Brian J. Palik
Title: Team leader and Research Ecologist
Unit: Center for Research on Ecosystem Change
Previous Unit: Ecology & Silviculture of the Lake States Forests
Address: Northern Research Station
1831 Hwy 169 East
Grand Rapids, MN 06514
Phone: 218-326-7116
E-mail: Contact Brian J. Palik
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Education
- Ph.D., Department of Forestry, Michigan State University, 1992, Forest Ecology.
- M.S., Department of Botany, Michigan State University, 1988, Plant Ecology.
- B.S., Alma College, 1983, Biology.
- Additional Study: Organization for Tropical Studies, Costa Rica, 1987, Tropical Ecology
Civic & Professional Affiliations
- Member: Society of American Foresters, Forest Guild
- Riparian Science Technical Committee, Minnesota Forest Resources Council
- Chair-elect, Ecology Working Group, Society of American Foresters
- Science Advisory Committee, Natural Resources Research Institute, University of Minnesota
- Adjunct Faculty: University of Minnesota, iowa State University, Michigan Technological University
- 2003-present: NCRS representative to National Experimental Forest Working Group, USDA Forest Service.
- Peer Reviewer: Ecology, Canadian Journal of Forest Research, Journal of Ecology, American Midland Naturalist, Journal of Vegetation Science, Biotropica, Forest Ecology and Management, Journal of Forest Research, Plant Ecology, Forest Science, Conservation Ecology, Landscape Ecology, Forest, Snow, and Landscape Research, Journal of Forestry, Journal of Biogeography, Northwest Science, USDA Competitive Grants, NSF Competitive Grants, British Columbia Forest Service Competitive Grants
Current Research
My research has two central themes:
- ecological linkages between upland forests and small streams and wetlands and
- understanding and restoration ecological complexity in managed forests.
Both of these themes are addressed primarily through use of operational-scale management experiments designed to be statistically robust, realistic, but also novel in terms of the treatments examined, and inclusive of a large number of response variables. Much of this work is accomplished through close collaboration with university and agency researchers from across the region. My particular research foci include questions related to plant biodiversity and community composition, tree regeneration dynamics, and aboveground productivity. I am interested in tradeoffs between productivity (biomass, volume) and sustainability of other ecological characteristics (e.g., native species diversity and habitat). Ultimately, my interest is in developing and evaluating silvicultural and management approaches that sustain ecological complexity in forests managed for wood production.
Why is This Important
Understanding forest ecosystem responses to disturbance is key to developing the knowledge and tools needed to sustain ecological and economic objectives in managed ecosystems and landscapes. Many ecologists believe that sustainability is achieved by using natural disturbance and stand development processes as guides for management approaches. The goal is not to mimic nature directly, or even to closely emulate it. Rather the goal is to develop management approaches that reduce disparities between natural and managed systems in structure, composition, and function. While many organizations are attempting to develop natural disturbance and stand development-based management prescriptions, they have little practical experience in doing so, nor are the research findings available to guide their attempts. My work, particularly through use of operational-scale experiments that involve managers, provides this experience and knowledge
Future Research
- Development/refinement of stand-scale forest dynamics models that are robust at predicting growth and yield, structural development, composition, etc., in multi-cohort, mixed species stands.
- Collaboration with others from across the Northern Station in an effort to develop a comprehensive regional synthesis of results from our respective long-term silvicultural research.
- A cross-regional, multi-location experiment that tests fundamental ideas of silvicultural approaches for optimizing productivity of wood and restoration of stand-scale structural complexity.
- Quantification of response curves that relate amount of stand-scale structural features (e.g., snags, old trees, down logs, rare tree species abundance) to ecological indicators of native biological diversity (e.g., songbird abundance, species richness).
Featured Publications
- Pecot, Stephen D.; Mitchell, Robert J.; Palik, Brian J.; Moser, Barry; Hiers, J. Kevin. 2007. Competitive responses of seedlings and understory plants in longleaf pine woodlands: separating canopy influences above and below ground
- Morris, Arthur E.L.; Goebel, P. Charles; Palik, Brian J. 2007. Geomorphic and riparian forest influences on characteristics of large wood and large-wood jams in old-growth and second-growth forests in Northern Michigan, USA
- Palik, Brian; Streblow, Dwight; Egeland, Leanne; Buech, Richard. 2007. Landscape variation of seasonal pool plant communities in forests of northern Minnesota, USA
- Golladay, Stephen W.; Battle, Juliann M.; Palik, Brian J. 2007. Large wood debris recruitment on differing riparian landforms along a Gulf Coastal Plain (USA) stream: a comparison of large floods and average flows
- Franklin, Jerry F.; Mitchell, Robert J.; Palik, Brian J. 2007. Natural disturbance and stand development principles for ecological forestry
Additional
Online Publications
- Batzer, Darold P.; Palik, Brian J. 2007. Variable response by aquatic invertebrates to experimental manipulations of leaf litter input into seasonal woodland ponds
- Kramer, Daniel Boyd; Polasky, Stephen; Starfield, Anthony; Palik, Brian; Westphal, Lynn; Snyder, Stephanie; Jakes, Pamela; Hudson, Rachel; Gustafson, Eric. 2006. A Comparison of Alternative Strategies for Cost-Effective Water Quality Management in Lakes
- Gilmore, Daniel W.; Palik, Brian J. 2006. A revised managers handbook for red pine in the North Central Region
- Morris, Arthur E. L.; Goebel, P. Charles; Williams, Lance R.; Palik, Brian J. 2006. Influence of landscape geomorphology on large wood jams and salmonids in an old-growth river of Upper Michigan
- Goebel, P. Charles; Pregitzer, Kurt S.; Palik, Brian J. 2006. Landscape hierarchies influence riparian ground-flora communities in Wisconsin, USA
- Lugo, Ariel E.; Swanson, Frederick J.; González, Olga Ramos; Adams, Mary Beth; Palik, Brian; Thill, Ronald E.; Brockway, Dale G.; Kern, Christel; Woodsmith, Richard; Musselman, Robert. 2006. Long Term Research at the USDA Forest Service's Experimental Forests and Ranges
- Palik, Brian J.; Batzer, Darold P.; Kern, Christel. 2005. Upland Forest Linkages to Seasonal Wetlands: Litter Flux, Processing, and Food Quality
- Palik, Brian J.; Kern, Christel C.; Mitchell, Robert; Pecot, Stephen. 2005. Using spatially variable overstory retention to restore structural and compositional complexity in pine ecosystems
- Palik, Brian; Levy, Louise. 2004. A research agenda for silviculture in the Great Lakes Region
- Palik, Brian J.; Tang, Swee May; Chavez , Quinn. 2004. Estimating riparian area extent and land use in the Midwest.
- Kirkman, L. Katherine; Goebel, P. Charles; Palik, Brian J.; West, Larry T. 2004. Predicting plant species diversity in a longleaf pine landscape
- Palik, Brian; Levy, Louise (ed.). 2004. Proceedings of the Great Lakes silviculture summit
- Batzer, Darold P.; Palik, Brian J.; Buech, Richard. 2004. Relationships between environmental characteristics and macroinvertebrate communities in seasonal woodland ponds of Minnesota
- Palik, Brian; Levy, Louise; Crow, Thomas. 2004. The great lakes silviculture summit: an introduction and organizing framework
- Palik, Brian; Zasada, John. 2003. An Ecological Context for Regenerating Mult-cohort, Mixed-species Red Pine Forests
- Palik, Brian; Cease, Kory; Egeland, Leanne; Blinn, Charles. 2003. Aspen Regeneration in Riparian ManagementZones in Northern Minnesota: Effects ofResidual Overstory and Harvest Method
- Goebel, P. Charles; Pregitzer, Kurt S.; Palik, Brain J. 2003. Geomorphic Influences on Large Wood Dam Loadings, Particulate Organic Matter and Dissolved Organic Carbon in an 0ld-Growth Northern Hardwood Watershed
- Goebel, P. Charles; Palik, Brain J.; Pregitzer, Kurt S. 2003. Plant Diversity Contributions of Riparian Areas in Watersheds of the Northern Lake States, USA
- Palik, Brian; Mitchell, Robert J.; Pecot, Stephen; Battaglia, Mike; Pu, Mou. 2003. Spatial Distribution of Overstory Retention Influences Resources and Growth of Longleaf Pine Seedlings
- Palik, Brian J.; Buech, Richard; Egeland, Leanne. 2003. Using an Ecological Land Hierarchy to Predict Seasonal-Wetland Abundance in Upland Forests
- Palik, Brian J.; Mitchell, Robert J.; Hiers, J. Kevin. 2002. Modeling silviculture after natural disturbance to sustain biodiversity in the longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) ecosystem : balancing complexity and implementation
- Battaglia, Michael A.; Mou, Pu; Palik, Brian; Mitchell, Robert J. 2002. The effect of spatially variable overstory on the understory light environment of an open-canopied longleaf pine forest
- Goebel, P. Charles; Palik, Brian J.; Kirkman, L. Katherine; Drew, Mark B.; West, Larry; Pederson, Dee C. 2001. Forest ecosystems of a Lower Gulf Coastal Plainlandscape: multifactor classification and analysis
- Palik, Brian J.; Batzer, Darold P.; Buech, Richard; Nichols, Dale; Cease, Kory; Egeland, Leanne M.; Streblow, Dwight E. 2001. Seasonal Pond Characteristics Across A Chronosequence Of djacent Forest Ages In Northern Minnesota, USA
- Kirkman, Katherine L.; Goebel, Charles P.; West, Larry; Drew, Mark B.; Palik, Brian. 2000. Depressional wetland vegetation types: a question of plant commmunity development
- Palik, Brian J.; Goebel, Charles P.; Kirkman, Katherine L.; West, Larry. 2000. Using Landscape Hierarchies To Guide Restoration Of Disturbed Ecosystems
- Hainds, Mark J.; Mitchell, Robert J.; Palik, Brian J.; Boring, Lindsay R.; Gjerstad, Dean H. 1999. Distribution of native Legumes (Leguminoseae) in frequently burned longleaf pine (Pinaceae)-Wiregrass (Poaceae) ecosystems
- Palik, Brian J.; Robl, James. 1999. Structural legacies of catastrophic windstorm in a mature Great Lakes aspen forest.
- Palik, Brain J.; Michener, William K.; Mitchell, Robert J.; Jones, Joseph W. 1999. The effect of landform and plant size on mortallity and recovery of longleaf pine during a 100-year loog1
- Palik, Brian J.; Golladay, Stephen W.; Goebel, P. Charles; Taylor, Brad W. 1998. Geomorphic variation in riparian tree mortality and stream coarse woody debris recruitment from record flooding in a coastal plain stream
- Golladay, Stephen W.; Taylor, Brad W.; Palik, Brian J. 1997. Invertebrate Communities of Forested Limesink Wetlands in Southwest Georgia, USA: Habitat Use and Influence of Extended Inundation
- Palik, Brian J.; Pederson, Neil. 1996. Overstory mortality and canopy disturbances in longleaf pine ecosystems
- Palik, Brain J.; Pregitzer, Kurt S. 1995. Variability in early height growth rate of forest trees: implications for retrospective studies of stand dynamics
- Palik, Brain J.; Pregitzer, Kurt S. 1993. The repeatability of stem exclusion during even-aged development of bigtooth aspen dominated forests
- Pregitzer, Kurt S.; Palik, Brain J. 1993. The vertical development of early successional forests in northern Michigan, USA
Last Modified:
11/19/2008