A leading researcher in forest harvest scheduling and landscape planning at the University of Georgia has been honored by the Society of American Foresters for his work. Pete Bettinger, the Leon "Buddy" Hargreaves Jr. Distinguished Professor in Forest Management at UGA’s Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, has received the 2023 Award in Forest Science from SAF. The award recognizes distinguished individual research in any branch of the quantitative, managerial, and/or social sciences, resulting in substantial advances in forestry. Bettinger will be recognized during SAF’s National Convention, Oct. 25-28 in Sacramento, California. Named among the top 2% of most-cited scientists in the world by a Stanford University study and one of two people in the world to have written main works on forest landscape management and spatial forest planning, Bettinger is established as a leader in forest harvest scheduling methods using heuristic and exact methods. He’s written or co-written seven forestry textbooks, and written or co-written hundreds of journal articles and book chapters. Nate Nibbelink, associate dean for research at Warnell, noted the effect Bettinger’s research has had on the research community, particularly in the value of heuristic forest management methods to develop forest plans. Bettinger’s research has also advanced our understanding of the details that can be incorporated into these plans, allowing for wildlife and aquatic features in these planning models. “Dr. Bettinger’s research efforts have influenced not only the course of research in his discipline, but also some aspects of the practice of forestry,” said Nibbelink. “From his collection of works, it is evident that Dr. Bettinger has compiled a long history involving innovative approaches to research, and he has used a variety of research methodologies in his research efforts.”
