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- Graduate Program Overview
- Current Graduate Students
- Funding: Assistantships & Fellowships
- Areas of Study:
- Ecology and Ecosystems
- Management
- Economics, Governance and Human Dimensions
- Monitoring, Analysis and Modeling
- Environmental & Natural Resources Policy Ph.D. (with Div. of Environmental Science)
- Concurrent Options with Syracuse University
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Colin M. Beier
Research Associate
311 Bray Hall
1 Forestry Dr.
Syracuse, New York 13210
Phone: (315) 470-6578
Email: cbeier@esf.edu
Summer Office
Adirondack Ecological Center
6312 State Route 28N
Newcomb, NY 12852
Voice: (518) 582-4551 x106
Fax: (518) 582-2181
Research Interests
- Forest Ecology & Management
- Climate Change Impacts & Adaptation
- Ecosystem Services Assessment & Decision-Support
- Landscape Change Modeling
- Policy & Governance of Complex Forest Landscapes
- Forest Biogeochemistry & Greenhouse Gas Fluxes
- Applied Geoinformatics
Prospective Students
Our group pursues a range of research topics related to the functions, dynamics and sustainability of forest landscapes during the Anthropocene – the current geological age in which humans have fundamentally shaped all of the Earth’s basic life support systems. Sustainability science is a blend of basic and applied research that draws from multiple disciplines and recognizes that humans are integral parts of the Earth system, capable of inducing rapid and irreversible changes (within human time scales). Topics studied currently by our group include: impacts of simultaneous climate and land use change on terrestrial biodiversity; climate change and acid rain impacts on forest productivity and health in the Adirondacks; relationships between calcium availability, acid rain and terrestrial biodiversity across the Northern Forest; advanced geoinformatics and web-based mapping/analysis tools; sustainable feedstock and renewable energy production systems based on woody biomass; forest governance and ecosystem services in Chile; and ecosystem services assessment and decision-support in a variety of systems, from Alaskan rainforest to green infrastructure in Syracuse, NY. My philosophy is to mentor students to develop innovative, rigorous and collaborative research, and to encourage students to follow their strongest interests and abilities. Please send me an email for more information or to set up some time to chat.
Graduate Advisees
Daniel Bishop
dbishop@syr.edu
- Degree Sought: MS
- Graduate Advisor(s): Beier
- Area of Study: Forest Ecosystem Science & Appl
Cheryl Bondi
cabondi@syr.edu
- Degree Sought: PHD
- Graduate Advisor(s): Beier
- Area of Study: Water & Wetland Resource Studies
- Undergraduate Institute: Salem State College (Biology)
- Previous Graduate Study: Humboldt State University (Biology )
Graduate Research Topic
My dissertation research focuses on the role of Calcium in northern hardwood forest floor ecology. I am studying community structure and trophic interactions between snails, arthropods and terrestrial salamanders in forests with varying levels of available Calcium in the organic soil horizon. In a landscape that has undergone historically high levels of acid deposition, this research will provide insight into the effects that Calcium leaching may have on the leaf litter fauna and bottom up processes in northeastern forests.
Jesse Caputo
jcaputo@syr.edu
- Degree Sought: PHD
- Graduate Advisor(s): Beier and Volk
- Area of Study: Ecology and Ecosystems
- Undergraduate Institute: University of Connecticut
- Previous Graduate Study: University of Mass Amherst*
Personal Statement
Throughout history, forest ecosystems have provided human communities with a multitude of products, services, and values, including energy sources, structural materials, food, clean water, and important spiritual, cultural, and aesthetic values. My broad interests lie in understanding how the conservation and management of forestlands can continue to provide a diverse suite of goods and services, including both commodities and ecosystem services, as both the physical environment and human needs change and evolve over time.
Graduate Research Topic
The impacts of management practices, particularly those intended to produce biomass for energy production, on the provision of a broad suite of ecosystem services and forest commodities over time and space.
Abigail Larkin
amlarkin@syr.edu
- Degree Sought: PHD
- Graduate Advisor(s): Beier
- Area of Study: Environmental and Natural Resources Policy
- Undergraduate Institute: Xavier University OH (Biology)
- Previous Graduate Study: SUNY ESF (EFB )
Link
Web Link
Graduate Research Topic
Home Page
http://www.esf.edu/efb/grad/Larkin.htm
Daniela Manuschevich
dimanusc@syr.edu
- Degree Sought: PHD
- Graduate Advisor(s): Beier
- Area of Study: Economics, Governance and Human Dimensions
- Undergraduate Institute: Pontifica University of Catolica de Ch
Graduate Research Topic
I'm interested in drivers and consequences of Land-use and land-cover change (LULCC). In particular I'm interested in the ongoing process of LUCC in south central Chile. In the last 40 years exotic tree plantations have expanded rapidly over eroded soils and farmlands and now are becoming a representative land use in the region. Nevertheless, political positions in regards to this change are diverse among different stakeholder. On the other hand, I am interested the landscape consequences of this change in land use over environmental variables such as soil quality, biodiversity and fire probability. My main goal is to understand the human-natural interaction in this system and how this interaction can be sustained in the long-term.
John Wiley
jwileyjr@syr.edu
- Degree Sought: PHD
- Graduate Advisor(s): Beier and Mcgee
- Area of Study: Ecology
- Undergraduate Institute: Hanover College (Biology)
- Previous Graduate Study: Ohio University (Plant Biology/Forest)
Graduate Research Topic
Secondary successional processes and habitat trends based on chronosequential decomposition of LiDAR-derived vegetation height profiles in relation to edaphic and climatic gradients across the landscape.
Jennifer Yantachka
jeyantac@syr.edu
- Degree Sought: MS
- Graduate Advisor(s): Beier
- Area of Study: Ecology
- Undergraduate Institute: Cornell University (Biological Sciences)
Graduate Research Topic
One of the ways acid deposition affects biota is through the leaching of soil calcium. Snails are sensitive to calcium availability and are a major source of supplementary calcium for breeding songbirds. I am studying songbird abundance and diversity along calcium gradients in the Adirondack Mountains to understand how acidification is influencing songbird populations.
Publications
Beier CM. Cultural landscapes and scientific narratives. In press. Ecology
Beier CM, Woods AM, Hotopp K, Mitchell MJ, Gibbs JP, Dovciak M, Leopold DJ, Lawrence GB, Page B. In press. Changes in faunal and vegetation communities along a soil calcium gradient in northern hardwood forests. Canadian Journal of Forest Research
Beier CM, Stella JA, Dovciak M, McNulty SA. 2012. Local climatic drivers of changes in phenology at a boreal-temperate ecotone in eastern North America. Climatic Change DOI: 10.1007/s10584-012-0455-z http://www.springerlink.com/content/066558r52w287kq1/?MUD=MP
Beier CM, Signell SA, Luttman A, DeGaetano AT. 2011. High resolution climate change mapping with gridded historical climate products. Landscape Ecology DOI: 10.1007/s10980-011-9698-8. Online
Beier CM. 2011. Factors influencing adaptive capacity in the reorganization of forest management in Alaska. Ecology and Society 16 (1): 40. Online
Resilience Alliance. 2010. Assessing Resilience in Social-Ecological Systems: Workbook for Practitioners. Version 2.0. Online
Horton JL, Clinton BD, Walker JF, Beier CM, Nilsen ET. 2009. Variation in soil and forest floor characteristics along gradients of ericaceous shrub cover in the southern Appalachians. Castanea 74(4): 340-352.
Beier CM, Lovecraft AL, Chapin FS. 2009. Growth and collapse of a resource system: an adaptive cycle of change in public lands governance and forest management in Alaska. Ecology & Society 14(2): 5. Online
Stager JC, McNulty SA, Beier CM, Chiaranzelli J. 2009. Historical patterns and effects of changes in Adirondack climates since the early 20th century. Adirondack Journal of Environmental Studies 15(2): 22-38.
Beier CM, Patterson TM, Chapin FS. 2008. Ecosystem services and emergent vulnerability in managed ecosystems: a geospatial decision-support tool. Ecosystems 11(6): 923-938
Beier CM. 2008. Influence of political opposition and compromise on conservation outcomes in the Tongass National Forest, Alaska. Conservation Biology 22(6): 1485-1496.
Beier CM, Sink SE, Hennon PE, D’Amore DV, Juday GP. 2008. Twentieth-century warming and the dendroclimatology of declining yellow-cedar forests in southeastern Alaska. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 38(6): 1319-1334.
Hennon P, D’Amore D, Wittwer D, Johnson A, Schaberg P, Hawley G, Beier CM, Sink S, Juday G. 2007. Climate warming, reduced snow, and freezing injury could explain the demise of yellow-cedar in Southeast Alaska. World Resource Review 18(2): 427-450.
Beier CM, Horton JL, Walker JF, Clinton BD, Nilsen ET. 2005. Carbon limitation leads to suppression of first year oak seedlings beneath evergreen understory shrubs in Southern Appalachian hardwood forests. Plant Ecology 176(2): 131-142.
Chapin FS, Peterson G, Berkes F, Callaghan TV, Anglestam P, Apps M, Beier CM, Bergeron Y, Crepin AS, Danell K, Elmqvist T, Folke C, Forbes B, Fresco N, Juday G, Niemela J, Shvidenko A, Whiteman G. 2004. Resilience and vulnerability of northern regions to social and environmental change. Ambio 33: 344-349.
Walker JF, Miller OK, Horton JL, Beier CM, Clinton BD, Nilsen ET. 2002. Distribution of ectomycorrhizal fungi on tree seedlings grown in gradients of ericaceous shrubs in the southern Appalachian Mountains. Inoculum 53(3): 58.
Manuscripts In Review & Preparation
Beier CM, Bishop DA, Signell SA, DeGaetano AT. In preparation. Assessing uncertainty in high-resolution gridded historical climate products across the US Northeast. International Journal of Climatology
Beier CM, et al. In preparation. Landscape assessment of ecosystem services for adaptive management of resource systems. Ecological Economics
Beier CM. In preparation. Land use policy and ecosystem services in a complex forest landscape. Landscape Ecology
Grants Current & Pending
Fuller R, Josephson D, Kraft C, Beier CM, Lawrence G, Baldigo B, Dovciak M. Whole-ecosystem Restoration Through Liming of Acidified Tributary Streams in the Honnedaga Lake Basin in the Adirondack Mountains. Picker Interdisciplinary Science Institute ($70,000 – current).
Vidon, P, Mitchell MJ, Beier CM. Determination of Climatic and Geomorphological Drivers of Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Forested Landscapes of the US Northeast. USDA-CSREES ($77,807 - current).
Beier CM, Groffman P, Limburg KE, Volk TA. Impacts of Forest Management on Regulating Services in Northern Forest Watersheds: Development of the Forest Ecosystem Services Toolkit. USDA Forest Service - Northeastern States Research Cooperative ($115,117 - current)
Dovciak M, Beier CM, Lawrence G, Battles J. Global Change Fingerprints in Montane Boreal Forests: Implications for Biodiversity and Management of the Northeastern Protected Areas. USDA Forest Service - Northeastern States Research Cooperative ($87,489 - current)
McNulty SA, Beier CM, Signell SA. Application of GIS to Resource Inventory for Unit Management Planning. NYS Department of Environmental Conservation ($330,000 - current).
Mountrakis G, Beier CM, Porter WF. Using LiDAR to Assess the Roles of Climate and Land-Cover Dynamics as Drivers of Changes in Biodiversity. NASA ROSES ($910,800 - current).
Beier CM, Dovciak M. Coupling Local-Scale Climate Change and Forest Ecosystems in the Adirondack Mountains, NY. USDA-CSREES ($51,799 – current).
Im J, Dovciak M, Beier CM, Quackenbush L. Characterization of Montane Forest Ecosystems Using Advanced Remote Sensing Technology. USDA-CSREES ($79,543 – current).
Dovciak M, Beier CM. Forest Change in the Adirondacks Over Forty Years of Multiple Stressors. USDA-CSREES ($54,034 – current)
Beier CM, Mitchell MJ, Gibbs JP, Dovciak M, Fierke M. Impacts of Acidic Deposition and Soil Calcium Depletion on Terrestrial Biodiversity and Food Webs in Northern Hardwood Forests. USDA-Northeastern States Research Cooperative – Theme Two ($144,488 – current).
Angermeier P, Frimpong E, Limburg K, Bennett E, Beier CM, Beard D. Spatial Analysis of Relationships among Conservation Practices, Aquatic Biodiversity, Ecosystem Services and Human Well-being. USGS Aquatic Gap Program ($265,500 - current).
Beier CM, Limburg KE, Luzadis VA, Feldpausch-Parker A. WSC - Wood Bioenergy and Water Sustainability in the Northern Hardwood Forest. Collaborative multi-institution proposal led by P. Groffman (Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies). National Science Foundation ($865,000 ESF ($5,000,000 total) – pending).
Invited Seminars & Conference Talks (*graduate advisee)
Beier CM, Stella JC, Dovciak M, McNulty SA. 2012. Changes in Adirondack lake ice indicate rapid warming inthe High Peaks region. Adirondack Research Consortium 2012 Conference, Lake Placid, NY. Invited talk.
Beier CM. 2012 Landscape assessment of ecosystem services for adaptive management: applications in the Southeast Alaska resource system. Coastal Temperate Rainforests: Integrating Science, Resource Management and Communities. Alaska Coastal Rainforest Center, Juneau, AK. Invited talk.
Beier CM. 2011. High-resolution climate change mapping for research and adaptation. Climate Change and New York Ecosystems Workshop, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY. Invited talk.
Bishop DA*, Beier CM, Signell SA, Luttman A, DeGaetano AT. 2011. Mapping climate change in the Adirondacks: local-scale comparison of trend maps based on two-high resolution gridded data products. NYSERDA Environmental Monitoring, Evaluation and Protection Conference, Albany, NY.
Beier CM, Mountrakis G, Porter WF, Zuckerberg B, Zhang L, Blair B. 2011. Using LiDAR to assess the roles of climate and land cover dynamics as drivers of changes in biodiversity. NASA Carbon Cycle and Ecosystems Joint Workshop, Alexandria, VA.
Beier CM, Lovecraft AL, Chapin FS. 2011. Growth, collapse and renewal of a resource system: an adaptive cycle of change in public lands governance and forest management in Alaska. Resilience 2011, Tempe, AZ.
Wiley JJ*, Beier CM, Mountrakis G. 2011. Using LiDAR to model forest regeneration: preliminary model development. NY Society of American Foresters Annual Conference, Syracuse, NY.
Beier CM. 2010. Sustainability science in forest landscapes. Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies Seminar Series, Millbrook, NY. Invited talk.
Beier CM, Woods AM, Hotopp K, Mitchell MJ, Gibbs JP, Dovciak M, Leopold DJ, Lawrence GB, Page B. 2010. Soil calcium shapes communities across multiple trophic levels in Adirondack northern hardwood forests. Northeastern Ecosystem Research Cooperative (NERC) 2010 Conference, Saratoga Springs, NY.
Beier CM. 2010. Calcium, acid rain and forest biodiversity in the Adirondacks. Biology Seminar Series – Colgate University, Hamilton, NY. Invited talk.
Beier CM, Woods AM, Hotopp K, Mitchell MJ, Gibbs JP, Dovciak M, Leopold DJ, Lawrence GB, Page B. 2010 Variability in land snail and amphibian communities along a soil calcium gradient in upland hardwood forests of the Adirondack Mountains, NY. Ecological Society of America 2010 Annual Meeting, Pittsburgh, PA.
Larkin A*, Beier CM. Wilderness perception mapping in the Adirondack Park, New York. Representing Reality: Imagery in the Cognitive, Social and Natural Sciences, University of Buffalo (NCGIA), Buffalo, NY.
Beier CM. Ecosystem services: A framework for understanding and fostering sustainability in the Adirondacks? Adirondack Research Consortium 2010 Annual Meeting, Lake Placid, NY. Invited talk.
Larkin A*, Beier CM. Understanding and mapping wilderness perceptions in the Adirondacks. Adirondack Research Consortium 2010 Annual Meeting, Lake Placid, NY
Beier CM, Limburg KL, Luzadis VA, Groffman P. 2010. Bioenergy and resilience of northern hardwood ecosystems: concepts and applications of the Forest Ecosystem Services Toolbox for Hubbard Brook. Hubbard Brook Scientists Meeting – Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, NY. Invited talk.
Beier CM, Spada D. 2010. Forest and Land Management Task Force – An Agenda for Building Adaptive Capacity in a Changing Adirondack Climate. Adirondack Climate Action Program (ADKCAP) 2010 Conference, Tupper Lake, NY.
Erickson JD, Beier CM. 2010. Alternative ways to understand and assess the impacts of environmental pollutants: Capturing the value of ecosystem services. NY State Energy Research & Development Agency 2010 EMEP Conference, Albany, NY. Invited talk.
Beier CM. 2009. A systems framework and methodology for geospatial assessment of ecosystem services. International Association for Landscape Ecology – U.S. Chapter 2009 Conference, Snowbird, Utah.
Beier CM, Patterson TM, Chapin FS. 2008. Landscape-scale assessment of emergent vulnerability: ecosystem services and disturbance feedbacks. Resilience 2008 – Stockholm University and Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Stockholm, Sweden.
Beier CM, Volk TA. 2008. Biomass forestry in the Adirondacks. Adirondack Research Consortium 2008 Annual Meeting, Lake Placid, NY.
Beier CM. 2007. Complex systems and climate change: vulnerability and adaptive capacity of forest ecosystems and institutions in Southeast Alaska. Adaptive Peaks Seminar Series, Department of Environmental and Forest Biology, SUNY-ESF. Invited talk.
Beier CM, Patterson TM, Chapin FS. 2007. Mapping social-ecological vulnerability at the regional scale: ecosystem services, societal importance, and disturbance impacts. North American Forest Ecology Workshop, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada. Invited talk.
Beier CM, Sink SE, Juday GP, Hennon PE, D’Amore DV. 2006. Climatic factors in the widespread decline of yellow-cedar in the mixed-conifer temperate rainforests of southeast Alaska. Ecological Society of America 2006 Annual Meeting, Memphis, TN.
Beier CM, Albert D, Patterson TM. 2006. Conservation of critical natural capital in southeastern Alaska: significance of wilderness, land use designations and disturbance. International Symposium on Society and Resource Management. Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Patterson TM, Beier CM. 2006. An ecosystem services assessment from the Tongass National Forest. International Symposium on Society and Resource Management. Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Beier CM, Brinkman T, Meek C, Kofinas GP, Chapin FS. 2006. Managing for regional resilience: the interface of policy and ecology in Alaska. NSF IGERT PI Conference, Washington, DC.
Beier CM, Chapin FS. 2004. Institutional inertia and adaptation of Tongass National Forest land planning in response to shifting political and economic conditions. Fifth International Congress of Arctic Social Sciences, Fairbanks, AK.
Chapin FS, Baer P, Beier CM. 2004. Limits to sustainability in a directionally changing world: Circumpolar patterns and a conceptual model of regional mechanisms. International Arctic Social Sciences Association. Fairbanks, AK.
