Forestry

Each year the Tropical Resources Institute sends students across the world to conduct research in the world’s tropical regions. This year, of course, is not like most years.

Conservationist Eleanor Sterling ’83 B.A., ’93 Ph.D., chief scientist at the Center for Biodiversity and Conservation,has spent her illustrious career combining biological conservation, research, and education.

While the coronavirus crisis has kept many F&ES students and researchers away from Yale-Myers Forest this spring, Joseph Orefice ’09 M.F., a lecturer and director of forest and agricultural operations at F&ES, takes you there in a series of videos.

A Yale-led research team conducted an experiment that suggests microbes can specialize within plant species, which can promote plant species diversity and increased seed dispersal.

Joe Orefice ’09 M.F. gave up his farm, an endowed position at Cornell, and the verdant Adirondack Mountains to oversee Yale’s forests. Why? There are a few reasons.

At the first Yale Forest Forum, a veteran forester discussed the legal and economic challenges of so-called “heirs’ property,” a phenomenon common in the U.S. South in which the title to land remains in the name of a person even after they have die — while the land rights are passed down, informally, from one generation to the next.

Peter Umunay’s research, which explores ways to find a balance between conservation and economic development in the Congo Basin, earned him the 2020 F. Herbert Bormann Prize.

In 2019, two centers based at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies will introduce new online certificate programs that allow emerging professionals in countries across the world to access Yale’s faculty, training materials, and networks.

At F&ES, Andrew Wilcox ’18 M.F. pursued research on the forefront of remote sensing, machine learning, and drones. In an interview, he discusses his research into drone technology, how it might yield insights into the efficacy of swidden agriculture, and the potential future for the traditional farming method.

There are still forests in New York City, and we’re not talking about Central Park. A surprising new study led by Yale researchers reveals that the natural forested areas of America’s largest city are largely native, healthy, and productive.

Early in his career, Michael Jenkins ’88 M.F. came to realize that traditional conservation methods would have limited effectiveness until they put a proper value on the natural world. Over the past two decades Jenkins, the CEO and founder of Forest Trends, has helped change the equation.

Mary Tyrrell ’97 M.F.S. was in her early 40s when she decided to change careers and enrolled at F&ES. That midcareer transition would transform her life — and the School.

Researchers at F&ES have partnered with the Natural Areas Conservancy and the Trust for Public Land on a first-of-its-kind report on how U.S. cities manage urban natural forests — critical greenspaces that they found are frequently lacking the proper resources.

A partnership between the F&ES-based Environmental Leadership and Training Initiative and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) delivered online training in forest restoration to 125 professionals from 32 countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

On July 1, the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies will be known as the Yale School of the Environment. Simultaneously, we will establish The Forest School at the Yale School of the Environment in recognition of the ongoing importance of forestry. The new Forest School builds upon Yale’s traditional strength — and creates exciting new opportunities.