Biological and Environmental Influences on Forest Health and Productivity

Research Work Unit NRS-10

Our Research Mission

To develop strategies and tools to assess, protect, and improve forest health and productivity based on an improved understanding of tree and forest function.

Our Research Areas 

Invasive Species - Forests are threatened by the introduction, establishment, spread, and impact of invasive species, particularly in the northern U.S. 

Forest Fungi - Forest management for productivity and carbon sequestration is limited by an inadequate understanding of the critical roles of forest fungi in pathology, biodiversity, tree nutrition, and biogeochemistry.

Physiological Responses of Trees to Environmental Stress. - Forest health and productivity are threatened by an inadequate understanding of key physiological responses of trees to environmental stress.

Our Latest Products

• Nystrom Santacruz, Erica; Venette, Robert C.; Dieckhoff, Christine; Hoelmer, Kim; Koch, Robert L.  2017.   Cold tolerance of Trissolcus japonicusand T. cultratus, potential biological control agents of Halyomorpha halys, the brown marmorated stink bug.  Biological Control. 107: 11-20. 
• Yemshanov, Denys; Haight, Robert G.; Koch, Frank H.; Lu, Bo; Venette, Robert C.; Fournier, Ronald E.; Turgeon, Jean J.  2017.   Robust surveillance and control of invasive species using a scenario optimization approach.  Ecological Economics. 133: 86-98. 
• Hefty, Andrea R.; Coggeshall, Mark V.; Aukema, Brian H.; Venette, Robert C.; Seybold, Steven J.  2016.   Reproduction of walnut twig beetle in black walnut and butternut.  HortTechnology. 26: 727-734. 
• Lorch, Jeffrey M.; Palmer, Jonathan M.; Lindner, Daniel L.; Ballmann, Anne E.; George, Kyle G.; Griffin, Kathryn; Knowles, Susan; Huckabee, John R.; Haman, Katherine H.; Anderson, Christopher D.; Becker, Penny A.; Buchanan, Joseph B.; Foster, Jeffrey T.; Blehert, David S.; McMahon, Katherine  2016.   First detection of bat white-nose syndrome in western North America.  mSphere 
• Morey, Amy C.; Venette, Robert C.; Nystrom Santacruz, Erica C.; Mosca, Laurel A.; Hutchison, W. D.  2016.   Host-mediated shift in the cold tolerance of an invasive insect.  Ecology and Evolution. 6(22): 8267-8275.

For further details log on website :
https://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/units/foresthealth/