MSU Department of Forestry

09/02/2026

In July, MSU Forestry professors Asia Dowtin, Raju Pokharel and David MacFarlane were invited to participate in the CANR–Latin America Partnership Forum in Food, Agriculture, and Natural Resources, in Santiago, Chile. The purpose of the forum was to expand CANR’s network in Latin America by strengthening existing partnerships and creating new ones. The forum paired a CANR faculty member with a collaborator from a Latin American institution.

📸 : Dowtin, Pokharel, and MacFarlane with collaborators Dr. Jorge Carlos Trejo of the Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán, Mexico, and Dr. Karin Begazo, at the Universidad Agraria Molina, Peru. Not pictured: Dr. Juan Pedro Ellisetche Martínez, Dowtin's Collaborator from La Universidad de Concepción (Chile).

08/31/2026

Welcome back, Spartans 💚 🌲

08/27/2026

🚨 Now airing today! 🚨 Tune in to hear from MSU Forestry’s Kurt Kipfmueller where he’ll be discussing efforts to return cultural fire to the Straits area.

Stateside covers what you need (and want) to know about Michigan. Tune in every day at 3 and 8 p.m. or find it on demand on your favorite podcast platform. Stateside is hosted by April Baer.

08/19/2026

UPDATE: This edition has been delayed and will air next week; exact date to be announced soon.

Tune in at 3pm or 8pm EST to Stateside on Air to hear from MSU Forestry’s Kurt Kipfmueller where he’ll be discussing efforts to return cultural fire to the Straits area. The episode will also be available in podcast form after airing.

Stateside covers what you need (and want) to know about Michigan. Tune in every day at 3 and 8 p.m. or find it on demand on your favorite podcast platform. Stateside is hosted by April Baer.

08/13/2026

Congratulations to Forestry professor Andrew Finley! Finley is a 2026-27 Fulbright Scholar and will be based in Vienna, Austria for the spring semester.

As a professor of forest biometrics, Finley's research will focus on finding better ways to measure and monitor forests. He will also be teaching a graduate seminar on Bayesian spatial data analysis with the goal of helping students learn practical tools for working with forest data. Read more: https://www.isp.msu.edu/news_article/24282

📸 : Andrew Finley, MSU International Studies & Programs

08/11/2026

Richard (Dick) Cooper, a 1968 MSU Department of Forestry graduate, continues to be amazed that for more than four decades, he was paid good money to walk around the woods and talk to people about trees.

Now, he’s using that good fortune to help others find theirs. Inspired by a student essay written by forestry undergraduate Rachel Adams, Cooper established the Dr. Bob Marty Endowed Fund for Forestry Education.

Named in honor of a forestry professor who played a foundational role in his success, the fund creates pathways for current students to discover their own passion for the field. Read more: http://spr.ly/6189B1J7EL

07/20/2026

This summer, undergraduate student Harrison Remelts is interning with the U.S. Forest Service in Hoonah, Alaska, a remote fishing village on Chichagof Island in Southeast Alaska.

His primary responsibility is with the recreation department in the district office, which entails a lot of recreation site maintenance work. In addition to working with the recreation department, he's also had the opportunity to work alongside the Timber Sales crew, going on timber cruises and conducting hazard tree operations, forest thinning, environmental assessments, and road-clearing operations.

Read more about Harrisons's internship here: https://buff.ly/69SPrc3

07/14/2026

Forestry community! Please join us in welcoming our newest faculty member: Dr. Tim Shively. With his Ph.D. in plant pathology from Virginia Tech, Shively is appointed to both the Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences and the Department of Forestry. Learn more about Dr. Shively and his work:

07/13/2026

We are excited for Nataša Lovrić, Associate Professor (Tenure Track), in International Forest-Based Bioeconomy at the Itä-Suomen yliopisto - University of Eastern Finland (UEF), to be visiting MSU Department of Forestry and Mass Timber at MSU for 10 days. Nataša is here on an Erasmus fellowship (European Commission) to continue collaboration on policy research with Sandra Lupien that began during Sandra’s recent Fulbright Finland visit at UEF.

This Wednesday, July at 11:30 a.m. Eastern, Nataša presents a special seminar in the Natural Resources building (and virtually on Zoom). She'll discuss the European Union's green competitive economy and policies enabling the Circular and Bioeconomy transitions.

Join us on Zoom here: msu.zoom.us/j/99384139202 or in Room 338 Natural Resources.

07/01/2026

MSU Forestry Chairperson and Professor, Richard Kobe, spoke with Northern Express about the recent relocation announcement for the Forest Service headquarters, including USDA’s intent to close Forest Service research centers across the nation, with four centers to close here in Michigan. Kobe also emphasized staying focused on the big threats to our forests: climate change and invasive species. Read more:

Depending on where you grew up, an acre of land can feel like a lot or a little, yet everyone can picture this parcel size and relate to it in terms of sc…