MSU Department of Forestry

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 On Air 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.

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

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

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

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:

www.canr.msu.edu

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.

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:

Are Michigan’s Forests at Risk? 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…

As we honor Juneteenth today, we reflect on the significance of this day, celebrate freedom, and recognize the lasting contributions of Black communities not only within our MSU community, but also across the field of forestry and the work of conserving and managing our forests and natural resources.

Healthy forests thrive on diversity, and so do communities. Happy 🌲🏳️‍🌈

Graduate student Katie Frey studied French and communications with an MA in strategic communications, but the hybrid online forestry program allows her to pursue her true passion: forests, all while working full-time.

So far, she has spent nine days in Northern Michigan/Eastern U.P. learning foundational forestry skills and connecting with her classmates, in addition to a week at Great Smoky Mountains National Park through the Gary E. Everhardt Park Break Program, an experiential program for grad students focused on park management, conservation, and outdoor leadership.

Read more: https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/forestry-graduate-student-spotlight-katie-frey