Current Research

Stout is a research silviculturist. Silviculture is "the art and science of controlling the establishment, growth, composition, health, and quality of forests and woodlands to meet the diverse needs and values of landowners and society" (Society of American Foresters 1994). Conducting silvicultural research means working at the interface of ecology and forest management, and the importance of silviculture only increases as our forests experience a suite of changing conditions—changing abundance of herbivores, changing disturbance regimes with increasing severe storms, changing seasonal weather patterns, changing air quality. Stout is very interested in stretching traditional silviculture to meet today’s challenges by tying it ever more closely to ecology and to landscape pattern.

One aspect of this research is modeling and measuring deer impact on forests (Dejager and others 2017). This includes participatory research with landowners in a demonstration called the Kinzua Quality Deer Cooperative. Landowners, land managers, hunters, and scientists are working together to improve both hunting and habitat on 74,000 acres in northwestern Pennsylvania (Stout and others 2013). Related research led by Alejandro Royo should strengthen evidence of practical indicators of deer impact.

Another research interest is in translating results from ecosystem research into practical management guidelines for Pennsylvania's forests and beyond through the SILVAH system of decision support software, training sessions, and research collaboration with managers (Stout and Brose 2014). Recently, Stout and colleagues have explored linking silvicultural prescriptions for oak regeneration with ecological land typing for the forests of southeastern Ohio. Collaborators include the Wayne National Forest, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Ohio State University, and the Ohio Division of Forestry.

Stout is an active participant in annual workshops in sustainable forestry offered by the Warren Forestry Sciences Laboratory team, and the lead scientist on on-going development of the SILVAH decision-support software package. In recent years, this has included updating and improving inferences about wildlife habitat for individual species from the data collected while using SILVAH.

Stout has also been working with Northern Research Station colleagues on issues related to diversity and inclusion in the natural resources. One effort showed that Forest Service Research and Development strategies were more successful than those of universities working in similar disciplines at recruiting women, but both kinds of institutions struggled to retain women (Kern and others 2015).

De Jager, Nathan R.; Drohan, Patrick J.; Miranda, Brian M.; Sturtevant, Brian R.; Stout, Susan L.; Royo, Alejandro A.; Gustafson, Eric J.; Romanski, Mark C. 2017. Simulating ungulate herbivory across forest landscapes: A browsing extension for LANDIS-II. Ecological Modelling. 350: 11-29.

Kern, Christel C.; Kenefic, Laura S.; Stout, Susan L. 2015. Bridging the gender gap: demographics of scientists in the USDA Forest Service and academia. BioScience. 65: 1165-1172.

Stout, Susan L.; Royo, Alejandro A.; deCalesta, David S.; McAleese, Kevin; Finley, James C. 2013: The Kinzua Quality Deer Cooperative: can adaptive management and local stakeholder engagement sustain reduced impact of ungulate browsers in forest systems?. Boreal Environment Research. 18(suppl. A): 50-64.

Stout, Susan L.; Brose, Patrick H. 2014. The SILVAH saga: 40+ years of collaborative hardwood research and management highlight silviculture. Journal of Forestry. 112(5): 434-439.

Research Interests

As I have had the privilege of working with an ever-widening network of collaborators and colleagues during my career, I have become increasingly interested in our ability to discern patterns that emerge over long time frames and large scales. The legacy effects of long-term herbivory are one example of such a pattern, and more recently our group has been collaborating to understand decades-long patterns of change in the ecology of Prunus serotina, black cherry. On the landscape scale, strategic thinking about how to conserve oak resources across a public-private gradient, or how to adapt management to address a converging suite of invasive insects are important challenges and interests.

Past Research

I have recently collaborated with colleagues at Penn State and the University of Georgia in development of a web site meant to serve as a central contact point for research results and management guidelines related to the interactions of deer and forests - www.deerandforests.org.

Why This Research is Important

Especially in eastern North America, very high proportions of forestland are privately owned (75% in the region of the Northern Research Station). Translating basic and applied forestry research into guidelines that are accessible and useable by the variety of private owners is critical to sustaining our forests and the values and benefits they provide. This requires continued research on techniques for forest management, whether to provide specific kinds of wildlife habitat or wood for energy or high-value sawtimber products. It also requires truly interdisciplinary research that integrates strategies for responding to global change, air pollution, and invasive species (both native and exotic).  It requires a commitment to engaging users through the full cycle of research and science delivery.

In our region, white-tailed deer and changing air quality have been a particularly important force in shaping forest vegetation communities for many decades.  These problems are important in other regions as well, and have been joined by invasives plants, insects, and pathogens as well as changing climate patterns to truly challenge sustainable forest management. Our research provides important guidance to those with emerging deer problems, and with recent changes in policy leading to a lower deer impact level locally, we can also provide valuable and practical information about indicators and rates of recovery.  We are in the midst of documenting how changing air quality affects important woody species in our forests as well as interspecies interactions, as well as studying the response of forests to invasives and climate change.  We work to ensure that all our research results are developed into tools useable by forest managers and built firmly on basic ecological understanding.

Education

• Yale University, D.F. 1994
• State University of New York, M.S. Silviculture 1983
• Radcliffe College of Harvard University, A.B. 1972

Professional Experience

Professional Organizations

• Society Of American Foresters, Fellow (2003 - Current)
• Pennsylvania State Bureau of Forestry Ecosystem Management Advisory Council, Member (1991 - Current)
• Society Of American Foresters, Diversity And Inclusion Working Group, Co-Founder (2016 - )
  With colleagues Linda Heath and Carol Redelsheimer, an effort to highlight emerging science related to Div. & Incl. in natural resources as a track at the 2016 Convention drew so much interest that a formal Working Group of the Society was approved in march of 2017.
• Board of Directors of the Warren County Chamber of Business and Industry, Director (2006 - 2015)
• SAF National Convention, Co-Program Chair (2006 - 2006)
• Northeastern Research Station's Science Advisory Team, Member (2003 - 2004)
• Silviculture Working Group of the Society of American Foresters (SAF), Chair (1999 - 2000)

Awards & Recognition

Featured Publications & Products

• Kern, Christel C.; Kenefic, Laura S.; Stout, Susan L. 2015. Bridging the Gender Gap: The demographics of scientists in the USDA Forest Service and academia.
• Stout, Susan L.; Royo, Alejandro A.; deCalesta, David S.; McAleese, Kevin; Finley, James C. 2013. The Kinzua Quality Deer Cooperative: can adaptive management and local stakeholder engagement sustain reduced impact of ungulate browsers in forest systems.
• Royo, Alex; Kramer, David W.; Miller, Karl V.; Nibbelink, Nathan P.; Stout, Susan L. 2016. The canary in the coal mine: Sprouts as a rapid indicator of browse impact in managed forests.
• De Jager, Nathan R.; Drohan, Patrick J.; Miranda, Brian M.; Sturtevant, Brian R.; Stout, Susan L.; Royo, Alejandro A.; Gustafson, Eric J.; Romanski, Mark C. 2017. Simulating ungulate herbivory across forest landscapes: A browsing extension for LANDIS-II.
• Stout, Susan L.; Brose, Pat; Gottschalk, Kurt; Miller, Gary; Knopp, Pete; Rutherford, Gary; Deibler, Mark; Frank, Gary; Gilmore, Gary. 2007. SILVAH-OAK: ensuring adoption by engaging users in the full cycle of forest research.
• Hutchinson, Todd F.; Rebbeck, Joanne; Stout, Susan L. 2016. The devil is in the small dense saplings: A midstory herbicide treatment has limited effects on short-term regeneration outcomes in oak shelterwood stands.
• Royo, Alejandro A.; Stout, Susan L.; deCalesta, David S.; Pierson, Timothy G. 2010. Restoring forest herb communities through landscape-level deer herd reductions: Is recovery limited by legacy effects.
• Drohan, Patrick J.; Finley, James C.; Roth, Paul; Schuler, Thomas M.; Stout, Susan L.; Brittingham, Margaret C.; Johnson, Nels C. 2012. Oil and gas impacts on forest ecosystems: findings gleaned from the 2012 Goddard Forum at Penn State University.
• Knopp, Peter D.; Stout, Susan L. 2014. User's guide to SILVAH.
• Hayes, D.C.; Stout, S.L.; Crawford, R.H.; Hoover, A.P. 2014. Editors' foreword.

Publications

• Royo, Alejandro A.; Pinchot, Cornelia C.; Stanovick, John S.; Stout, Susan L. 2019. Timing is Not Everything: Assessing the Efficacy of Pre- Versus Post-Harvest Herbicide Applications in Mitigating the Burgeoning Birch Phenomenon in Regenerating Hardwood Stands.
• Butler-Leopold, Patricia R.; Iverson, Louis R.; Thompson, Frank R.; Brandt, Leslie A.; Handler, Stephen D.; Janowiak, Maria K.; Shannon, P. Danielle; Swanston, Christopher W.; Bearer, Scott ; Bryan, Alexander M.; Clark, Kenneth L.; Czarnecki, Greg ; DeSenze, Philip ; Dijak, William D.; Fraser, Jacob S.; Gugger, Paul F.; Hille, Andrea ; Hynicka, Justin ; Jantz, Claire A.; Kelly, Matthew C.; Krause, Katrina M.; La Puma, Inga Parker; Landau, Deborah ; Lathrop, Richard G.; Leites, Laura P.; Madlinger, Evan ; Matthews, Stephen N.; Ozbay, Gulnihal ; Peters, Matthew P.; Prasad, Anantha ; Schmit, David A.; Shephard, Collin ; Shirer, Rebecca ; Skowronski, Nicholas S.; Steele, Al ; Stout, Susan ; Thomas-Van Gundy, Melissa ; Thompson, John ; Turcotte, Richard M.; Weinstein, David A.; Yáñez, Alfonso . 2018. Mid-Atlantic forest ecosystem vulnerability assessment and synthesis: a report from the Mid-Atlantic Climate Change Response Framework project.
• Iverson, Louis R.; Peters, Matthew P.; Bartig, Jarel L.; Rebbeck, Joanne; Hutchinson, Todd F.; Matthews, Stephen N.; Stout, Susan. 2018. Spatial modeling and inventories for prioritizing investment into oak-hickory restoration.
• McWilliams, William H.; Westfall, James A.; Brose, Patrick H.; Dey, Daniel C.; D'Amato, Anthony W.; Dickinson, Yvette L.; Fajvan, Mary Ann; Kenefic, Laura S.; Kern, Christel C.; Laustsen, Kenneth M.; Lehman, Shawn L.; Morin, Randall S.; Ristau, Todd E.; Royo, Alejandro A.; Stoltman, Andrew M.; Stout, Susan L. 2018. Subcontinental-scale patterns of large-ungulate herbivory and synoptic review of restoration management implications for midwestern and northeastern forests.
• McWilliams, William H.; Westfall, James A.; Brose, Patrick H.; Lehman, Shawn L.; Morin, Randall S.; Ristau, Todd E.; Royo, Alejandro A.; Stout, Susan L. 2017. After 25 years, what does the Pennsylvania Regeneration Study tell us about oak/hickory forests under stress.
• Royo, Alejandro A.; Kramer, David W.; Miller, Karl V.; Nibbelink, Nathan P.; Stout, Susan L. 2017. Spatio-temporal variation in foodscapes modifies deer browsing impact on vegetation.
• Stout, Susan. 2017. Strategies for Increasing Diversity and Inclusion at SAF Meetings.
• McWilliams, William H.; Westfall, James A.; Brose, Patrick H.; Dey, Daniel C.; Hatfield, Mark; Johnson, Katherine; Laustsen, Kenneth M.; Lehman, Shawn L.; Morin, Randall S.; Nelson, Mark D.; Ristau, Todd E.; Royo, Alejandro A.; Stout, Susan L.; Willard, Thomas; Woodall, Christopher W. 2015. A regeneration indicator for Forest Inventory and Analysis: history, sampling, estimation, analytics, and potential use in the midwest and northeast United States.
• Butler, Patricia R.; Iverson, Louis; Thompson, Frank R.; Brandt, Leslie; Handler, Stephen; Janowiak, Maria; Shannon, P. Danielle; Swanston, Chris; Karriker, Kent; Bartig, Jarel; Connolly, Stephanie; Dijak, William; Bearer, Scott; Blatt, Steve; Brandon, Andrea; Byers, Elizabeth; Coon, Cheryl; Culbreth, Tim; Daly, Jad; Dorsey, Wade; Ede, David; Euler, Chris; Gillies, Neil; Hix, David M.; Johnson, Catherine; Lyte, Latasha; Matthews, Stephen; McCarthy, Dawn; Minney, Dave; Murphy, Daniel; O’Dea, Claire; Orwan, Rachel; Peters, Matthew; Prasad, Anantha; Randall, Cotton; Reed, Jason; Sandeno, Cynthia; Schuler, Tom; Sneddon, Lesley; Stanley, Bill; Steele, Al; Stout, Susan; Swaty, Randy; Teets, Jason; Tomon, Tim; Vanderhorst, Jim; Whatley, John; Zegre, Nicholas. 2015. Central Appalachians forest ecosystem vulnerability assessment and synthesis: a report from the Central Appalachians Climate Change Response Framework project.
• Ristau, Todd E.; Stout, Susan L. 2014. Can cover data be used as a surrogate for seedling counts in regeneration stocking evaluations in northern hardwood forests.
• Stout, Susan L; Brose, Patrick H. 2014. SILVAH: managers and scientists working together to improve research and management.
• Stout, Susan L.; Brose, Patrick H. 2014. The SILVAH saga: 40+ years of collaborative hardwood research and management highlight silviculture.
• Long, Robert P.; Trimpey, David W.; Wiemann, Michael C.; Stout, Susan L. 2012. Anomalous dark growth rings in black cherry.
• Stout, Susan L.; Dickinson, Matthew B.; Nowacki, Gregory J. 2012. The hot continental division: Oak forests, fire, and ecosystem management frame fuels management questions.
• 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.
• Brose, Patrick H.; Gottschalk, Kurt W.; Horsley, Stephen B.; Knopp, Peter D.; Kochenderfer, James N.; McGuinness, Barbara J.; Miller, Gary W.; Ristau, Todd E.; Stoleson, Scott H.; Stout, Susan L. 2008. Prescribing regeneration treatments for mixed-oak forests in the Mid-Atlantic region.
• Finley, James C.; Stout, Susan L.; Pierson, Timothy G.; McGuinness, Barbara J. 2007. Managing timber to promote sustainable forests: a second-level course for the Sustainable Forestry Initiative of Pennsylvania.
• Hoover, Coeli; Stout, Susan. 2007. The carbon consequences of thinning techniques: stand structure makes a difference.
• Stout, Susan L.; Hoover, Coeli M.; Ristau, Todd E. 2006. Listening to old beech and young cherry trees - long-term research in the Alleghenies.
• Stout, Susan L. 2005. Listening to Old Beech & Young Cherry Trees - Experiences in the Alleghenies & Nearby.
• Stout, Susan L.; Ristau, Todd E. 2005. Long-term Research on the USFS Kane Experimental Forest in Northwestern Pennsylvania.
• McWilliams, William H.; Bowersox, Todd W.; Brose, Patrick H.; Devlin, Daniel A.; Finley, James C.; Gottschalk, Kurt W.; Horsley, Steve; King, Susan L.; LaPoint, Brian M.; Lister, Tonya W.; McCormick, Larry H.; Miller, Gary W.; Scott, Charles T.; Steele, Harry; Steiner, Kim C.; Stout, Susan L.; Westfall, James A.; White , Robert L. 2005. Measuring Tree Seedlings and Associated Understory Vegetation in Pennsylvania's Forests.
• McWilliams, William H.; Bowersox, Todd W.; Brose, Patrick H.; Devlin, Daniel A.; Finley, James C.; Horsley, Steve; Gottschalk, Kurt W.; Lister, Tonya W.; McCormick, Larry H.; Miller, Gary W.; Steiner, Kim C.; Stout, Susan L.; Westfall, James A.; White, Robert L. 2004. Indicators of regenerative capacity for eastern hardwood forests.
• Reitz, Scott; Hille, Andrea; Stout, Susan. 2004. Silviculture in cooperation with hunters: The Kinzua Quality Deer Cooperative.
• Stout, Susan; Finley, Jim. 2003. Deer and Healthy Forests.
• McWilliams, William H.; Bowersox, Todd W.; Brose, Patrick H.; Devlin, Daniel A.; Finley, James C.; Horsley, Steve; Gottschalk, Kurt W.; King, Susan L.; Lister, Tonya W.; McCormick, Larry H.; Miller, Gary W.; Scott, Charles T.; Steiner, Kim C.; Stout, Susan L.; Westfall, James A.; White, Robert L. 2003. Indicators of regenerative capacity for native broadleaf forests: a case study of ungulate overpopulation in the Eastern United States.
• Brose, Patrick; Stout, Susan; Miller, Gary; Gottschalk, Kurt. 2003. SILVAH 5.1: developing interim guidelines for managing oak in Pennsylvania through multi-agency cooperation.
• Horsley, Stephen B.; Stout, Susan L.; deCalesta, David S.; deCalesta, David S. 2003. White-tailed deer impact on the vegetation dynamics of a northern hardwood forest.
• DeMarco, Lois; Stout, Susan L. 2001. Use of monitoring and adaptive management to promote regeneration on the Allegheny National Forest.
• Hoover, Coeli M.; Birdsey, Richard A.; Heath, Linda S.; Stout, Susan L. 2000. How to estimate carbon sequestration on small forest tracts estimate carbon sequestration on small forest tracts.
• Twery, Mark J. ; Rauscher, H. Michael; Bennett, Deborah J.; Thomasma, Scott A.; Stout, Susan L.; Palmer, James F.; Hoffman, Robin E.; DeCalesta, David S.; Gustafson, Eric; Grove, J. Morgan; Nute, Donald; Kim, Geneho; Kollasch, R. Peter. 2000. NED-1: integrated analyses for forest stewardship decisions.
• Twery, Mark J.; Rauscher, H. Michael; Bennett, Deborah J.; Thomasma, Scott A.; Stout, Susan L.; Palmer, James F.; Hoffman, Robin E.; DeCalesta, David S.; Gustafson, Eric; Cleveland, Helene; Grove, J. Morgan; Nute, Donald; Kim, Geneho; Kollasch, R. Peter. 2000. NED-1: integrated analyses for forest stewardship decisions.
• Drohan, Patrick; Stout, Susan; Peterson, Gary. 1999. Spatial relationships between sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh), sugar maple decline, slope, aspect, and atmospheric deposition in northern Pennsylvania.
• Yanai, Ruth D.; Twery, Mark J.; Stout, Susan L. 1998. Woody understory response to changes in overstory density: thinning in Allegheny hardwoods.
• Healy, William M.; deCalesta, David S.; Stout, Susan L. 1997. A research perspective on white-tailed deer overabundance in the northeastern United States.
• DeMarco, Lois M.; Stout, Susan L. 1997. Communicating the story of silviculture on the Allegheny National Forest.
• Nowak, Chris; Stout, Susan; Brissette, John; Kenefic, Laura; Miller, Gary; Leak, Bill; Yaussy, Dan; Schuler, Tom; Gottschalk, Kurt. 1997. Defining the role of silvicultural research in the Northeastern Forest Experiment Station.
• deCalesta, David S.; Stout, Susan L. 1997. Relative deer density and sustainability: a conceptual framework for integrating deer management with ecosystem management.
• McWilliams, William H.; White, Robert; Arner, Stanford L.; Nowak, Christopher, A.; Stout, Susan L., A..; Stout, Susan L. 1996. Characteristics of Declining Forest Stands on the Allegheny National Forest.
• McWilliams, William H.; Stout, Susan L.; Bowersox, Todd W.; McCormick, Larry H. 1995. Adequacy of Advance Tree-Seedling Regeneration in Pennsylvania's Forests.
• Stout, Susan L.; Nowak, Christopher A.; Redding, James A.; White, Robert; McWilliams, William H.; McWilliams, William H. 1995. Allegheny National Forest health.
• Stout, Susan L.; deCalesta, David S.; Horsley, Stephen B.; Nowak, Christopher A.; Redding, James C. 1995. Ecosystems management research in hardwood forests dominated by deer.
• McWilliams, William H.; Bowersox, Todd W.; Gansner, David A.; McCormick, Larry H.; Stout, Susan L. 1995. Landscape-level regeneration adequacy for native hardwood forests of Pennsylvania.
• McWilliams, W. H.; Stout, S. L.; Bowersox, T. W.; McCormick, L. H. 1993. An assessment of advance regeneration and herbaceous communities in Pennsylvania forests.
• Marquis, David A.; Ernst, Richard L.; Stout, Susan L. 1992. Prescribing silvicultural treatments in hardwood stands of the Alleghenies. (Revised).
• Ernst, R.L.; Stout, S.L. 1991. Computerized algorithms for partial cuts.
• Stout, S.L. 1991. Stand density, stand structure, and species composition in transition oak stands of northwestern Pennsylvania.

Research Highlights

Highlight	Title	Year
NRS-2016-130	Changes in Black Cherry on the Allegheny Plateau Increased tree mortality, decreased seed production, and seedling growth. Managers and scientists have been observing these changes in black che ...	2016
NRS-2014-079	New Book Documents Contributions from Forest Service's Long-Term Research Sites From the role of fire in forests to responses to clearcutting controversies, from the discovery of acid rain to the development of biogeochemica ...	2014
NRS-2013-145	Public - Private Cooperation Improves Management of Deer and Forests The Kinzua Quality Deer Cooperative (KQDC) was established in 2000 to test new approaches to stewardship of white-tailed deer and forest habitat ...	2013