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Faculty Member: Christopher Webster, PhD |
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Quantitative Ecology
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 Dr.
Christopher R. Webster
Associate Professor
School of Forest Resources
and Environmental Science
185 Horner Hall
906.487.3618
cwebster@mtu.edu
Curriculum Vitae
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My research focuses on the interplay between disturbance, stability, and complexity in natural systems at local and landscape scales. While my approach to research is strongly field-based, a variety of techniques are used in my lab, such as tree-ring analysis, GIS, and simulation modeling, to assess questions at a variety of temporal and spatial scales.
"Maintaining balance and stability in natural systems requires embracing their underlying chaos."
Currently, we are working on a diverse array of projects including: an investigation of landscape and stand level attributes that influence deer use of remnant hemlock stands in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan; restoration of underrepresented tree species in the northern Lake States; trade-offs in productivity and diversity in forests and grasslands managed for biomass production; temporal and spatial invasion dynamics of exotic trees; and the long-term legacy of chronic herbivory on understory plant community structure in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. One of my main goals when mentoring students is to help them develop the quantitative skills necessary to successfully pursue their curiosity about the natural world.
Specific Interests:
Gap dynamics and disturbance ecology
Invasion biology of exotic species
Landscape ecology
Plant community response to herbivory
Restoration silviculture
Wildlife habitat relationships
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