Kristofer "Tofer" Covey
Research
My research is focused on building a better understanding of the basic drivers of stand development and the improvement of silvicultural systems for the sustainable management of mixed-species oak forests.
Current Studies:
Understanding Mid-Elevation Mixed-Species Evergreen Oak Forests of the Central Himalaya, Bhutan
Recognizing the impacts of deforestation in neighboring countries, the Bhutanese government has set as its goal the permanent maintenance of 60% forest cover. Forests are to be managed for multiple values; timber and non-timber forest products, biodiversity, water quality, grazing, fodder production, and human happiness are all being considered. The goal of this study is to elucidate the development process in these intimately mixed stands so that silvicultural guidelines for sustainable management can be developed.
The study investigates development and regeneration dynamics in two Quercus Semecarpifolia dominated stands in the Gidakom Forest Management Unit in Western Bhutan. Overstory dynamics are being investigated through the installation of a pair of 1-hectare spatially explicit forest plots. Regeneration is being assessed following experimental fellings conducted in one of the stands in 1999.
Support for this research has been provided by:
The Tropical Resources Institute, the Jubitz Family Foundation, the Ugyen Wangchuck Institute for Conservation and the Environment, the Renewable Natural Resources Research Center at Jakar, and the staff of the Gidakom Forest Management Unit.
Differential Damage Among Species Following an Ice Storm in Mixed-Species Oak Forests of Southern New England
Disturbance has the capacity to alter both forest structure and function, and can affect the rate and trajectory of development in forest stands. While ice storms commonly inflict widespread non-lethal disturbance across broad areas of the northeastern forest there are few studies investigating differential damage among species and the implications for stand development are not well understood. The goal of this study is to better understand the effects of ice storm damage on the mixed-species oak forests in Connecticut following the major ice storm that occurred in December of 2008.
Support for this research has been provided by:
The Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies Globalization Summer Research Fund and The Great Mountain Forest.
