Forest Scene shares the wide-ranging teaching and research students, staff, and faculty contribute as part of the Department of Forest Resources.
In May, graduating Forest and Natural Resource Management (FNRM) students attended the Advanced Field Session to complete their final courses. It is often the last time a cohort gets to be in the field together before they move on to jobs or graduate school. This year, students got a chance to learn about and observe prescribed burns ["Students Observe Prescribed Burn at the Cloquet Forestry Center"]. Recently, first-year FNRM students attended the Introductory Field Session at the Cloquet Forestry Center, a blend of forest ecology, botany, measurements, and friendship, before they return to campus to begin their first Fall semester at the University of Minnesota!
Together, we have been investing in community and strengthening relationships with collaborators ranging from campus leaders to members of agroforestry communities in Guatemala. Our students and faculty have worked with the UMN Landcare team to earn the Arbor Day Foundation's Tree Campus in Higher Education designation for the Twin Cities campus ["UMN-Twin Cities Designated as Tree Campus in Higher Education"]. The UMN Arbor Day event, organized annually by Arboriculture students, took place on the East Bank at the Child Development Laboratory School, where kids and family members got to help plant and learn about trees ["Budding Arborists at UMN Arbor Day 2024"]. Earlier in the year, long-time Guatemalan collaborators with the Center for Integrated Natural Resources and Agricultural Management (CINRAM) gave a presentation about their forest management and conservation history in the Maya Biosphere Reserve ["Supporting Sustainable Agroforestry in Guatemala"]. Natural Resource Science and Management (NRSM) graduate student Luiza Lucena continues the collaboration with her doctoral studies focused on developing Voluntary Sustainability Standards for forest products ["Graduate Research Highlight: Luiza Lucena"].
Faculty are discovering surprises below ground, science that builds long-term outreach networks, and wonders in the woods following retirement. Dr. Diana Karwan leads cutting-edge research that identified that the prions associated with chronic wasting disease (CWD) can travel through water ["Prions in MN Waterways"]. For the tenth year, Dr. Rebecca Montgomery and colleagues, including educators, homeowners, scientists, and artists, gathered to share information on phenology, the practice of observing seasonal changes ["10 Annual MN Phenology Gathering"]. Finally, Dr. Andy David, who taught many students dendrology, recently retired ["Faculty Retirement: Andy David"]. We appreciate the attention he gave to the fundamentals of tree identification as well as the plant stories he'd tell as he walked through the forest with students.
We wish each of you well as summer comes to a close and the Fall semester begins. Thank you for the support you provide for current and future students!
The Forest Scene newsletter is published biannually in the spring and fall, featuring stories and updates from the Department of Forest Resources. Read Issue 31 (2024):
- Recommended Reading
- UMN-Twin Cities Designated as Tree Campus in Higher Education
- Faculty Retirement: Andy David
- Prions in MN Waterways: Discovery Helps Water Managers Plan
- Supporting Sustainable Agroforestry in Guatemala
- Graduate Research Highlight: Luiza Lucena
- News Bites:
- From Our Archives
- In Remembrance