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School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences

School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences

Forest Resources and Conservation Program

Biology, ecology, economics, policy, and human dimensions for the management and conservation of forests and natural resources

Our program in forestry, natural resources, and conservation address the ecological, social, and economic aspects of managing terrestrial natural resources. Within this broad field, faculty and staff with a variety of technical and academic specialties conduct innovative basic and applied science; educate society on the value and proper management of natural resources, and develop the next generation of professional natural resource managers; and work to improve our natural resources through outreach to the public, landowners, and resource stewards.

Our work on the ecology of terrestrial natural resources includes such subfields as the role of disturbance/successional forces such as fires, storms, timber harvesting, and insect/disease outbreaks; the carbon and water cycles of forests; and basic tree physiology and genetics. Faculty and staff studying the social aspects of terrestrial ecosystems address the value of recreational opportunities, including managing ecosystems to balance recreational use with resource protection; how the public understands environmental issues, and how educators can better disseminate new information on environmental issues; and how public policies impact the way terrestrial ecosystems are managed. Forests continue to have a significant role in society from an economic perspective: identifying new markets for timber products and ecosystem services; how landowners choose to manage their land to produce financial returns; and how policy changes influence the markets for land, timber, and ecosystem services.

The program emphasizes an interdisciplinary approach to addressing problems; a practical approach to developing solutions; and a "hands-on" approach to disseminating new information.

  • History

    Did you know the history of Florida's forest resources and conservation efforts dates back decades? View our history website to learn more about our exciting story - from 1502 to today. 

  • Austin Cary Forest

    The School maintains a 2,080 acre teaching and research forest northeast of Gainesville. The forest is used by a wide variety of individuals and groups, both related to the School and otherwise. Professional schools are required to provide practical training and experimental facilities to supplement students classroom and laboratory teaching experience. The School of Forestry needed a forest to put into practice the theories and principles of its academic subjects such as protection, silviculture, mensuration, management, economics and others, thus the Austin Cary Forest was created.

    The Forest Campus and Roland T. Stern Learning Center

    Are you interested in reserving the Stern Learning Center or Education Building for your event, course, or other function? You can find the calendar, reservation, photos, and much more at the Austin Cary Forest Campus website

Areas of Study

  • Forest Biology and Ecology
  • Tropical Forestry and Agroforestry
  • Human Dimensions and Resource Policy
  • Natural Resource Economics and Management
  • Geospatial Sciences, Surveying, and Geomatics

Research

Research programs in FRC are diverse, covering aspects of forestry and natural resources spanning human dimensions, resource management and conservation, ecology, and biological and physical sciences. Laboratories and projects are managed by the faculty and staff members within each discipline.

Teaching

Graduate students work closely with the faculty on projects spanning the range of Florida’s diverse aquatic systems. We emphasize field experiences, development of critical thinking skills, strong faculty-student interactions and other educational experiences to ensure that our students develop a set of core competencies that are consistent with their professional success and sustainable competitive advantage.

Extension

Faculty and students participate in innovative extension/outreach activities that get kids outdoors, educate teachers on environmental topics they can use in K-12, encourage land stewardship, foster public engagement to improve natural resource and environmental governance, and more.

Program Faculty

Alison E. Adams
Associate Professor, Community & Environmental Sociology
FOREST RESOURCES & CONSERVATION

Damian Adams
Professor and Associate Dean for Research, Natural Resource Economics & Policy
FOREST RESOURCES & CONSERVATION

Michael Andreu
Associate Professor, Forest Systems
FOREST RESOURCES & CONSERVATION

Wendy-Lin Bartels
Assistant Research Scientist
FOREST RESOURCES & CONSERVATION

Stephanie Bohlman
Professor, Forest Ecology
FOREST RESOURCES & CONSERVATION

Rosvel Brancho-Garrillo
Research Associate Scientist, Forest Carbon, Nutrient & Water Dynamics
FOREST RESOURCES & CONSERVATION

Eben Broadbent
Associate Professor, Forest Ecology & Geomatics
FOREST RESOURCES & CONSERVATION
GEOMATICS

Mysha Clarke
Assistant Professor, Human Dimensions of Natural Resources
FOREST RESOURCES & CONSERVATION

Matthew Cohen
Professor, Forest Water Resources & Hydrology
FOREST RESOURCES & CONSERVATION

Raelene Crandall

Raelene Crandall
Associate Professor, Fire Science
FOREST RESOURCES & CONSERVATION

Wendell Cropper
Professor, Biological Process Modeling
FOREST RESOURCES & CONSERVATION

Tammy Cushing
Extension Assistant Professor, Forest Business Specialist
FOREST RESOURCES & CONSERVATION

Jonathan Dain
Senior Lecturer and Director, Florida Natural Resources Leadership Institute
FOREST RESOURCES & CONSERVATION

John Davis
Associate Dean for Research
FOREST RESOURCES & CONSERVATION

Victoria Donovan
Assistant Professor, Forest Management
FOREST RESOURCES & CONSERVATION

Jennifer Fill
Research Assistant Scientist, Fire Science
FOREST RESOURCES & CONSERVATION

Fox, David
Lecturer, Urban Forestry Specialist
FOREST RESOURCES & CONSERVATION

Joy Hazell
State Specialized Agent IV
FISHERIES & AQUATIC SCIENCES, FOREST RESOURCES & CONSERVATION

 

Jiri Hulcr
Professor, Forest Entomology
FOREST RESOURCES & CONSERVATION

Basil Iannone
Associate Professor and State Extension Specialist, Urban and Residential Landscape Ecology
FOREST RESOURCES & CONSERVATION

Andrew J. Johnson
Assistant Research Scientist, Forest Entomology
FOREST RESOURCES & CONSERVATION

Daniel J. Johnson
Associate Professor, Silviculture
FOREST RESOURCES & CONSERVATION

Karen Kainer

Karen Kainer
Professor, Tropical Forestry
FOREST RESOURCES & CONSERVATION

Matias Kirst
Distinguished Professor, Quantitative Genetics
FOREST RESOURCES & CONSERVATION

Carine Klauberg Silva
Research Assistant Scientist
FOREST RESOURCES & CONSERVATION

Geraldine Klarenberg
Lecturer, Quantitative Data Science
FOREST RESOURCES & CONSERVATION

Kotryna Klizentyte
Assistant Professor, Forest Policy & Economics
FOREST RESOURCES & CONSERVATION

Timothy A. Martin
Professor, Tree Physiology
FOREST RESOURCES & CONSERVATION

Patrick Minogue
Associate Professor, Forestry & Extension
FOREST RESOURCES & CONSERVATION

Gary Peter
Professor, Forest Genomics & Cell Biology
FOREST RESOURCES & CONSERVATION

Jiangxiao Qiu
Associate Professor, Landscape Ecology & Ecosystem Service
FOREST RESOURCES & CONSERVATION

Tania Quesada
Research Assistant Scientist, Forest Genetics & Pathology
FOREST RESOURCES & CONSERVATION

Carlos Alberto Silva
Assistant Professor of Quantitative Forest Science
FOREST RESOURCES & CONSERVATION

Andrew Sims

Andrew Sims
Research Assistant Professor, Forest Genetics
FOREST RESOURCES & CONSERVATION

Taylor Stein
Professor, Ecotourism
FOREST RESOURCES & CONSERVATION

Denis Valle
Associate Professor
FOREST RESOURCES & CONSERVATION

Jason Vogel
Associate Professor, Forest Ecosystems Science
FOREST RESOURCES & CONSERVATION