Research and Fellowship

Research at the CFNSR has benefited regional nurseries, foresters and researchers through the effective transfer of results to operational practice, with the focus of improving forest tree seedling quality and plantation establishment success. Current and future research covers a broad set of topics ranging from basic science to applied problem solving, recognizing the dynamic nature of forestry and the importance of restoration and range management.

The research program at CFNSR examines native plant regeneration in a changing climate; in particular, developing a broader understanding of the ranges of tolerance of plants to environmental extremes, such as cold and hot temperatures, and to the quantity and timing of moisture availability. The success of current restoration/revegetation practices, as well as the likelihood of natural reestablishment, becomes less predictable when soil moisture is depleted and replenished differently from the pattern at which those plants established and/or evolved. The CFNSR program is uniquely positioned to answer some of these questions, particularly as they relate to management.