Cara Nelson is a leader in restoration ecology with an emphasis on the effects of large-scale disturbances on understory plants and trees. Her recent work includes the response of conifer seedlings to drought conditioning. Her talk will dive into the efficacy and ecological impacts of ecological restoration and fire effects on our local forests. Come learn about the resiliency and what's at stake for our local forests!

About the Speaker
Cara is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences at University of Montana’s Franke College of Forestry and Conservation and Director of the College’s Restoration Ecology Laboratory, and Chair Emeritus of the international Society for Ecological Restoration. Her research program generates knowledge about ecological processes associated with ecosystem degradation and repair and innovates that knowledge into prescriptions for restorative interventions. Cara led the development of Standards of Practice for Ecosystem Restoration for United Nations environmental programs. She received an Excellence in Wilderness Stewardship Research Award from the US Forest Service, the John Rieger Award for contributions to the Society for Ecological Restoration, and two Fulbright Awards from the US State Department for forest restoration research in Chile.