Department of Forestry Forest Genetics Lab

The research in the forest genetics lab explores how forests respond to the complex and interacting threats of climate and ecological change. We use genetic, dendro, and landscape ecological tools and theory to address both fundamental and applied questions in forestry. While our work spans a range of systems and scales, ranging from Christmas tree breeding to range-wide disease resistance studies, we are particularly interested in tree improvement and the genomics of forest health.

A central theme of our current research is understanding how forest trees can persist and adapt as a result of shifting environmental conditions. My lab integrates field observations, common garden experiments, remote sensing, and genomic analyses to reveal the genetic and ecological mechanisms underlying forest resilience. Increasingly, we apply dendrogenomic approaches to uncover the genomic basis of how trees grow at their range limits and across environmental variability.

Building on this foundation, the forest genetics lab is also investigating the potential and risks of assisted tree migration as a proactive management approach to climate change. By combining genomic insights with models of landscape connectivity and environmental suitability, our work aims to guide evidence-based strategies for moving or selecting tree populations that can thrive in future environments. Our goal is to support the creation of sustainable, adaptable, and healthy forest ecosystems both in Michigan and globally.

Finally, we explore questions about how trees deal with pests and pathogens and the interaction of disease/pest resistance with changing environments. We have a long history of studying white pine blister rust in several of the white pine species, beech bark disease resistance and emerald ash borer resistance in ash trees. Using phenotypic selection and both quantitative genetics and genomic approaches we actively breed more resistant trees to improve forest health.