

Source:National Graduate Education Needs and Priorities, NAPFSC

 

Emerging Research Areas

¡Landscape analysis

¡Spatial analysis and information management

¡Watershed science and planning

¡Forest ecosystem health and restoration

¡Risk analysis (ecological and economic components)

Source:National Graduate Education Needs and Priorities, NAPFSC

 

Suggested Research Themes

¡Ecosystem Structure and Function

lProductivity

lHealth

lFunction

lManagement

Suggested Research Themes

¡Socialand human systems

lEnvironmental valuation

lSystem integration (population, ecosystem, and socio-economic)

lNaturaland human system interactions (land use, watershed planning, open space, and parks)

lCommunication and negotiation

 

Suggested Research Themes

¡Technology

lBio-technology

lNew energy sources (gasification of biomass)

lInformationand communication technology

lSatelliteand remote imagery

 

Expected Outcomes Today

¡Develop research initiatives within 3-4 broad topical areas

¡Identify profile for new faculty hires

APPENDIX 7

 

Thoughts from David Ford on a NODE approach to research in CFR

 

Although we may think about working in areas research is done to answer specific questions

 

Example of a NODE:

in ecosystems/productivity to answer a question