Our lab focuses primarily on several aspects of wind disturbance to trees and forests. In so doing, we dabble in meteorology, plant biomechanics, computer simulation, and remote imagery analysis. We have also engaged in a side project involving a large-scale permanent forest research plot that we established near UGA. Past students have cast a broader net, studying a variety of topics outside of those listed above, but lately we are little more focused. Several of the threads that are current include: 1. Using forest wind damage patterns to investigate tornado behavior. 2. Winching studies that directly measure tree windfirmness. 3. Landscape-scale patterns of damage from wind (e.g. using remote imagery & GIS tools to study patch size, spatial pattern, and their relation to topography). 4. Response of herb-layer vegetation to wind disturbance, including the effects of salvage logging. 5. Modeling work that aims to predict what types and amounts of tree and forest damage might occur in a given forest as a result of winds of a particular speed. An additional area that may become more of a focus in the near future includes work on wind disturbance effects on carbon cycling. Current & Possible New Students Currently the lab consists of a single graduate student, Mr. Austin Menzmer. Austin is currently in the third year of his Ph.D. This is fewer students than typical, mostly because three students graduated and moved on in 2021: Mark Zenoble and Rebecca Klee earned their M.S. degrees, and Callie Oldfield earned her Ph.D. degree. Funding is a major limitation to accepting new students in our department, and I currently have no grant funds specifically allocated to provide R.A. support to any new students. However, well-qualified students who might be able to get scholarship or fellowship support are more than welcome to join the lab. If you have strong credentials, please do not hesitate to contact Dr. Peterson to discuss.
