Pacific Southwest Research Station

Education

B.S., Natural Resources, 1982, University of the South, Sewanee, Tenn.
M.S., Forest Ecology, 1984, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, N.C.
Ph.D., Tree Physiology, 1988, University of Washington, Seattle, Wash.

Research Interests/Duties

As the Director of the Pacific Southwest Research Station (PSW), Dr. Friend leads the efforts of approximately 50 agency scientists working in California, Hawaii and the U.S.-affiliated Pacific Islands. He came to PSW from the agency's Washington D.C. headquarters, where he served as Budget Coordinator responsible for planning, formulating, monitoring, and executing the USDA Forest Service's $300 million Research and Development budget. During his four-year assignment, Dr. Friend worked with Station Directors nationwide to foster a better understanding of and involvement in the budget process; served as a liaison with key stakeholders; and improved budget operations within the agency.

Dr. Friend joined the Forest Service in 2002 as a project leader and research ecologist, leading the Ecosystems unit at the then-North Central Research Station in Houghton, Michigan. He also assisted with the merger of the Station with Northeastern Research Station to form Northern Research Station.

Before joining the Forest Service, Dr. Friend was a professor of forestry at Mississippi State University from 1989 to 2001. He taught both graduate and undergraduate courses in forest biology.