News - June 2022


Growing public-private partnerships: Dr. Mike Kane

Mike Kane has been wearing a lot of hats over the years. Often, he’s worn them at the same time.  These dual experiences began early in his career as a graduate student, taking classes at North Carolina State University while working for the school’s Forest Fertilization Cooperative. The experience gave him a taste of two worlds, balancing the needs of the private sector while working in academia.   The next few decades took him to the…

Yu-Kai Huang, a postdoctoral researcher at Warnell, stands outside holding some plastic shopping bags.
Plastic bag bans may drive other bag sales

When cities or counties institute plastic bag bans or fees, the idea is to reduce the amount of plastic headed to the landfill.    But a new analysis by a University of Georgia researcher finds these policies, while created with good intentions, may cause more plastic bags to be purchased in the communities where they are in place. The study was published earlier this year in the journal Environmental and Resource Economics. …

James Beasley holds a raccoon dog in the Chernobyl nuclear exclusion zone.
Russian invasion at Chernobyl puts future research in limbo

UGA researchers, along with scores of international scientists, put studies on hold    Russia’s occupation of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine is putting research projects there in limbo, said University of Georgia scientist James Beasley.    Russian troops moved across the Ukrainian border earlier this month, and one of their early points of entry was in the exclusion zone near the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.…

A screenshot of the EDDMapS app homepage.
Study gives UGA’s invasive species apps high marks

Among the hundreds of smartphone apps used around the world to identify invasive species, apps developed by the University of Georgia rise to the top.   This is according to a recent review of 41 apps published in NeoBiota, which ranked English-language apps available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store across 35 different features. Among all the apps scored, five developed by the UGA Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem…

Forestry student William Skinner competes in the knife throwing event.
Forestry team relearns ropes at 2022 conclave

After a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19 restrictions, members of the University of Georgia’s Forestry Club finally got a chance to test their skills at this year’s Forestry Conclave.   Hosted this year by the University of Tennessee, the event includes a combination of classroom-style quizzes on topics such as dendrology and wood ID, then kicked things up a notch with physical competitions that harken back to older days of forestry. While…

A family walks within a group of pine trees on their property.
A forest's fringe benefits

A number of public and private partnerships work to keep forests as forests—even if no trees are harvested hIn Southeast Georgia, the Warnell family’s lands stretch along the Canoochee River, unfolding into thousands of acres of planted and natural pine stands.. But ask Fred Warnell about one of his favorite areas, and he’ll point to a section of sand hills, wire grass and the river bottoms. Is it good for timber? No. But it sure is nice to look…

An eagle is displayed on the cover of Science magazine.
‘Eagle killer’ research receives Newcomb Cleveland Prize

A University of Georgia professor’s dogged research into a mysterious eagle-killing disease has now received an international award.   The American Association for the Advancement of Science, the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the Science family of journals, has announced the 2022 winners of the AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books. The eight awards honor scientists, engineers, authors,…


Using webinars to create resilient communities

New approach to outreach becomes award-winning solution for Warnell faculty member As the world began its pandemic lockdown, Jason Gordon began connecting with more people than ever before. But rather than crisscrossing the state to speak with Extension agents or professional organizations about tree care, Gordon stayed close to home and conducted webinars. As 2020 unfolded and people began to tune in to virtual events, Gordon found he had…

Inventory sample plot scanned with a hand-held LiDaR unit. (Image: Cristian Montes)
Let the data point the way

Warnell’s award-winning researcher Cristian Montes uses machine learning to find trends in forest growth. There’s a lot of information embedded in a tree stand.   There’s elevation. Temperature changes. Rainfall. The age of the trees. At some point, insects might settle on one. A windstorm could blow one of them down. A fire could burn it up.   This data could seem overwhelming, but if harnessed the right way, it can be tremendously…

Graduate student Summer Fink prepares a humane trap in a wooded area of metro Atlanta.
New project tracks coyotes through metro Atlanta

Using cameras and collars, UGA researchers aim to understand wildlife movements, geography   Squirrels, birds and opossums have all adapted to living in urban spaces. More recently, so have coyotes.   But much is still unknown about how coyotes move throughout urban areas, such as metro Atlanta, as well as their effect on humans and other wildlife. For example, why are these animals reported in some areas of the city but not others?…

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