Productivity and dynamics of aspen mixedwood systems
Projects include dendroecological investigations into the recruitment and productivity dynamics of contemporary mixed conifer-aspen stands and retrospective and experimental studies examining competitive dynamics and silvicultural strategies in young aspen-white spruce mixed stands. Project collaborators: Cloquet Forestry Center (R. Severs), USDA Forest Service (J. Bradford, S. Fraver, B. Palik), UPM Kymmene-Blandin (C. Adams), MN DNR (J. Almendinger and J. Hines)

Impacts of woody biomass harvesting on the biodiversity and productivity of aspen systems
Research is centered around a large-scale silvicultural manipulation examining the importance of green tree and woody debris legacies in minimizing the impacts of woody biomass harvesting on forest nutrient and carbon pools and deadwood-dependent organisms. Project collaborators: St. Louis County Land Department (J. Thompson), MN DNR, USDA Forest Service (J. Bradford, S. Fraver, R. Kolka, B. Palik, M. Ostry), UMN (C. Blinn, K. Kozak, R. Montgomery, D. Zamora)

Structural development and regeneration dynamics of northern hardwood forests
Research focuses on two main projects: (1) an examination of the long-term structural development of managed old-growth northern hardwood forests at the Dukes Experimental Forest in Michigan, and (2) an evaluation of natural disturbance-based silvicultural systems within second-growth northern hardwood stands in northeastern Minnesota. Project collaborators: USDA Forest Service (B. Palik) and The Nature Conservancy (M. Cornett, C. Dunham, and M. White)

Impacts of salvage logging, blowdown, and fire on forest regeneration
Research examines the interactive effects of multiple disturbances (blowdown, followed by salvage logging, followed by fire) on forest regeneration and carbon storage in pine-dominated systems of the Superior National Forest. Project collaborators: USDA Forest Service (J. Bradford, S. Fraver, B. Palik, D. Shinneman)

(Photo: S. Fraver)