Find a supervisor
The following staff are available to supervise honours and masters research in the Landscape and Forest Dynamics (LaForDy) research group.
Professor Patrick Baker
I study forest dynamics—how trees grow, how forests change, what drives these changes, and how to harness this knowledge to improve forest management practices. My primary areas of study have been tropical and temperate forest dynamics, the influence of climate on tree growth, and, most recently, the development of silvicultural strategies to increase forest resilience to climate change and accelerate forest habitat development for endangered species.
Project topics:
- Forest restoration and regeneration dynamics in Laos. Reversing the trend of forest loss in Laos requires creating economically viable opportunities for the re-establishment of forests by local communities. What are the ecological, economic, and social barriers to achieving this? And how can we design forest restoration techniques that support (and are supported by) local communities?
- Ecological thinning as a restoration tool in temperate eucalypt forests of southern Australia. Managing stand density is a touchstone of silviculture in many parts of the world. How can reducing the density of overstocked stands improve resilience to climate extremes and disturbances, while improving habitat quality?
- Co-existence of eucalypts in temperate mixed-species forests in southern Australia. Australia's temperate forests are dominated by the genus Eucalyptus. In many mixed-species forests, a dozen or more eucalypt species may co-occur. What are the ecological mechanisms that mediate this coexistence? Why doesn't one super-eucalypt eliminate all the others?
- Long-term dynamics of species-rich tropical forests in continental Southeast Asia. In western Thailand, we have been monitoring the forest demography of a species-rich seasonal evergreen forest for over 30 years. How do 300+ species co-exist? How have climate variability and disturbance affected the dynamics of the forest?
A/Prof Sabine Kasel
My work is focused on empirical research that lays the foundations for an improved understanding of the key ecological processes driving the response of forest biodiversity, including threatened species, and plant community composition to compounded disturbances including altered fire regimes, changing climate, and forest management practices. This work is critical to the management of forested ecosystems for improved biodiversity outcomes and the ecosystem services they deliver.
Project topics:
- Regeneration of temperate eucalypt forests in a post-harvesting landscape. In the face of climate change and an increase in extreme and compounded disturbances, what should we be regenerating and how?
- Soil seedbanks. What does this hidden component of biodiversity tell us about plant community response to environmental change?
- Are changing forest states altering forest values and risks? Many forested areas are changing to new states (e.g., ash to non-eucalypt or mixed-species eucalypt) and there is a need to understand and predict how these new states will differ in terms of the values and services provided by existing forests.
A/Prof Craig Nitschke
I am a forest and landscape ecologist. My research focuses on how climate, disturbance regimes, and people influence ecosystem composition and structure. As landscapes exist within a socio-ecological system, I am interested in the nexus between society and ecology and how ecosystem management can promote the sustainable use of resources and promote the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning under a changing climate. I use multi-disciplinary approaches and work from the organism to the landscape scale in Australia and internationally. My research encompasses flora and fauna and uses field ecology research, social science, remote sensing, and ecological modelling to tackle a myriad of questions that arise from tackling pattern and process questions at multiple temporal and spatial scales.
Dr Raphael Trouve
I am a forest ecologist and biostatistician. My research focuses on forest demography -how trees regenerate, grow, and die. I combine long-term sample plots, remote sensing (e.g., LiDAR), and mathematical modelling to guide forest management, support decision-making, and improve forest resilience to climate change and invasive species.
Dr Benjamin Wagner
I am a forest and landscape ecologist. My research investigates the habitat requirements of arboreal mammals in temperate Australia and forest resilience to climate change in montane and alpine ecosystems. I am an expert in remote sensing and spatial modelling focusing on machine learning and drone applications.
Project topics:
- The behavioural response of arboreal mammals to novel remote wildlife surveys - do drones disturb forest fauna?
- Structural responses of mixed montane forests composed of epicormic and basal resprouters to frequent and severe fires - implications for ecosystem functioning.
- The response and recovery of arboreal mammal populations in forests formerly managed for timber production - patterns of resilience and adaptation.
Dr Sarah McColl-Gausden
Sarah’s research focuses on ecosystem dynamics and covers field ecology alongside quantitative methods such as computer simulation models. This includes understanding plant/fuel/community dynamics post disturbances such as fire, and the impacts of changing climates and fire regimes on our ecosystems.
Project topics:
- Understanding values in changing ecosystems: what will compound disturbances in temperate forests mean for a range of ecosystem values under changing climates?
- Predicting forest state changes and the impact on landscape fire regimes.
- Combining fire regime simulation models with vegetation dynamics models.