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US Forest Service Research & Development
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  • US Forest Service Research & Development
  • 1400 Independence Ave., SW
  • Washington, D.C. 20250-0003
  • 800-832-1355
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Daniel C. Dey

Project Leader / Research Forester
202 ABNR Bldg., University of Missouri-Columbia
Columbia
Missouri
United States
65211-7260

Phone: 573-875-5341 x225
Contact Daniel C. Dey


Current Research

My research focuses on evaluating silvicultural practices to manage forests that produce the wide array ofgoods and services that land owners and society desire. I specialize in solving forest regeneration issues inhardwood-dominated forests in both uplands and bottomlands. Much of my experience is in the naturalregeneration and development of hardwood-dominated forests and in the afforestation of bottomlandagricultural lands. I have done extensive work with collaborators on determining historic fire regimes inoak/pine-dominated ecosystems throughout the Midwest and Great Lakes Regions. I apply this knowledgeby developing methods of using prescribed fire to restore native forest communities, favor firedependentspecies, reduce fuels and fire risk, restore natural ecosystem processes, etc. I model forestresponses to specific silvicultural practices. I develop forest management guidelines for practitioners. I am working with a collaborator on a study of the role and management of large wood in river systems. Fornow, this research is focusing on developing a long-term (i.e., 14,000-year) oak tree ring chronology fromancient wood buried in alluvial soils. We are using this tree-ring information to reconstruct climate andcorrelate tree growth with global climate metrics.

Research Interests

I plan on continuing my work in forest regeneration and restoration in primarily oak/pine forests and inthe afforestation of bottomland forests. I am interested in wildlife and forest interactions during the regenerationprocess. I also am interested in developing regional regeneration models for the Central HardwoodRegion. I am initiating new research in the silviculture of pine/oak forests with emphasis on shortleaf pineregeneration and development in natural upland forests. I will continue with my work in the managementof riparian forests and interactions between terrestrial and aquatic systems. We seek funding and additionalcollaborators to advance our work in constructing the American long oak chronology-the 14,000-yeartree-ring record derived from buried ancient oak logs in alluvial soils, and to advance our climate modelsbased on the dendrochronological record.

Why This Research is Important

Forest managers often want to regenerate mature forests, or to restore forests where they use to be. In either case, it is a very specific type of forest they are trying to manage for the future. They not only desire to shape the structure and composition of the forests, but also promote the production of a diversity of goods and services. And to do this with some degree of certainty, in an economical manner is not an easy task. My research addresses priority issues in forest regeneration in the northern region. I provide a better understanding of how forests respond to natural and human disturbances, and how management can be used to guide forest regeneration and succession. I evaluate innovative combinations of traditional silvicultural practices for managing forests. I produce models of forest regeneration, which are useful tools for forest managers. They allow evaluation of current forest conditions and prediction of future outcomes for specified types of management. My work in fire and vegetation history provides an ecological foundation for forest restoration work. Ultimately, this research is the basis for forest management guidelines and standards.

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

Professional Organizations

  • Society of American Foresters

Featured Publications & Products

Publications

Research Highlights

HighlightTitleYear

NRS-2012-22		Effects of Timber Harvesting and Biomass Removal on Forest Health Studied

A 10-year study shows that forest sites are able to experience high levels of soil compaction and biomass removal with little negative effects o ...

2012

NRS-2014-026		Forest Management Guidelines Help Improve and Sustain Missouri's Forest Resources

Missouri landowners and resource managers need state-of-the-art, science-based knowledge of forest management planning, silviculture, and best m ...

2014

NRS-2016-84		Hardwood-Softwood Mixtures for Future Forests in Eastern North America: Assessing Suitability to Projected Climate Change

Despite growing interest in management strategies for climate change adaptation, there are few methods for assessing the ability of stands to en ...

2016

NRS-2013-077		Loss of diversity in the Missouri Ozark Highlands Places Ecosystem at Risk

Past land use over the last 200 years has made Missouri's Ozark Highlands less diverse and more homogeneous in the condition of its vegetation. ...

2013

NRS-2012-27		New Model Estimates Historic Fire Frequency

Model will help restore fire-dependent ecosystems and assess effects of changing climates

2012

NRS-2015-126		Study Guides Restoration of Natural Communities in Missouri

Land use over the last 200 years has decreased diversity, and increased homogeneity, of the vegetative landscape of Missouri. This trend has put ...

2015

NRS-2016-83		The History of Fire in the United States and its Future Under Changing Climates

In the past, North America was a fire continent, but the role of fire was highly variable across the country and over time. Fire history researc ...

2016

Last updated on : 05/24/2018