Current Research

• Silviculture of naturally regenerated pine and pine-hardwood ecosystems in the southeastern U.S.
• Height measurement and modeling techniques
• Applied historical ecology and the history of forestry
• Ecology and management of old-growth forests in the Midsouth
• Ice storm impacts on the ecology and management of southern forests
• Composition, structure, biomass, and productivity of southern pine-dominated ecosystems
• Modeling forest dynamics using simulation models

Research Interests

In addition to the current research programs listed above, I am also interested in disturbance ecology, the role of humans in the development of historic and current forests, the evolution of landscapes and their corresponding vegetative communities, and the role of natural resource technology transfer in education and professional development.

I have long been fascinated by the role people played in the development of forests. This includes prehistoric peoples, the historic lumbering period, and more recent management practices and trends. I am particularly interested in how human impacts have shaped the structure, composition, and function of our forests, and how we can adapt knowledge of past forest communities to help shape and improve contemporary silvicultural practices.

One specific example of the evolution of landscapes is the formation of "prairie mounds" in the Midsouth. These natural-origin circular mounds are very abundant across much of the region, but we still know almost nothing about them. Evidence suggests they may be relicts of prehistoric climate extremes (primarily megadroughts), but we lack convincing information to definitively show that this was the origin of these features. I'm also intrigued by the seismic history of this portion of the US, especially as it relates to the formation of sand blows, a liquefaction feature found in a surprising number of areas in a previously thought stable area.

Past Research

• The birdseye grain abnormality in sugar maple
• Riparian large woody debris recruitment

Education

• Utah State University, Ph.D. Forest Ecology 1999
• Michigan Technological University, M.S. Forestry 1995
• Michigan Technological University, B.S. Forestry 1992

Professional Experience

Featured Publications & Products

• Bragg, Don C.; O'Neill, Ricky; Holimon, William; Fox, Joe; Thornton, Gary; Mangham, Roger. 2014. Moro Big Pine: conservation and collaboration in the pine flatwoods of Arkansas.
• Bragg, Don C. 2013. Composition, biomass, and overstory spatial patterns in a mature pine-hardwood stand in southeastern Arkansas.
• Bragg, Don C. 2012. Developing contemporary and historical live tree biomass estimates for old pine-hardwood stands of the Midsouth, USA.
• Bragg, Don C.; Shelton, Michael G. 2011. Lessons from 72 years of monitoring a once-cut pine-hardwood stand on the Crossett Experimental Forest, Arkansas, U.S.A.
• Bragg, Don C.; Frelich, Lee E.; Leverett, Robert T.; Blozan, Will; Luthringer, Dale J. 2011. The Sine Method: An Alternative Height Measurement Technique.
• Bragg, Don C.; Shelton, Michael G. 2010. Recovery of planted loblolly pine 5 years after severe ice storms in Arkansas.
• Bragg, Don C. 2006. Potential contributions of figured wood to the practice of sustainable forestry.
• Bragg, Don C.; Roberts, David W.; Crow, Thomas R. 2004. A hierarchical approach for simulating northern forest dynamics.
• Bragg, Don C.; Shelton, Michael G; Zeide, Boris. 2003. Impacts and management implications of ice storms on forests in the southern United States.
• Bragg, Don C. 2002. Reference conditions for old-growth pine forests in the Upper West Gulf Coastal Plain.

Publications

• Mandalika, A. ; Bragg, D. ; Schuler, J. ; Baker, D. ; Elder, T. ; Groom, L. . 2019. Potential of natural-origin loblolly pine tree fractions as a bioenergy feedstock.
• Hanberry, Brice B.; Bragg, Don C.; Hutchinson, Todd F. 2018. A reconceptualization of open oak and pine ecosystems of eastern North America using a forest structure spectrum.
• Olson, Matthew G.; Bragg, Don C. 2018. Effects of gap size on natural regeneration in a pine-hardwood stand a quarter century after harvest.
• Laseter, Stephanie H.; Vose, James M.; Guldin, James M.; Bragg, Don C.; Spetich, Martin A.; Keyser, Tara L.; Elliott, Katherine J.; Sayer, Mary Anne S.; Sung, Shi-Jean Susana. 2018. Experimental forests of the Southern Research Station: highlights of foundational silviculture studies.
• Adams, Joshua P.; Mustoe, Nicholas ; Bragg, Don C.; Pelkki, Matthew H.; Ford, Victor L. 2018. Genetic improvement and root pruning effects on cherrybark oak (Quercus pagoda L.) seedling growth and survival in southern Arkansas.
• Bragg, Don C. 2018. Seeing is believing: an early southern pine demonstration plot in northern Louisiana.
• Bragg, Don C. 2018. Superior pines revisited: a plus-tree progeny test on the Crossett Experimental Forest at a half-century.
• Schuler, Jamie; Bragg, Don C.; McElligott, Kristin. 2017. Biomass estimates of small diameter planted and natural-origin loblolly pines show major departures from the National Biomass Estimator equations.
• Bragg, Don C. 2017. Growing pains: Hank Chamberlin and the Arkansas A&M forestry program, 1946-1957.
• Jurney, David H.; Bragg, Don C.; Coleman, Roger E.; Gonzalez, Bobby. 2017. Lessons from a Programmatic Agreement and Heritage-Based Consultations between Tribes and the National Forests of Arkansas and Oklahoma.
• Guldin, James M.; Bragg, Don C.; Zingg, Andreas. 2017. Plentern mit Kiefern--Ergebnisse aus den USA Plentering with pines--results from the United States.
• Bragg, Don C. 2017. SITEQUAL v2.0 a Fortran program to determine bottomland hardwood site quality.
• Bragg, Don C. 2017. The development of uneven-aged southern pine silviculture before the Crossett Experimental Forest (Arkansas, USA).
• Nelson, Andrew S.; Bragg, Don C. 2016. Multidecadal response of naturally regenerated southern pine to early competition control and commercial thinning.
• Cerny, K. Chris; Stahle, David W.; Bragg, Don C. 2016. A frontier shortleaf pine stand in the old-growth Cross Timbers of Oklahoma.
• Sharma, Shakuntala; Adams, Joshua P.; Schuler, Jamie L.; Ficklin, Robert L.; Bragg, Don C. 2016. Effect of seedling stock on the early stand development and physiology of improved loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) seedlings.
• Bragg, Don C.; Bragg, Hope A. 2016. Historical and contemporary environmental context for the Saline-Fifteen site (3BR119).
• Bragg, Don C. 2016. Initial mortality rates and extent of damage to loblolly and longleaf pine plantations affected by an ice storm in South Carolina.
• Bragg, Don C. 2016. Overstory species composition, structure, and conservation challenges of a mature, natural-origin pine stand after decades of management.
• Bragg, Don C. 2016. Silviculture's impact on the historical shortleaf component of pine forests in the Upper West Gulf Coastal Plain.
• Bragg, Don C.; Riddle, Jess; Adams, Joshua; Guldin, James M. 2016. The Crossett Experimental Forest's contributions to southern pine improvement programs.
• Clark, James S.; Iverson, Louis; Woodall, Christopher W.; Allen, Craig D.; Bell, David M.; Bragg, Don C.; D'Amato, Anthony W.; Davis, Frank W.; Hersh, Michelle H.; Ibanez, Ines; Jackson, Stephen T.; Matthews, Stephen; Pederson, Neil; Peters, Matthew; Schwartz, Mark W.; Waring, Kristen M.; Zimmermann, Niklaus E. 2016. The impacts of increasing drought on forest dynamics, structure, and biodiversity in the United States.
• Bragg, Don C. . 2015. Clarifying details on a 1930s-era pine-hardwood stand in Arkansas.
• Bragg, Don C.; Schuler, Jamie L.; Pelkki, Matthew H; Scott, D. Andrew; Guldin, James M. 2015. More than just timber: silvicultural options and ecosystem services from managed southern pine stands.
• McElligott, Kristin M.; Bragg, Don C.; Schuler, Jamie L. 2015. Predicting small-diameter loblolly pine aboveground biomass in naturally regenerated stands.
• Bragg, Don C.; Guldin, James M. 2015. The silvicultural implications of age patterns in two southern pine stands after 72 years of uneven-aged management.
• Bragg, Don C.; Webb, Tom. 2014. "As false as the Black Prince of Hades": resurveying in Arkansas, 1849-1859.
• Bragg, Don C.; Scott, D. Andrew. 2014. A preliminary aboveground live biomass model for understory hardwoods from Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi.
• Bragg, Don C. 2014. Accurately measuring the height of (real) forest trees.
• Bragg, D.C.; Riddle, J.D. 2014. Serendipitous data following a severe windstorm in an old-growth pine stand.
• Bragg, Don C.; Shelton, Michael G. 2014. The value of old forests: lessons from the Reynolds Research Natural Area.
• Bragg, D.C.; McElligott, K.M. 2013. Comparing aboveground biomass predictions for an uneven-aged pine-dominated stand using local, regional, and national models.
• McElligott, K.M.; Bragg, D.C. 2013. Deriving biomass models for small-diameter loblolly pine on the Crossett Experimental Forest.
• Sharma, S.; Adams, Joshua P.; Schuler, Jamie L.; Bragg, Don C.; Ficklin, Robert L. 2013. Genetic effects on early stand development of improved loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) seedlings.
• Bragg, Don C. 2013. Results of a long-term thinning study in some natural, even-aged pine stands of the Midsouth.
• Schuler, Jamie L.; Bragg, Don C.; Heitzman, Eric; Milks, Jason. 2013. Seedling response to initial oak woodland restoration treatments on the Ozark National Forest.
• Bragg, Don C. 2012. A brief history of forests and tree planting in Arkansas.
• Bragg, Don C. 2012. Age structure of a southern pine stand following 72 years of uneven-aged silviculture.
• Bragg, Don C.; Stahle, David W.; Cerny, K. Chris. 2012. Structural attributes of two old-growth Cross Timbers stands in western Arkansas.
• Bragg, Don C. 2011. A 3-point derivation of dominant tree height equations.
• Bragg, Don C. 2011. Cypress lumbering in antebellum Arkansas.
• Bragg, Don C. 2011. Forests and forestry in Arkansas during the last two centuries.
• Bragg, D. C. 2011. Modeling loblolly pine aboveground live biomass in a mature pine-hardwood stand: a cautionary tale.
• Bragg, Don C.; Guldin, James M. 2010. Estimating long-term carbon sequestration patterns in even- and uneven-aged southern pine stands.
• Bragg, Don C. 2010. Percy George and The Pine Tree Menace.
• Bragg, Don C. 2010. Pine seed tree growth and yield on the Crossett Experimental Forest.
• Bragg, D. C. 2010. Stand conditions immediately following a restoration harvest in an old-growth pine-hardwood remnant.
• Bragg, Don C.; Heitzman, Eric. 2009. Composition, structure, and dynamics of a mature, unmanaged, pine-dominated old-field stand in southeastern Arkansas.
• Wells, Gail; Hayes, Deborah; Krause, Katrina; Bartuska, Ann; LeVan-Green, Susan; Anderson, Jim; Gough, Tivoli; Adams, Mary; Schuler, Thomas; Kolka, Randy; Sebestyen, Steve; Kenefic, Laura; Brissette, John; Stout, Susan; Kanoti, Keith; Swanson, Fred; Greene, Sarah; Herring, Margaret; Ritchie, Martin; Skinner, Carl; Lisle, Tom; Keppeler, Elizabeth; Reid, Leslie; Wohlegemuth, Peter; Kitchen, Stanley; McCaughey, Ward; Guldin, Jim; Bragg, Don; Shelton, Michael; Loftis, David; Greenberg, Cathryn; Murphy, Julia. 2009. Experimental forests and ranges : 100 years of research success stories.
• Bragg, Don C. 2008. Practical extension of a Lake States tree height model.
• Bragg, D. 2008. A comparison of pine height models for the Crossett Experimental Forest.
• Bragg, Don C. 2008. An improved tree height measurement technique tested on mature southern pines.
• Bragg, Don C.; Shelton, Michael G.; Guldin, James M. 2008. Restoring old-growth southern pine ecosystems: strategic lessons from long-term silvicultural research.
• Darling, O.H. Doogie; Bragg, Don C. 2008. The early mills, railroads, and logging camps of the Crossett Lumber Company.
• Bragg, Don C. 2008. The prominence of pine in the upper west gulf coastal plain during historical times.
• Bragg, Don C. 2007. Forest restoration in landscapes: beyond planting trees.
• Bragg, Don C.; Weih, Robert C. Jr. 2007. Notable environmental features in some historical aerial photographs from Ashley Country, Arkansas.
• Bragg, Don C. 2007. The sine method as a more accurate height predictor for hardwoods.
• Bragg, Don C. 2006. A taste of sowbelly and saleratus biscuit: Gifford Pinchot's Arkansas adventure.
• Bragg, Don C. 2006. Five years of change in an old-growth pine-hardwood remnant in Ashley County, Arkansas.
• Bragg, Don C.; Guldin, James M.; Shelton, Michael G. 2006. Stacking the log deck, or some fallacies about natural pine managment.
• Bragg, Don C. 2005. Behavior and sensitivity of an optimal tree diameter growth model under data uncertainty.
• Bragg, Don C. 2005. Learing the Hard Way: The Beginnings of Forest Service Research in Arkansas.
• Bragg, Don C. 2005. Learning the hard way: the beginnings of Forest Service research in Arkansas.
• Bragg, Don C. 2005. Optimal Tree Increment Models for the Northeastern United States.
• Warwick, Mickie; Bragg, Don C. 2005. Practical applications of the geographic coordinate data base in Arkansas.
• Bragg, Don C. 2005. Presettlement Pinus taeda in the Mississippi Valley Alluvial Plain of the Monroe County, Arkansas area.
• Doruska, Paul F.; Weih, Robert C.; Lane, Matthew D.; Bragg, Don C. 2005. Quantifying Forest Ground Flora Biomass Using Close-range Remote Sensing.
• Bragg, Don C. 2004. A prescription for old-growth-like characteristics in southern pines.
• Bragg, Don C. 2004. Composition and Structure of a l930s-Era Pine-Hardwood Stand in Arkansas.
• Bragg, Don C. 2004. Composition, structure, and dynamics of a pine-hardwood old-growth remnant in southern Arkansas.
• Bragg, Don C. 2004. General Land Office Surveys as a Source for Arkansas History: The Example of Ashley County.
• Bragg, Don C. 2004. Historical reflections on the Arkansas cross timbers.
• Bragg, Don C. 2004. Patterns of Oak Dominance in the Eastern Ouachita Mountains Suggested by Early Records.
• Bragg, Don C.; Shelton, Michael G.; Heitzman, Eric. 2004. Relative Impacts of Ice Storms on Loblolly Pine Plantations in Central Arkansas.
• Bragg, Don C.; Kershner, Jeffrey L. 2004. Sensitivity of a Riparian Large Woody Debris Recruitment Model to the Number of Contributing Banks and Tree Fall Pattern.
• Bragg, Don C.; Shelton, Michael G.; Guldin, James M.; Lovett, Ernest. 2004. What does modern technology portend for uneven-aged southern pine silviculture.
• Bragg, Don C.; Guldin, James M. 2003. Differences in Optimal Growth Equations For White Oak in the Interior Highlands.
• Bragg, Don C. 2003. Natural Presettlement Features of the Ashley County, Arkansas Area.
• Bragg, Don C. 2003. Optimal Diameter Growth Equations for Major Tree Species of the Midsouth.
• Bragg, Don C. 2003. Optimal tree increment models for the Northeastern United Statesq.
• Doruska, Paul F.; Weih, Robert C., Jr..; Lane, Matthew D.; Bragg, Don C. 2003. Quantifying forest ground flora biomass using proximal sensing.
• Bragg, Don C.; Guldin, James M.; Shelton, Michael G. 2003. The Crossett Story, Revised: Updating a Forestry Classic.
• Bragg, Don C. 2002. Prunus pumila L..
• Bragg, Don C. 2002. A System to Derive Optimal Tree Diameter Increment Models from the Eastwide Forest Inventory Data Base (EFIDB).
• Bragg, Don C. 2002. Checklist of Major Plant Species in Ashley County, Arkansas Noted by General Land Office Surveyors.
• Bragg, Don C. 2002. Empirically Derived Optimal Growth Equations For Hardwoods and Softwoods in Arkansas.
• Bragg, Don C. 2002. Fuzzy Set Classification of Old-Growth Southern Pine.
• Bragg, Don C.; Kershner, Jeffrey L. 2002. Influence of Bank Afforestation and Snag Angle-of-fall on Riparian Large Woody Debris Recruitment.
• Bragg, Don C.; Shelton, Michael G.; Heitzman, Eric. 2002. Silvicultural lessons from the December 2000 ice storms.
• Bragg, Don C. 2002. SnagIt, Version 6.1 For Windows.
• Bragg, Don C. 2002. The efficacy of using inventory data to develop optimal diameter increment models.
• Bragg, Don C. 2001. A local basal area adjustment for crown width prediction.
• Bragg, Don C. 2001. Potential relative increment (PRI): a new method to empirically derive optimal tree diameter growth.
• Bragg, Don C.; Bragg, Hope A. 2001. Woody plants of North America product review.
• Bragg, Don C.; Kershner, Jeffrey L.; Roberts, David W. 2000. Modeling large woody debris recruitment for small streams of the Central Rocky Mountains.
• Doruska, Paul F.; Bragg, Don C., eds. 2000. Proceedings of the 2001 Southern Mensurationists' Conference.
• Bragg, Don C.; Stokke, Douglas D. 1994. Field identification of birdseye in sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.).

Research Highlights

Highlight	Title	Year
SRS-2015-245	Research Reveals Age-based Lessons from Decades of Uneven-aged Harvests Seventy-two years of uneven-aged silviculture has had a profound influence on the development of two pine-dominated stands on the Crossett Exper ...	2015
SRS-2016-181	Reviewing the Impacts of Drought on Forests of the United States Changing climate, especially increased temperatures and lower rainfall, and land management practices have the potential to dramatically influen ...	2016