Dr. Jean Daniels
Research Forester
4620 Southwest Main, Suite 400 Portland, OR 97205
Phone: 503-808-2004
Email: jdaniels@fs.fed.us
Curriculum Vitae

Dr. Jean Daniels is a research forester with the USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest (PNW) Research Station, Urban-Wildland Interactions Team based in Portland, OR. She is primarily responsible for developing a program of work examining how economic analyses can be applied to help guide ecological restoration efforts. Federal, state, and municipal agencies, non-governmental organizations, and individuals participate in restoration activities for a variety of reasons, spanning from regulatory mandate to voluntary stewardship. Significant resources are allocated and utilized, yet the benefits and costs of these efforts are often poorly understood and difficult to quantify. This area of study is relatively new and she is working to foster greater understanding of the contribution that economics can make to guide restoration choices influencing how projects are chosen and prioritized, how benefits and costs are measured, and how success is measured and monitored.  The expected impact of this work is to develop metrics and tools to assist restoration professionals to allocate resources towards projects with the greatest likelihood of success in meeting ecological goals.

In addition, Dr. Daniels contributes to the long history of wood market and product research at the Station. She is building a program of work examining relationships between forest product markets and pricing, forest management, mill industry infrastructure, and community well-being. The work involves developing information about the role that changing forest products markets play both in forest management and in local, regional, and global economies. Timber markets, mill technology, and mill closures impact employment and the ability of land managers to conduct land management operations on the ground. A key part is identifying opportunities for and barriers against active approaches to forest management that engage a variety of land management goals and stakeholder groups, including international trade partners. There is also a need to develop, interpret, and deliver data that are relevant both to resource management professionals and communities. This work helps managers understand market trends and how communities adapt to changing local and regional social and economic conditions over time. This work is significant because of the traditional links between forest sector employment and rural community well-being. In addition, the ability to carry out silviculture treatments and other forest management operations is dependent on the availability of markets for harvested timber.