The American Forests Science Advisory Board is made up of experts from a diversity of fields, geographic areas and work experiences. The board helps us bring a scientifically-based approach to the challenges facing forests in America’s cities and large landscapes.
About Us
Science Advisory Board
Dr. Mark S. Ashton
Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, New Haven, Conn.
As the Director of School Forests and Professor of Silviculture and Forest Ecology at Yale, Dr. Ashton’s research has deepened the scientific community’s understanding of forest diversity maintenance and brought insights into the adaptability of forests to climate change.
Dr. Paul K. Barten
Department of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Mass.
Dr. Barten, a professor of forestry and hydrology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, has researched the role of forest ecosystems in drinking water supplies and has developed and implemented methods to optimize watersheds.
Dr. Cecilia Danks
Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vt.
After an extensive career in socioeconomic research and analysis, Dr. Danks now researches climate change, carbon markets and communities while teaching as an associate professor at the University of Vermont’s Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources/Environmental Program.
Dr. Jerry F. Franklin
College of Forest Resources, University of Washington, Seattle, Wash.
Known as the “father of new forestry,” Dr. Franklin has pioneered ecosystem analysis in areas of old-growth forest function, recovery after catastrophic disturbances and the effects of changing environmental conditions. He is currently a professor of ecosystem analysis at the University of Washington.
Dr. Jennifer Jenkins
Applied Geosolutions LLC, Washington, D.C.
As the Director of Science and Strategy at Applied Geosolutions, LLC, Dr. Jenkins forges partnerships between political agencies and nongovernmental sectors in order to address sustainable development, greenhouse gas mitigation, food security and forestry programs.
Dr. Robert Keane
U.S. Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Missoula, Mont.
As a research ecologist with the U.S. Forest Service, deputy manager of the Fire Fuel and Smoke Science Program, director of the Fire Modeling Institute and board member of the Whitebark Pine Ecosystem Foundation, Dr. Keane has developed expertise in ecosystem modeling, whitebark pine restoration, wildland fuel science, fuel mapping, fire hazard and risk analysis and fire ecology.
Dr. James Kielbaso
Department of Forestry, Michigan State University, Lansing, Mich. (Retired)
As a professor of arboriculture and urban forestry for 38 years, Dr. Kielbaso conducted research on urban forest planting and management and evaluated the status of street trees across the country while serving on several forestry advisory boards.
Dr. Jonathan Kusel
Sierra Institute for Community and Environment, Taylorsville, Calif.
Dr. Kusel left a career of academia to found and direct the nonprofit Sierra Institute for Community and Environment which researches interactions between humans and the natural world. His current projects include assessing watershed ecosystem services and advancing the use of biomass to restore forests.
Dr. Robert D. Mangold
U.S. Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, Portland, Ore. (Retired)
As the station director of the U.S. Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station, Dr. Mangold monitored forest health and protection. His areas of expertise also include tree breeding and improvement.
Dr. Deborah G. McCullough
Department of Entomology and Department of Forestry, Michigan State University, Lansing, Mich.
Dr. McCullough actively researches and teaches in both forestry and forest entomology. She also works with varied interest groups to minimize the invasion of damaging insect populations and to implement long-term management strategies.
Dr. David J. Nowak
U.S. Forest Service, Northern Research Station, Syracuse, N.Y.
As a project leader with the U.S. Forest Service Northern Research Station, Dr. Nowak investigates urban forest structure, health and effects. He’s helped develop both UFORE and i-Tree software, authored more than 200 publications and contributed to the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Dr. Diana F. Tomback
Department of Integrative Biology, University of Colorado, Denver, Colo.
Dr. Tomback specializes in evolutionary ecology as a professor of integrative biology at the University of Colorado, but she is most known for her studies of the interactions between Clark’s nutcracker and several white pine species. As director of the Whitebark Pine Ecosystem Foundation, she leads the restoration efforts of whitebark pine ecosystems.
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