School of Environmental and Forest Sciences

Gregory J. Ettl

Greg Ettl

Associate Professor
Corkey Family and James Ridgeway Chair
Director,

Center for Sustainable Forestry at Pack Forest
Stand Management Cooperative
Precision Forestry Cooperative

University of Washington, School of Environmental and Forest Sciences
Box 352100, Seattle, WA  98195-2100
Phone: 206 616-4120
E-mail: ettl@u.washington.edu

PROFESSIONAL PREPARATION

University of Wisconsin          Double Major Zoology/Secondary Education             B.S.       1987
University of Washington       Biology Teaching                                                       M.A.T. 1989
University of Washington       Ecosystem Analysis                                                    Ph.D.     1995

ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS

RESEARCH INTERESTS

My research interests are broad and interdisciplinary, reflecting my academic interests and administrative duties as the Director of three research centers.  Many of my students work on projects that draw from multiple disciplines but in general fit within two categories:

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

CURRENT GRADUATE STUDENTS

Julie Baroody (2011-12 Lockwood Fellow)Julie Baroody
My studies focus on the integration of forest science with multiple stakeholder decision-making in efforts to conserve tropical forests through valuing their multiple goods and services. I bring to my master’s research a background in social science (Middlebury College, BA, 2004) and six years of experience with the Rainforest Alliance in international forest conservation.  At the Rainforest Alliance, my work largely focused on conservation of carbon stocks of tropical forests through sustainable agroforestry and forest management and on furthering the development of schemes for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+).
My current research focuses on a silvicultural plan to address forest degradation in the pine-oak forests of Chiapas, Mexico, and comprises forest inventory and documentation of the frontier of degradation in those forests. I will use stand-level information together with analysis of current land use practices and trends, organizational capacity, and climate change mitigation and adaptation opportunities to design a silvicultural plan for optimal restoration and maintenance of forest health in the project area. My work will be conducted with the support of conservation organization ProNatura Sur, a member of the Alianza Para la Conservación de los Bosques de Pino-Encino de Mesoaméreica.

 

Kendall BeckerKendall Becker
I graduated from Yale University in 2008 with a B.S. in Applied Physics and am now an M.S. student at the University of Washington with a focus in forest ecology and ecosystem analysis. I am studying the effects of fire on carbon sequestration in Yosemite and Sequoia Kings Canyon National Parks (with Dr. James Lutz).  Fire, an integral part of Sierra Nevada ecosystems, releases carbon to the atmosphere as biomass burns. Post-fire, the decrease in competition between plants can result in increased annual growth for surviving individuals. Over long periods of time and broad spatial scales, frequent fire tends to select for stands of large-diameter, fire-resistant trees. These frequently burned stands appear to hold more carbon per unit area than they were capable of under pre-fire conditions. My study will analyze increment cores from burned and unburned sites spanning five forest types of the Sierra Nevada to better understand the dynamics of carbon emissions and sequestration over many decades.

Andy CockleAndy Cockle
I came to the UW graduate program from a public education background, having taught environmental science and natural resources at Mt. Rainier High School for five years. I began teaching in 2002, after I received my B.S. in agriculture from Washington State University, with an endorsement to teach secondary agricultural education. 
My research involves measuring growth and mortality among Douglas-fir and western redcedar seedlings planted into a variable-retention harvest unit at Pack Forest.  My interests are equally in the worlds of forest ecology and silviculture.  I hope to inform silvicultural managers withregard to pattern and amount of retention to promote establishment of a mixed-species seedling cohort, as well as the efficacy of understory vegetation management and protection from ungulate herbivory.  
I spent the summer of 2008 working as a biological science technician for the fire ecologist at North Cascades National Park, which was a dream job and allowed me to also work in Olympic National Park and San Juan Island National Historic Park.  I currently live in Bellingham with my wife Ronda, and I work for Experience International, a non-profit that is designated by the US State Department to sponsor J-1 visas for foreign nationals to intern and train in the fields of agriculture, natural resources management, and forestry.

 

 

Paul FischerPaul Fischer
I have a B.S. from the University of Minnesota, experience as an environmental consultant, and a desire to solve conflicts between humans and the environment by focusing on climate change and society's wise use of natural resources.  To this end, I am working concurrently on a M.S. in Sustainable Forestry and a MPA in Environmental Policy at the University of Washington. My thesis investigates how different management practices affect forest carbon sequestration and the potential for forest carbon offsets. My research uses more than 10 years of inventory data from UW’s 4,200-acre Pack Forest. Using a computer model that forecasts forest growth (Forest Vegetation Simulator or FVS), I will identify management practices that increase the amount of carbon stored in the forest and long-lived wood products. Management practices include standard harvesting for the region as well as increased rotation lengths and retention harvest systems that leave a portion of trees standing. Since carbon has a market value, I use existing carbon accounting methods to determine the amount and value of the carbon accrued under these management practices. To make this information useable to forest owners, I provide a financial analysis describing the costs and revenues from the different management practices and resulting timber and carbon products. The results from this experiment will inform forest management decisions in the western Cascades.


Rhiannon FoxRhiannon Fox
I graduated from the University of Idaho with a B.S. in Ecology and Conservation Biology and came to UW from a career in environmental consulting. I am broadly interested in the ecological implications of plant physiological responses to climate. My research will center around a growing dataset of sap flow, dendrometer, and local climate measurements in order to gain insight into some of the physiological and ecological differences between three Pacific Northwest dominant tree species, western redcedar (Thuja plicata), western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla,) and Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii).  I will be investigating whether seasonal variation, moisture, weather events, and temperature affect the transpiration and water use of trees differently based on their species and canopy position.  My research will be conducted in a mature conifer stand at the University of Washington’s Pack Forest.

 

Kate GalliganKate Galligan
I received my B.A. at Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana in 2006. My research is focused identifying and analyzing the distributions of ectomycorrhizal (EM) fungal species that associate with the mature Alnus rubra trees in the Puget Sound region of Western Washington. I am relating fungal distributions to soil moisture gradients over the course of 5 months (May – Sept) during the 2011 growing season.
Comparison of fungal communities to soil variables and Frankia bacteria nodule presence will also be quantified. Identification of fungal species is done by using molecular techniques with comparison of DNA sequences to physical descriptions (morphotyping) to verify fungal type. Analysis of data will employ cluster analyses for comparing genetic similarity within and between species, multivariate analyses to examine fungal community formations in relation to soil variables, and indicator species analyses. The overall goal of the project is to illuminate the variation in EM communities and to provide insight into red alder growth characteristics.


Hyunju LeeHyunju Lee
I have a B.S. and a M.S. from Korea University in Korea; my master’s thesis, “Effects of Pretreatments on Seed Germination of Abies koreana,” was completed in 2007.  I worked for the Korean Forest Service for 5 years before pursuing a Ph.D at the UW in the fall of 2011.   I am broadly interested in forest restoration as it can be applied to secondary forest systems. I plan to investigate causes and effects of tree mortality in coniferous forests in the Pacific Northwest.  My objectives are to first identify the causes and rate of the mortality of young forests from drought, mechanical damage, pathogens, and tree size and canopy position. Second, I will determine changes in forest structure including biomass, net primary production, and growth of adjacent trees following mortality. Finally, I will investigate the effects of mortality on forest composition and understory regeneration.

 

Matt WeintraubMatt Weintraub
I am currently a MS student at the University of Washington in Seattle.  My research interests straddle the divide between conifer physiology and ecological-based forest management.  My thesis focuses on exploring the interaction of climate and weather patterns on tree water usage and growth at elevational (high and low) limits.  High-elevation treeline species include the federally listed whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) and Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii).  Low-elevation treeline dynamics are being explored for ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa). 
I have worked for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, USFS and Seattle Public Utilities.  My ultimate goal is to use to a developed understanding of climate-growth interactions to provide sound management for forestlands governed by multiple-use objectives.  In addition to school and work, I am a volunteer advisor and chaperone for a youth outdoor education program and have been promoting and directing bicycle races since 2007 as well as enjoying most snow sports, fishing, sailing, and cycling. 

FORMER STUDENTS

Trevor Walter (Graduated Fall 2011)Trevor Walter
I have a B.S. from Oberlin College and an interest in sustainable forestry, particularly in the temperate Chilean rainforests.  Plantation forestry in Chile has led to widespread degradation of native forests.  However, more recently two factors have brought this status quo into question.  My master’s thesis examined the relationship of these two elements with respect to the cost of management.  Using spatially explicit data on exotic Eucalyptus globulus plantations from the Reserva Costera Valdiviana (40°S, 73.65°W ), I wrote a mixed-integer program, based on the work of Professor Sandor Toth, to temporally optimize harvest and restoration.  Cost and revenue provided constraints, but protection of biodiversity, stream flow, and community participation also modify the solutions produced.  The result is a decision-support tool for identifying operational characteristics and trade-offs of a long-term restoration plan.  A multitude of solutions were produced and can be compared in terms of their contribution to ecosystem services, community participation, and revenue objectives. 


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