Research
My research is focused on understanding the effects of global change on wildlife, with an emphasis on disturbance ecology. The research typically is applied and often employs large-scale, replicated environmental manipulations.
Current research activities are:
- Implications of climate change for wildlife
- Current Project: Effects of salinization and sea-level rise on coastal birds
- Informing forest management practices that sustain habitat for focal wildlife
- Current Project: Relationships between timber harvest residue and small mammals and invertebrates
- Current Project: Developing woody biomass harvest guidelines to minimize impacts on wildlife
- Current Project: Identifying habitat thresholds for red-cockaded woodpecker management
- Fire effects on wildlife vital rates and habitat quality
- Current Project: Effects of growing-season prescribed fires on wildlife, especially ground-nesting birds
- Mapping and understanding hardwood persistence in fire-maintained longleaf pine ecosystems
Although I historically have studied non-game species, my interests are rooted more in the particulars of specific land use practices than in the taxonomic groups studied. For example, I am fascinated by fire ecology and study response by both game (e.g., bobwhite, turkey, deer) and non-game (e.g., salamanders, shrews, songbirds) taxa to prescribed burning.
I value my relationships with graduate students and I do all that I can to spend time with each in the field and schedule periodic meetings to discuss the challenges and opportunities of ongoing research. My door always is open.