EPC Howard E. Woodin Environmental Studies Colloquium Series

“Forest Recovery from Human Land-Use: Implications for Streams and Carbon Storage” a Howard E. Woodin Environmental Studies Colloquium Series talk by Stephen Peters-Collaer, PhD student in forest ecology in the Carbon Dynamics Lab at the University of Vermont.

Forests across the US are recovering from historic clearing for timber and agriculture, and as a result, many forests are middle-aged, or “mature”, with few old forests remaining.  This talk will investigate the current state of these mature forests in the Northeast, assess the impact that managing forests for old-growth conditions has on ecosystem function (particularly carbon storage), and analyze how forest age and structure affect streams within these forests.

Stephen Peters-Collaer is a PhD student in forest ecology in the Carbon Dynamics Lab at the University of Vermont. His research focuses on the forests of New England with specific interests in resilience to disturbance, carbon storage, and the connections between forests and streams.  Prior to graduate school he worked as a research technician at the University of California - Berkeley and Michigan State University.  He earned a B.A. in Biology and French from Vassar College.  Stephen was raised in Middlebury and has spent many years hiking, skiing, and exploring the woods of the Green Mountains.