Current Research

Long-term vegetation dynamics following thinning and repeated fires in mixed-oak forests.

Tree regeneration in shelterwood stands treated with herbicide and/or prescribed fire.

White oak (Quercus alba) seedling response to midstory removal via herbicide.

Herbaceous layer response to overstory mortality caused by Emerald Ash Borer.

Effectiveness of a native fungal wilt-causing pathogen (Verticillium nonalfalfae) as a biological control for the invasive tree Ailanthus altissima (Tree-of-Heaven).

Research Interests

Oak regeneration and sustaining mixed-oak forests

Fire ecology of oak woodlands and forests

Fire history of oak and oak-pine forest types

Understory plant composition and diversity in response to environmental gradients and disturbance.

Education

• Ohio State University, Ph.D. Ecology
• Miami University, M.S. Botany
• University of Louisville, B.A. Biology

Professional Organizations

• Ecological Society of America
• Torrey Botanical Society
• Society of American Foresters (SAF)

Featured Publications & Products

• Hutchinson, Todd F.; Stambaugh, Michael C.; Marschall, Joseph M.; Guyette, Richard P. 2019. Historical fire in the Appalachian Plateau of Ohio and Kentucky, USA, from remnant yellow pines.
• Dyer, James M.; Hutchinson, Todd F. 2019. Topography and soils-based mapping reveals fine-scale compositional shifts over two centuries within a central Appalachian landscape.
• Rebbeck, Joanne ; Hutchinson, Todd F.; Iverson, Louis R. 2019. Effects of prescribed fire and stem-injection herbicide on Ailanthus altissima demographics and survival.
• Hutchinson, Todd F.; Rebbeck, Joanne . 2019. Effectiveness of herbicide and fire to favor oak regeneration in Ohio shelterwood stands.
• 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.
• Hutchinson, Todd F.; Long, Robert P.; Rebbeck, Joanne; Sutherland, Elaine Kennedy; Yaussy, Daniel A. 2012. Repeated prescribed fires alter gap-phase regeneration in mixed-oak forests.
• Hutchinson, Todd; Long, Robert; Ford, Robert; Sutherland, Elaine Kennedy. 2009. Fire history and the establishment of oaks and maples in second-growth forests.

Publications

• Bragg, Don C.; Hanberry, Brice B.; Hutchinson, Todd F.; Jack, Steven B.; Kabrick, John M. 2020. Silvicultural options for open forest management in eastern North America.
• Coates, T. Adam; Waldrop, Thomas A.; Mohr, Helen H.; Hutchinson, Todd F. 2020. The development of a Southern Appalachian Mountain fuels photo series.
• Iverson, Louis R.; Peters, Matthew P.; Matthews, Stephen N.; Prasad, Anantha ; Hutchinson, Todd ; Bartig, Jarel ; Rebbeck, Joanne ; Yaussy, Dan ; Stout, Susan ; Nowacki, Greg . 2019. Adapting oak management in an age of ongoing mesophication but warming climate.
• Rebbeck, Joanne ; Hutchinson, Todd ; Iverson, Louis ; Peters, Matthew ; Jolliff, Joan . 2019. Methods to tame Ailanthus in mixed oak forests, what works: prescribed fire, herbicides, or biological control.
• Coates, T. Adam; Waldrop, Thomas A.; Hutchinson, Todd F.; Mohr, Helen H. 2019. Photo guide for estimating fuel loading in the Southern Appalachian Mountains.
• Iverson, Louis R.; Rebbeck, Joanne ; Peters, Matthew P.; Hutchinson, Todd ; Fox, Timothy . 2019. Predicting Ailanthus altissima presence across a managed forest landscape in southeast Ohio.
• Brose, Patrick H.; Hutchinson, Todd F. 2019. The fundamentals of release burning in mixed oak forests with emphasis on the shelterwood-burn technique.
• Iverson, Louis R.; Bartig, Jarel L.; Nowacki, Gregory J.; Peters, Matthew P.; Dyer, James M.; Hutchinson, Todd F.; Matthews, Stephen N.; Adams, Bryce T. 2019. USDA Forest Service section, subsection, and landtype descriptions for southeastern Ohio.
• 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.
• 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.
• Rebbeck, Joanne; Hutchinson, Todd; Iverson, Louis; Yaussy, Daniel; Fox, Timothy. 2017. Distribution and demographics of Ailanthus altissima in an oak forest landscape managed with timber harvesting and prescribed fire.
• Iverson, Louis R.; Hutchinson, Todd F.; Peters, Matthew P.; Yaussy, Daniel A. 2017. Long-term response of oak-hickory regeneration to partial harvest and repeated fires: influence of light and moisture.
• Dickinson, Matthew B.; Hutchinson, Todd F.; Dietenberger, Mark; Matt, Frederick; Peters, Matthew P.; Yang, Jian. 2016. Litter Species Composition and Topographic Effects on Fuels and Modeled Fire Behavior in an Oak-Hickory Forest in the Eastern USA.
• Rebbeck, Joanne; Kloss, Aaron; Bowden, Michael; Coon, Cheryl; Hutchinson, Todd F.; Iverson, Louis; Guess, Greg. 2015. Aerial detection of Ailanthus altissima: a cost-effective method to map an invasive tree in forested landscapes.
• Huebner, Cynthia D.; Steinman, Jim; Hutchinson, Todd F.; Ristau, Todd E.; Royo, Alejandro A. 2014. The distribution of a non-native (Rosa multiflora) and native (Kalmia latifolia) shrub in mature closed-canopy forests across soil fertility gradients.
• Huebner, Cynthia D.; Hutchinson, Todd; Ristau, Todd; Royo, Alejandro; Steinman, James. 2012. Documenting the Regional and local distribution of Kalmia latifolia and Rosa multiflora in West Virginia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania Forests along a soil fertility gradient.
• Hutchinson, Todd F.; Yaussy, Daniel A.; Long, Robert P.; Rebbeck, Joanne; Sutherland, Elaine Kennedy. 2012. Long-term (13-year) effects of repeated prescribed fires on stand structure and tree regeneration in mixed-oak forests.
• Dey, Daniel C.; Royo, Alejandro A.; Brose, Patrick H.; Hutchinson, Todd F.; Spetich, Martin A.; Stoleson, Scott H. 2010. An ecologically based approach to oak silviculture: a synthesis of 50 years of oak ecosystem research in North America.
• Rebbeck, Joanne; Hutchinson, Todd; Iverson, Louis; Yaussy, Daniel; Boyles, Robert; Bowden, Michael. 2010. Studying the effects of management practices on Ailanthus populations in Ohio forests: A research update.
• Iverson, Louis; Hutchinson, Todd; Prasad, Anantha; Peters, Matthew. 2009. Oak regeneration across a heterogeneous landscape in Ohio: some limited success after thinning, two fires, and seven years.
• Hutchinson, Todd F., ed. 2009. Proceedings of the 3rd fire in eastern oak forests conference.
• Hutchinson, Todd F.; Long, Robert P.; Ford, Robert D.; Sutherland, Elaine Kennedy. 2008. Fire history and the establishment of oaks an maples in second-growth forests.
• Waldrop, Thomas A.; Yaussy, Daniel A.; Phillips, Ross J.; Hutchinson, Todd A.; Brudnak, Lucy; Boerner, Ralph E.J. 2008. Fuel reduction treatments affect stand structure of hardwood forests in Western North Carolina and Southern Ohio, USA.
• Iverson, Louis R.; Hutchinson, Todd F.; Prasad, Anantha M.; Peters, Matthew P. 2008. Thinning, fire, and oak regeneration across a heterogeneous landscape in the eastern U.S.: 7-year results.
• McEwan, Ryan W.; Hutchinson, Todd F.; Ford, Robert D.; McCarthy, Brian C. 2007. An experimental evaluation of fire history reconstruction using dendrochronology in white oak (Quercus alba).
• Phillips, Ross; Hutchinson, Todd; Brudnak, Lucy; Waldrop, Thomas. 2007. Fire and fire surrogate treatments in mixed-oak forests: Effects on herbaceous layer vegetation.
• McEwan, Ryan W.; Hutchinson, Todd F.; Long, Robert P.; Ford, Robert D.; McCarthy, Brian C. 2007. Temporal and spatial patterns in fire occurrence during the establishment of mixed-oak forests in eastern North America.
• McEwan, Ryan w.; Hutchinson, Todd; Ford, Robert; McCarthy, Brian C. 2006. Experimental evaluation of fire history reconstruction using dendrochronology in white oak (Quercus alba).
• Hutchinson, Todd. 2006. Fire and the herbaceous layer of eastern oak forests.
• Yaussy, Daniel A.; Hutchinson, Todd; Dickinson, Matthew B.; Rebbeck, Joanne. 2006. Fire research on the Raccoon Ecological Management Area.
• Rebbeck , Joanne; Yaussy, Daniel; Iverson, Louis; Hutchinson, Todd; Long, Robert; Bova, Anthony; Dickinson, Matthew. 2006. Use of temperature-sensitive paints as an index of heat output from fire.
• Hutchinson, Todd F.; Sutherland, Elaine Kennedy; Yaussy, Daniel A. 2005. Effects of repeated prescribed fires on the structure, composition, and regeneration of mixed-oak forests in Ohio.
• Artman, Vanessa L.; Hutchinson, Todd F.; Brawn, Jeffrey D.; Brawn, Jeffrey D. 2005. Fire ecology and bird populations in eastern deciduous forests.
• Hutchinson, Todd F.; Boerner, Ralph E.J.; Sutherland, Steve; Sutherland, Elaine Kennedy; Ortt, Marilyn; Iverson, Louis R.; Iverson, Louis R. 2005. Prescribed fire effects on the herbaceous layer of mixed-oak forests.
• Iverson, Louis R.; Yaussy, Daniel A.; Rebbeck, Joanne; Hutchinson, Todd F.; Long, Robert P.; Prasad, Anantha M. 2004. A comparison of thermocouples and temperature paints to monitor spatial and temporal characteristics of landscape-scale prescribed fires.
• Hutchinson, Todd; Rebbeck, Joanne; Long, Robert. 2004. Abundant Establishment of Ailanthus altissima (Tree-of-heaven) after Restoration Treatments in an Upland Oak Forest.
• Iverson, Louis; Prasad, Anantha; Hutchinson, Todd; Rebbeck, Joanne; Yaussy, Daniel A. 2004. Fire and Thinning in an Ohio Oak Forest: Grid-Based Analyses of Fire Behavior, Environmental Conditions, and Tree Regeneration Across a Topographic Moisture Gradient.
• Sutherland, Elaine K.; Hutchinson, Todd F. 2003. Characteristics of mixed-oak forest ecosystems in southern Ohio prior to the reintroduction of fire.
• Yaussy, Daniel; Rebbeck, Joanne; Iverson, Louis; Hutchinson, Todd; Long, Robert. 2003. Comparison of a low-tech vs. a high-tech method to evaluate surface fire temperatures.
• Hutchinson, Todd F.; Sutherland, Elaine Kennedy; Scott, Charles T. 2003. Composition and abundance of tree regeneration.
• Hutchinson, Todd F.; Rubino, Darrin; McCarthy, Brian C.; Sutherland, Elaine Kennedy. 2003. History of forests and land-use.
• Sutherland, Elaine Kennedy; Hutchinson, Todd F.; Yaussy, Daniel A. 2003. Introduction, study area description, and experimental design.
• Boerner, Ralph E. J.; Morris, Sherri J.; Decker, Kelly L. M.; Hutchinson, Todd F. 2003. Soil and forest floor characteristics.
• Iverson, Louis R.; Yaussy, Daniel; Rebbeck, Joanne; Hutchinson, Todd; Long, Robert; McCarthy, Brian; Riccardi, Cynthia; Prasad, Anantha. 2003. Spatial and temporal distribution of fire temperatures from prescribed fires in the mixed oak forests of southern Ohio.
• Yaussy, Daniel A.; Hutchinson, Todd F.; Sutherland, Elaine Kennedy. 2003. Structure, composition, and condition of overstory trees.
• Sutherland, Steve; Hutchinson, Todd F.; Windus, Jennifer L. 2003. Understory vegetation.
• Iverson, Louis R.; Hutchinson, Todd F.; Hutchinson, Todd F. 2002. Soil temperature and moisture fluctuations during and after prescribed fire in mixed-oak forests, USA.
• Sutherland, Elaine K.; Hutchinson, Todd F. 2002. The restoration of oak-hickory forests in the central hardwoods: results of a landscape-scale prescribed burning experiment in Ohio.
• Boerner, Ralph E. J.; Morris, Sherri Jeakins; Sutherland, Elaine Kennedy; Hutchinson, Todd F. 2000. Spatial variability in soil nitrogen dynamics after prescribed burning in Ohio mixed-oak forests.
• Hutchinson, Todd F.; Boerner, Ralph E.J.; Iverson, Louis R.; Sutherland, Steve; Sutherland, Elaine Kennedy. 1999. Landscape patterns of understory composition and richness across a moisture and nitrogen mineralization gradient in Ohio (U.S.A.) Quercus forests.

Research Highlights

Highlight	Title	Year
NRS-2017-44	Insights from a 250-year history of fire in the Appalachian Plateau of Ohio and Kentucky In many eastern U.S. forests, undesirable shifts in tree species abundance are occurring. For oaks and pines, it is widely believed that the dec ...	2017
NRS-2012-36	Repeated Prescribed Fires Help Sustain Oak Regeneration in Eastern Forests Research findings can help managers in their quest to sustain this forest type throughout Eastern North America	2012
NRS-2016-170	Shift Toward Mesophytic Species in Oak Forests May Limit Fire Reintroduction Exclusion of fire from eastern mixed-oak forests is widely understood to be an important explanation for difficulty in regenerating oaks. Forest ...	2016
NRS-2015-147	The Devil is in the Details for Regeneration Success in Mixed-oak Forests To improve oak regeneration, Forest Service scientists are studying shelterwood harvest with herbicide and prescribed fire treatments. Although ...	2015
NRS-2019-108	Understanding Long-Term Impacts of an Invasive, Tree-Killing Pest The emerald ash borer has been killing ash trees in the United States for more than two decades. What does that mean for ash populations and the ...	2019