Research

The School of Forest Resources conducts research in forest science, wood products, wildlife and fisheries science, and water resources.

 

Research in forest resources concentrates on the biology, management, and use of the hardwood forest (oak, cherry, and maple) that covers nearly 60 percent of Pennsylvania. Nationally recognized programs in oak regeneration, tree physiology, forest ecology, and forest genetics help private landowners and government agencies determine the best strategies for sustaining healthy, productive, and economically valuable forests. Research also targets the economic, sociological, and policy aspects of public and non-industrial private forestland management, and addresses tree selection and maintenance in urban settings.

 

Wood products research emphasizes the processing and manufacturing of Pennsylvania hardwoods into a variety of products, from kitchen cabinets to wooden bridges, and their marketing both here and abroad. Recent work has developed guidelines for using engineered wood products (e.g., glued and laminated beams, wood composites, and cement-wood composites) for buildings and bridges. A specialty is the development of business-to-business marketing strategies.

The wildlife and fisheries research program addresses ways to increase the abundance and distribution of birds, mammals, fish, mollusks, and other animals for hunting, fishing, wildlife viewing, and maintenance of Pennsylvania's natural biodiversity. The program focuses on forests and other special habitats in Pennsylvania, including wetlands, cold-water streams, and old-growth forests. Our faculty includes scientists in the U.S. Geological Survey's Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit. A growing research area concerns the reduction of damage caused by wild mammals and birds.

 

Research in water resources emphasizes the impact of land use on surface and underground waters, using experimental watersheds that have been monitored since the 1950s. This work has developed new knowledge about the different routes that water takes as it flows through the soil and models for determining the impacts of atmospheric pollution on forest soils, streams, and major water bodies like the Chesapeake Bay. This work is carried on in collaboration with Penn State's Environmental Resources Research Institute.

 

Several research programs cross all natural resources. Research on the use of geographic information systems (GIS) helps characterize and manage both large and small land areas. Research on the economics, sociological, and political aspects of natural resources focuses on the economics of rural tourism, impacts of policy changes on rural communities, and open-space planning in small towns and cities. Research on molecular genetics, although focused on trees, also involves mammal, bird, and fish populations.

 

For more detailed examples of research conducted by School of Forest Resources faculty in these areas, see "Research at Penn State's School of Forest Resources," an article published in the Spring 2007 issue of Pennsylvania Forests that commemorates the 100th anniversary of the school.