Northeastern Research Station

Living Memorials

Research & Development

Meeting Our Scientist - David Nowak

Dr. David Nowak
USDA Forest Service
5 Moon Library
SUNY-ESF
Syracuse, NY 13210
Phone: (315) 448-3212
Fax: (315) 448-3216
email: dnowak@fs.fed.us
Website: Urban and Community Forest Ecosystem Research

Education:

• University of California, Berkeley:
  Ph.D. Urban Forest Ecology, 1991
• SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry:
  M.S., Urban Forestry, 1986
  B.S., Resource Management and Forest Biology (dual degree), 1984

Career Summary:

I have worked for the Forest Service, an agency in the United States Department of Agriculture, since 1989. I am currently the Project Leader of a research unit of the Northeastern Research Station, located in Syracuse, New York. The mission of the research unit is to understand and quantify the effects of urban forests and their management on human health and environmental quality. In the early 1990s I was a principal scientist on the Chicago Urban Forest Climate Project and am a recipient of the American Forests Urban Forest Medal recognizing outstanding national contributions in urban forest research and the Distinguished Science Award of the Northeastern Research Station.

My research expertise is in understanding urban forest structure, health, and change, and its effect on air quality and greenhouse gases. My current research program is:

• investigating national and local urban forest structure, health, and benefits
• determining the effects of urban trees on air quality and their role in national air quality regulations
• investigating long-term changes in urban forest structure and health
• developing tools and models to allow urban foresters to easily sample and quantify management needs, forest structure, and the environmental effects of urban forests
• developing management models to quantify future forest structure and effects, and determine management strategies to optimize forest benefits
• developing remote sensing methods and tools to produce digital cover maps to be integrated within urban forest models and GIS systems to improve urban forest management and human health

Specific Experience:

• Project Leader; Northeastern Research Station, Syracuse, NY; 1997-present
• Deputy Project Leader; Northeastern Research Station, Syracuse, NY; 1995-1997
• Research Forester; Northeastern Research Station, Syracuse, NY; 1994-1995
• Research Forester; Northeastern Research Station, Chicago, IL; 1991-1994
• Forestry Technician; Northeastern Forest Experiment Station, Berkeley, CA; 1989-1991
• Research Assistant; University of California, Berkeley, CA; 1986-1989
• Research Assistant, Research Foundation of the State University of New York, Syracuse, NY; 1985-1986

Civic and Professional Affiliations:

• Air & Waste Management Association
• American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing
• International Society of Arboriculture
• Society of American Forester