Mission: The Daniel B. Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources research program employes both basic and applied research, to discover new and improved methods for the restoration and utilization of the earth’s renewable natural resources. Investigations are conducted in five primary areas: Fisheries and aquaculture, forestry, natural resources recreation and tourism, water and soil resources, and wildlife.

Structure: Like the natural ecosystems we steward, the School’s research programs are fully integrated with the teaching and outreach elements of the school’s mission, such that each supports the others and we are able to make efficient use of our funding. The majority of the Warnell’s 54 faculty have joint appointments with research and teaching, or teaching and outreach; and all faculty, regradless of their appointment, are expected to actively support all three elements of the school’s mission. We have 25.58 EFT assigned to research.

Teaching and research laboratories are located in a complex of four buildings on the south campus of the University of Georgia. Research support is also provided by facilities located at nearby Whitehall Forest including experimental fish ponds, white-tailed deer pens and wildlife laboratory, fisheries laboratories, the Aquatic Biotechnology and Environmental Lab, a tree nursery, modern greenhouses, a wood utilization and plant sciences building, the Pete Phillips Laboratory for Nutrient Cycling Science, and Flinchum’s Phoenix.

In addition, Warnell manages more than 24,000 acres of forest land located throughout the state. The different properties represent many of the unique habitats found in Georgia and support Warnell’s programs in research as well as teaching and outreach.

Function: Warnell researchers work cooperatively with private corporations and foundations, as well as public agencies (federal, state and local) and other universities to maximize the scientific and practical value of their work. Faculty members involve their graduate and undergraduate students in their research, ensuring that their research efforts have an important educational component, while providing a trained workforce for their research activities. Field investigations are an integral part of many of the research programs in the School.

Since Warnell’s beginning in 1906, faculty have been conducting research in all aspects of forestry and forest management, and over time have added activities in water and soils resources, wildlife ecology and management, fisheries and aquaculture, and natural resources recreation and tourism. Research activities include not only laboratory experiments, field trials, and surveys; but also modeling, publication, and presentations at scientific conferences and workshops. These research activities are supported by state appropriated funding and extramural funds awarded to the faculty from federal agencies, private corporations and foundations, state agencies, international sources, and local governments.

• Number of Research/Outreach Grants Awarded: 108
• Total Grant Funding Secured: $5,114,299
• Number of Continuing Education / Short Courses: 237
• Number of Refereed Books, Chapters or Journal Publications: 163
• Number of Other Publications: 162
• Number of Presentations Made: 454

For a more complete review of the most recent research activities see the School’s 2007 Annual Report.

Fisheries and Aquaculture

Limiting Factors for Recovery of Atlantic Sturgeon on the Altamaha River

The Atlantic sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus is a key component of the unique biological assemblage of the Altamaha River of coastal Georgia. Although the Altamaha once supported one of the largest Atlantic sturgeon fisheries in U.S. waters, the fishery was closed in 1995 because over-harvest and habitat destruction had decimated all major US populations. read more

Forest Biology

Development and Application of Landscape Simulation Models

Because of the long temporal scales and the large spatial scales over which landscape processes operate, it is often difficult to implement observational studies or controlled experiments at the landscape level. Simulation modeling has therefore read more

Forest Biotechnology

Engineering forest trees with genes for phytoremediation

The contamination of soils by heavy metals such as mercury is a serious environmental problem worldwide. Traditional methods for decontaminating these soils are extremely expensive and disruptive to theread more

Forest Business

Competitiveness of the U.S. Wood Supply System

The forest products industry in the United States faces increased competition from every corner of the globe. In addition, population pressures and changes in land use in the US South where the industry has traditionally ... read more

Water & Soil

Green Roof Study

Green roofs, also known as vegetated roofs or roof gardens, use soil and vegetation to retain and detain precipitation on impervious roof tops. While runoff reduction is an accepted benefit of traditional green roofs, not all roofs are... read more

Forest Management

Forest landscape planning in Coastal Oregon

Natural resource management policies have historically been evaluated and implemented without using simulations of potential forest landscape condition over time. Forest-based resource policies have traditionally been based on stand-level analyses of individual land ownerships.. read more

Forest Recreation

Wildlife Ecology and Management

Eastern Indigo Snake Spatial Ecology and Habitat Use in Southeastern Georgia

The eastern indigo snake (Drymarchon couperi), the largest North American snake species, has been federally listed as threatened since 1978, due to population declines caused primarily by anthropogenic habitat loss and degradation. Despite its federal protective status...read more