USDA Forest Service Research and Development
Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment Center
Staff Resource Guide
Asheville Office (Headquarters)Southern Research Station
200 W.T. Weaver BoulevardAsheville, NC 28804Phone: 828-257-4832
Fax: 828-257-4894
Raleigh Office North Carolina State University Centennial Campus
920 Main Campus DriveVenture Center II, Suite 300
Raleigh, NC 27606Phone: 919-513-2974
Fax: 919-513-2978
Research Triangle Park OfficeForestry Sciences Laboratory
3041 E. Cornwallis RoadResearch Triangle Park, NC 27709
Phone: 919-549-4000Fax: 919-549-4047
http://www.forestthreats.org
USDA Forest Service Research and Development
Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment Center
About Us
The Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment Center generates knowledge and tools to address threats to healthy forests – such as insects and disease, wildland loss, invasive species, wildland fire, and climate change – to assist forest landowners, managers, and scientists throughout the eastern United States. Established in 2005, the Eastern Threat Center is a joint effort of the Forest Service Research and Development, National Forest System, and State and Private Forestry programs. Headquartered with the Southern Research Station in Asheville, NC, the Center also has offices in Raleigh and Research Triangle Park.
About the Staff Resource Guide
Educators, research organizations, media representatives, and decision makers can use this guide to learn more about Eastern Threat Center scientists, in-house collaborators from North Carolina State University, and research support staff who deliver “Science You Can Use.” These individuals represent forest science and a variety of related topics and can offer subject matter expertise for local and virtual needs. For more information, please contact a scientist or supporting staff member directly or visit the Eastern Threat Center website at http://www.forestthreats.org.
Cover images:Oriental bittersweet - Photo by James R. Allison, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Bugwood.orgAsian longhorned beetle - Photo by Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources - Forestry Archive, Bugwood.orgFire - Photo by USDA Forest Service River - Photo by USDA Forest Service
Current Researchsystem analysis, risk assessment, large scale ecosystem management
EducationPhD, Texas A&M University, wildlife fisheries sciencesMS, University of Tennessee, ecologyMS, Louisiana State University, applied statisticsBA, University of Tennessee, zoology
Danny C. Lee, Center [email protected] or (828) 257-4854
Asheville Office
Steve McNulty, Research Ecologist and Team [email protected] or (919) 515-9489
Raleigh Office
Current Researchforest modeling, forest management, climate change
EducationPhD, University of New Hampshire, natural resourcesMS, University of Wisconsin-Madison, forestryBS, University of Wisconsin-Madison, natural resources
Kurt Riitters, Research Ecologist and Team Leader [email protected] or (919) 549-4015
Research Triangle Park Office
Current Researchnational and global scale landscape pattern assessment and management
EducationPhD, Oregon State University, forest scienceMF, University of Minnesota, forest managementBES, University of Minnesota, elected studies
Research Interestslandscape ecology, resource planning, forest fragmentation, forest spatial pattern assessment, socio-ecological systems, forest health, silviculture, remote sensing, land cover maps, Montreal Process
Professional AffiliationsInternational Association for Landscape Ecology (IALE, US Section), Internationalen Gesellschaft für Landschaftsökologie (IALE, German Section)
Research Interestsforest hydrology, wildlife and forestry diversity, climate change, environmental stress, nitrogen deposition, atmospheric carbon dioxide, soil erosion
Research Interestssystem analysis, risk assessment, wildfire analysis, ecosystem management, ecology, ecological modeling
Professional AffiliationsSociety of American Foresters, Ecological Society of America, American Fisheries Society
Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment CenterForest Scientists at Work
Johnny Boggs, Biological [email protected] or (919) 513-2973
Raleigh Office
Current Researchimpacts of nitrogen deposition on nutrient cycling and forest productivity, effectiveness of forestry best management practices on water quality protection
EducationMS, Alabama A&M University, plant and soil scienceBS, Alabama A&M University, plant and soil science
Research Interestsoutreach, stream management, water quality, forest management, climate change, nitrogen deposition, nutrient cycling
Professional AffiliationsMinorities in Agriculture Natural Resources and Related Sciences
William Christie, Biological [email protected] or (828) 257-4370
Asheville Office
Current Researchgeographic information systems and remote sensing
EducationMS, University of South Carolina, geography (remote sensing, GIS)BS, Middle Tennessee State University, geographyAS, Lake City Forest Ranger School, forestry
Research Intereststechnical and analytical geographic information systems operations, creating web-based mapping applications, technology transfer, creating partnerships
Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment CenterForest Scientists at Work
Erika Cohen, Resource Information [email protected] or (919) 513-3189
Raleigh Office
Current Research modeling regional to continental scale water supply stress and critical loads of nitrogen and sulfur in forest soils
Education MS, University of Mississippi, geology (emphasis on GIS and remote sensing)BS, North Carolina State University, geology
Research Interests geographical information systems (GIS), remote sensing, water, critical loads, climate change
Michael Gavazzi, Biological [email protected] or (919) 515-2916
Raleigh Office
Current Researchforest carbon, climate change and prescribed fire
EducationMS, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, forestryBS, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, business
Research Interestscarbon, biomass, soil respiration, field data collection, disturbance, forest growth and productivity models, prescribed fire, wildfire risk assessment
Qinfeng Guo, Research [email protected] or (828) 257-4246
Asheville Office
Current Researchinvasive plants, community ecology, biogeography
EducationPhD, University of New Mexico, biology (ecology)MS, Chinese Academy of Sciences, botanyBS, Hebei Normal University, physical geography
Research Interests invasive plants, plant community ecology, invasives and climate change, biogeography, biodiversity, biological invasions, plant and community succession, community and ecosystem self-organization
Professional AffiliationsChinese Ecologists Association Overseas (Sino-ECO), American Association for the Advancement of Science, Ecological Society of America
Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment CenterForest Scientists at Work
William Hargrove, [email protected] or (828) 257-4846
Asheville Office
Research Interests landscape ecology, ecoregionalization, conservation, statistics, parallel computation, spatially-explicit simulation modeling, multi-dimensional GIS technologies, entomology, GPS
Professional AffiliationsInternational Association for Landscape Ecology, American Geophysical Union, American Institute of Biological Sciences, Society of American Foresters, Blue Ridge Sustainability Institute, USA National Phenology Network
Current Researchnational early warning system
EducationPhD, University of Georgia, ecologyMS, University of Georgia, entomologyBS, Vanderbilt University, biology
Serra J. Hoagland, Biological [email protected] or (928) 556-2190Asheville Office, located in Flagstaff, AZ
Current Researcheffects of landscape pattern and forest treatments on Mexican spotted owl occupancy
EducationPhD, currently pursuing at Northern Arizona University-Flagstaff, forestryMS, University of California-Santa Barbara, environmental science and managementBS, California Polytechnic State University, ecology and systematic biology
Research Interestswildlife conservation and habitat connectivity research, Indian forest management, threatened and endangered species management
Professional AffiliationsAmerican Indian Science and Engineering Society, The Wildlife Society, The Native Peoples Wildlife Management Working Group of TWS, Intertribal Timber Council, Native American Fish & Wildlife Society
Frank Koch, Research [email protected] or (919) 549-4006
Research Triangle Park Office
Current Researchforest pest invasions, particularly spatio-temporal aspects
EducationPhD, North Carolina State University, forestryMS, North Carolina State University, natural resourcesBS, Duke University, art design and philosophy
Research Interests invasive forest pests, risk analysis, pest risk models and maps, uncertainty, human-mediated dispersal pathways, forest health
Professional AffiliationsSociety for Risk Analysis, Entomological Society of America, International Pest Risk Mapping Workgroup
Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment CenterForest Scientists at Work
Jennifer A. Moore Myers, Resource Information [email protected] or (919) 515-9497
Raleigh Office
Current Researchclimate change, integrated modeling, web mapping applications
EducationMS, North Carolina State University, forestry and spatial information scienceBS, Ohio University, environmental geography
Research Interestsgeographic information systems, geospatial, climate change, adaptation, forest growth, carbon, geodatabase, spatial analysis
Steve Norman, [email protected] or (828) 259-0535
Asheville Office
Current Researchwildland fire, land surface phenology, comparative risk assessment
EducationPhD, Pennsylvania State University, geographyMS, Western Illinois University, geographyBS, Mansfield University of Pennsylvania, geography and environmental science
Research Interestsnovel changes in disturbance and ecosystems, restoration ecology, integrating multiple values in planning and management
Professional AffiliationsEcological Society of America, International Association for Landscape Ecology, Association for Fire Ecology, Tree Ring Society, American Geophysical Union
Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment CenterForest Scientists at Work
Lars Pomara, [email protected] or (828) 257-4357
Asheville Office
Research Interestsconservation, biogeography, landscape ecology, tropical ecology, ornithology, climate change ecology, spatially explicit demographic modeling, species distribution modeling
Professional AffiliationsInternational Association for Landscape Ecology, American Ornithological Union, Association of American Geographers, Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation
Current Researchassessment and inventory of ecosystem services and environmental threats across the Appalachians
EducationPhD, University of Texas at Austin, geography and the environment MS, University of Georgia, wildlife ecology BS, University of Dallas, biology
Ge Sun, Research [email protected] or (919) 515-9498
Raleigh Office
Research Interestsforest hydrology, climate change, computer simulation, geographical information systems, remote sensing, water supply and demand, forestry best management practices, soil erosion, sediment transport, forest wetlands
Professional AffiliationsAmerican Water Resources Association, American Geophysical Union
Current Researchforest hydrology and climate change
EducationPhD, University of Florida, forest hydrology and watershed managementMS, Beijing Forestry University, forest hydrologyBS, Beijing Forestry University, soil and water conservation
Emrys A. Treasure, Biological [email protected] or (919) 515-9490
Raleigh Office
Current Researchecosystem water and carbon dynamics, planning tools for climate change
EducationBS, North Carolina State University, natural resources
Research Interestscarbon cycle, water cycle, carbon biomass, field data collection, resource management planning, planning tools, stream management, water quality
Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment CenterForest Scientists at Work
The Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment Center was established as part of the USDA Forest Service’s program under the Healthy Forests Restoration Act. Photo by USDA Forest Service.
Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment CenterForest Scientists at Work
The Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment Center is part of a network of early warning activities established by the Forest Service nationwide. Photos by USDA Forest Service.
Mark Ambrose, North Carolina State University Cooperating [email protected] or (919) 549-4078
Research Triangle Park Office
Current Researchforest health, urban forests
EducationMS, North Carolina State University, forestryBSE, Princeton University, electrical engineering and computer science
Barbara Conkling, North Carolina State University Cooperating [email protected] or (919) 549-4084
Research Triangle Park Office
Research Interestsforest health monitoring, communication, technical writing
Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment CenterIn-House Collaborators at Work
Jean-Christophe Domec, North Carolina State University Cooperating [email protected] or (919) 687-7639
Raleigh Office
Current Researchforest soils, broad soil chemistry, efficient and useful technology transfer
EducationPhD, University of Missouri-Columbia, agronomyMS, University of Missouri-Columbia, agronomyBA, Ohio Wesleyan University, chemistry
Research Intereststropical forestry, plantation silviculture, forest ecology
Current Researchabove and below ground tree physiology, water and carbon use
EducationPhD, Oregon State University, forest ecology and wood scienceMS, University of Bordeaux 1/Nancy (France), wood science and ecophysiologyMA, ENITA Bordeaux (France), agronomy
Research Interestsabove and below ground tree physiology, water and carbon use
Asko Noormets, North Carolina State University Cooperating [email protected] or (919) 515-7040
Raleigh Office
Current Researchcarbon cycle, climate change and management effects on ecosystem carbon and water fluxes, trade-offs between productivity and carbon sequestration
EducationPhD, Michigan Technological University, forest scienceMS, Michigan Technological University, forest scienceBS, Tartu University-Estonia, biology
Research Interestsforest ecophysiology, regulation of respiration, carbon and water balance in changing climate, management and disturbance effects on ecosystem functions
Professional AffiliationsResearch Triangle SAS Users’ Group, American Geophysical Union, Ecological Society of America
Kevin Potter, North Carolina State University Cooperating [email protected] or (919) 549-4071
Research Triangle Park Office
Current Researchlandscape ecology, population genetics, conservation genetics, broad-scale forest health assessment
EducationPhD, North Carolina State University, forestryMS, North Carolina State University, natural resourcesBA, Drake University, journalism
Research Interestspopulation genetics, landscape ecology, conservation biology of forest trees, forest communities at risk
Professional AffiliationsInternational Association for Landscape Ecology, Ecological Society of America, Botanical Society of America, Society of American Foresters
Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment CenterIn-House Collaborators at Work
Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment CenterIn-House Collaborators at Work
The mission of the Eastern Threat Center is to generate, integrate, and apply knowledge to predict, detect, and assess environmental threats to public and private forests of the east, and to deliver this knowledge to managers in ways that are timely, useful, and user-friendly. Photos by USDA Forest Service.
Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment CenterResearch Support Staff at Work
Ginny Burgess, Management Analyst [email protected] or (828) 257-4354
Asheville Office
Professional Interestsauditing, tax, and financial presentation
Current Projectsmanagement analysis and advising, evaluation of program operation effectiveness, budget planning
EducationBS, American University, business administration
Valerie Cooper, Administrative Support Assistant [email protected] or (919) 549-4014
Research Triangle Park Office
Professional Interestsbudget, accounting, event/meeting planning
Current Projectsadministrative support
EducationBS, North Carolina Central University, mathematicsDurham Technical College, accounting
William Foster, Program Support Assistant [email protected] or (919) 513-2974
Raleigh Office
Current Projectsadministrative support
Professional Interestsbudget, finance, travel, personnel, procurement, grants, agreements, property, fleet, facilities, civil rights, time and attendance
Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment CenterResearch Support Staff at Work
Perdita Spriggs, Communications Director [email protected] or (828) 230-3292
Raleigh/Research Triangle Park Offices
Professional Interestsstrategic marketing and outreach, science writing and communication, media and community relations, plain language, partnership building, event management, natural resource conservation, multicultural initiatives
Professional AffiliationsNational Association of Government Communicators
Current Projectscommunication, science delivery, outreach, Southern Research Station museum liaison, cultural and civil rights awareness
EducationBA, Hampton University (VA), English
Stephanie Worley Firley, Biological Science Information Specialist [email protected] or (828) 257-4380
Asheville Office
Professional Interestsscience writing and communication, plain language, natural resource conservation and sustainability
Professional AffiliationsNational Association of Science Writers, University Research Magazine Association
Current Projectsscience delivery, technology transfer support, website content development
EducationBS, University of North Carolina-Asheville, environmental studies
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