Faculty Research Labs
Applied Forest Management Program - Christopher Keyes
The University of Montana's Applied Forest Management Program (AFMP) is a research and outreach unit of the Montana Forest and Conservation Experiment Station (MFCES). Our mission is a clear and straightforward one: to develop and promote silvicultural tools and techniques for the stewardship, restoration, and renewal of western forests.
Bark Beetle Ecology & Evolution - Diana Six
Research on everything from evolution to ecology to management and effects of global change, and from the micro- to the landscape level, mainly focused on bark or ambrosia beetles and their interactions with fungi.
Forest Ecology Lab - Andrew Larson
Research in the Forest Ecology Lab includes basic and applied aspects of forest ecology on 1) disturbances and structural development of natural forests, 2) causes and consequences of spatial heterogeneity in forest ecosystems, 3) ecological basis for and effectiveness of forest restoration treatments.
Forest Landscape Ecology Lab - Solomon Dobrowski
The lab focuses on three core areas of research: 1) understanding physiographic influences on climate, 2) modeling and estimating uncertainty in species distribution models (SDMs), and 3) understanding fire and fire effects.
Global Climate and Ecology Laboratory - Ashley Ballantyne
Research in the Global Climate and Ecology Laboratory (GCEL) is focused on interactions between the biosphere and the atmosphere and how these interactions alter Earth’s climate. We are interested in how climate affects the biogeochemical cycling of important elements and in turn how biogeochemical cycles have the potential to alter climate. Our research focuses on feedback mechanisms that have the potential to alter climate from regional to global scales and over a range of timescales. In our research we rely on observations and models to gain insight into how biology and climate are inextricably linked in the Earth System.
Human Dimensions Lab - Alex Metcalf & Elizabeth Covelli Metcalf
Applied research on human interactions with the environment, educational opportunities for students exploring the intersection of biophysical and social processes and strong partnerships with landowners, industry, agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and the public.
PaleoEcology and Fire Ecology Lab - Phil Higuera
Understanding the interactions among climate, vegetation, and fire regimes over a range of spatial and temporal scales, in the past, present, and future.
Research at the intersection of population, community and disease ecology, with particular focus on the importance of host ecology in determining disease dynamics in wildlife.
Quantitative Wildlife Ecology - Paul Lukacs
Research on the development and application of quantitative methods to ecological problems, primarily in wildlife population dynamics.
Restoration Ecology Lab - Cara Nelson
Research on 1) effects of large-scale disturbance on understory plants and trees, 2) conceptual basis for ecological restoration, 3) efficacy and ecological impacts of restoration treatments, and 4) sampling methods for detecting changes in understory plant abundance.
Terrestrial Biogeochemistry Lab - Cory Cleveland
Research on how terrestrial ecosystems function, how they are being affected by human activities, and the consequeces of environmental change for both humans and the ecosystems that we depend on.
Ungulate Ecology Lab - Mark Hebblewhite
Research on understanding 1) how wildlife such as ungulate herbivores balance the costs of predation with the benefits of foraging, and 2) how human activities influence this balance, and the ensuing conservation and management consequences to wildlife population dynamics.