Daniel C. Dey

Overview

Summary

My research focuses on evaluating silvicultural practices to manage forests that produce the wide array of goods and services that land owners and society desire. I specialize in solving forest regeneration issues in hardwood-dominated forests in both uplands and bottomlands. Much of my experience is in the natural regeneration and development of hardwood-dominated forests and in the afforestation of bottomland agricultural lands. I have done extensive work with collaborators on determining historic fire regimes in oak/pine-dominated ecosystems throughout the Eastern United States. This knowledge is the basis for developing prescriptions that combine prescribed fire with mechanical thinning and harvesting to restore native forest communities such as woodlands and savannas, favor fire dependent species, reduce fuels and fire risk, restore natural ecosystem processes, etc. I model forest responses to specific silvicultural practices. I develop forest management guidelines for practitioners. i study the effects of prescribed fire on timber quantity, quality and value and seek to design applications of fire that minimize adverse ecological, economic and social impacts.

Education

University of Missouri, Ph.D., Quantitative Silviculture, 1991
University of Missouri, M.Sc., Quantitative Silviculture, 1980
University of Missouri, B.S., Forest Management Univ, 1976

Research Interests

I plan on continuing my work in forest regeneration and restoration in primarily oak/pine forests, woodlands and savannas, and in the afforestation of bottomland forests. I am interested in wildlife and forest interactions during the regeneration process. I also am interested in developing regional regeneration models for the Central Hardwood Region. I am initiating new research in the silviculture of pine/oak forests with emphasis on shortleaf pine regeneration and development in natural upland forests.