Welcome to the Forest Ecology & Resilience Lab @ the Yale School of the Environment

Temperate forests are among the most ecologically rich and economically important ecosystems in North America — and they are changing rapidly. Invasive plants, pests, and pathogens are reshaping forest communities. Climate change is shifting the timing of ecological interactions, altering species ranges, and intensifying disturbance regimes. And forests are increasingly looked to as critical partners in climate mitigation, raising urgent questions about how we manage them wisely and accountably.

Our lab investigates how temperate forests work, how they respond to these compounding pressures, and what we can do to sustain their biodiversity and function in a changing world. We combine field experiments, observational studies, historical data, and quantitative analysis to build ecological understanding that is rigorous, relevant, and actionable.

We believe that the best science is both curious and useful. Our work spans from the understanding how forest plants interact with other organisms to developing ways to measure carbon stocks across managed landscapes — and we carry that science into partnerships with land managers, conservation practitioners, and policymakers who are making consequential decisions about forests right now.

We are based at The Forest School at the Yale School of the Environment in New Haven, Connecticut, and we do much of our work in the forests of the eastern United States. We are a collaborative, inclusive, and intellectually ambitious group, and we welcome people who are excited by hard questions and committed to rigorous, impactful science.

Please take a look around and get in touch if you have any questions or are interested in collaborating with us!