What Does the Future Hold for National Forests?

Two Yale School of Environment professors were part of research teams whose work was honored with the Frontiers Planet Prize. The annual prize celebrates breakthroughs in sustainability science, including solutions with potential to help humanity remain within the boundaries of Earth’s ecosystem. 

For decades, Peter Raymond, the Oastler Professor of Biogeochemistry, fellow scientists, and residents have been sampling water from the six largest rivers in the Arctic as part of the Arctic Great Rivers Observatory (ArcticGRO). A study on their findings published in Nature Geoscience, “Recent trends in the chemistry of major northern rivers signal widespread Arctic change,” was named the “National Champion” for Canada, one of 19 National Champions from five continents.  

Eli Fenichel, the Knobloch Family Professor of Natural Resource Economics, was co-author of a research study, published in Science, that examined how governments are valuing ecosystems in planning processes. The paper, “Accounting for the increasing benefits from scarce ecosystems,” was named the “National Champion” for the Netherlands.

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In recognition of her outstanding leadership in her academic field and impact as a role model to students and environmental researchers, Dorceta Taylor, the Wangari Maathai Professor of Environmental Justice at the Yale School of the Environment, was honored with the Bouchet Leadership Medal during the Annual Yale Bouchet Conference on Graduate Education on April 5, 2025. This year’s conference focused on “Environmental Justice: The Intersection of Climate Change and Social Equity.”

Taylor ’85 MFS,’91 PhD has dedicated her research and scholarship in the environmental field to the intersection of race, class, and justice. She is the author of pioneering studies on institutional diversity and workforce dynamics and has published numerous books examining connections between racial segregation and exposure to environmental hazards.

The Bouchet medal is named for Edward Alexander Bouchet, who graduated from Yale College in 1874 and became the first African American to earn a doctorate at an American university when he received his PhD in physics from Yale in 1876.

In her keynote address, Taylor discussed Martin Luther King Jr.’s leadership role at the intersection of civil rights and environmental justice, noting that he was at the forefront of addressing environmental justice issues such as equal use of space in public parks, housing, and  transportation.

“He was fighting for all things, and he talks about the fierce urgency of now,” Taylor said. “…that’s exactly the kind of moment we are in now.”

Michelle Nearon, senior associate dean for graduate student development and diversity, conferred the medal.

“Professor Taylor is a stalwart figure in academia. Through her work, she has consistently shed light on important social, environmental trends. Professor Taylor's commitment to diversity and inclusion in the educational context is beyond commendable,” Nearon said.

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A recent study led by YSE doctoral student Samuel Jurado uncovered a surprising connection between increased heavy precipitation events and dry soil conditions in the Northeastern United States, revealing that feedback loops, not previously observed in the Northeast, contribute to regional dryness during the summer months.

The study, published in Water Resources Research and co-authored by Jackie Matthes, a researcher at Harvard University,  explores how more frequent heavy rainfall and increased soil dryness can exist simultaneously and intensify summer drought through a process known as land-atmosphere coupling.

“Imagine you have a flowerpot and one cup of water,” explained Jurado.  “Each day for a week, you add a bit of water to keep the soil moist and the flower healthy. Now, imagine you have two cups of water, poured all at once at the beginning of the week, and the pot is left alone. Most of the water overflows or drains out. At the end of the week, the flower that received only one cup of water remains healthy, while the other, despite receiving two cups, may be stressed and dried out. As the climate changes, the Northeast is increasingly resembling the latter flower.”

The study has implications for land management practices, suggesting a need for strategies that enhance soil water retention.

“As water management becomes increasingly challenging for Northeastern U.S. communities, it is crucial to explore how landscapes influence atmospheric conditions, especially as precipitation patterns change and more frequent summer dry periods grow beyond historical experience,” Jurado said.

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To prevent destructive wildfires, the U.S. Forest Service thins forests and places the cuttings, called residue, into piles for burning. However, a recent study led by Jake Barker ’24 MF and a team of researchers projected that a significant amount of carbon dioxide is released during these events, which works against climate-change mitigation goals. The burns are also financially costly.

The residue burns by the Forest Service are being used to prevent catastrophic fires that have been fueled by logging, drought, climate-change, and previous government-mandated fire suppression that have led to the accumulation of debris and dense stands of small trees, which provide fuel for enormous blazes.

The study, published in Frontiers for Global Change, simulated residue burning across western U.S. forests, and estimated that the burns contributed over 1.7 million metric tons of carbon emissions annually. The researchers found that that costs for labor and equipment were also notably higher than had been reported.

The authors suggest that alternatives to burning residues, such as using them for biofuels or burying them to sequester carbon, could help reduce fire risk and carbon emissions. Steep forest terrain makes removing residues for other uses difficult and costly. They recommend the Forest Service seek subsidies to aid in funding infrastructure for climate-friendly alternatives.

“Forests play a big part in natural climate solutions,” Barker said. “We’re demonstrating the opportunity for novel and creative pathways to transform residues into a natural climate solution.”

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A five-member team of students from the Yale School of the Environment and Yale School of Management won first place at the Boston Questrom School of Business Sustainability Case Competition for developing ideas to boost a solar company’s B Corp score.

“We worked hard over the course of two months to come up with solutions to real problems for real companies,” said team member Shivansh Chaturvedi ’26 MF/MBA.

The group earned the $50,000 prize during the third annual competition, besting more than 90 other teams in the country’s largest sustainability-focused case competition.

In the finals, the team focused on how New England-based ReVision Energy could boost its B Corp score, which measures firms’ social and environmental impact. The team calculated that ReVision could attract more female electricians by offering in-house childcare, which would save money by reducing employee turnover. The team also proposed carbon removal investments to neutralize ReVision’s environmental impact.

Chaturvedi said YSE’s interdisciplinary education helped the team clinch the win.

“We felt very confident going into that competition, knowing that we had a holistic understanding of the problem from various lenses,” he said.

Team members included Gabriel Gadsden ’26 PhD, Henry Ritter ’25 MEM/MBA, and Yale School of Management students Arjun Kumar ’25 MBA and Leigh Ramsey ’25 MBA.

Two local charities benefited, too. The competition required that the winners donate 10% of the prize to charity. The Yale team picked Save the Sound and Common Ground.

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