One of the most persistent difficulties in science is extrapolating relationships discovered through scientific research to other domains of scale.  This problem is a great impediment to the application of scientific research because the domains of scale for management decisions and policy development are almost always different than the scales at which scientific research must be conducted.  Extrapolation across scales cannot be achieved by simply multiplying estimates derived at a local scale by the area of the larger region, because of the variability of human and natural systems in space and time.  Valid extrapolation requires linking of “pattern to process,” so that local-scale knowledge of what controls biological processes can be linked to the pattern of those control agents on the landscape.  Innovative scaling concepts and tools are needed to integrate disciplinary research and translate forestry knowledge to policy-relevant scales. 

Research Goals

Identify the most promising theoretical frontiers of scaling science.

Develop quantitative methods to apply scaling theory to practical resource management problems.

Selected Research

• Scaling theory development. 
• Synthesis and evaluation of theoretical scaling concepts.
• Experimentation to test hypotheses derived from theoretical scaling concepts.
• Use simulation models as tools to scale site-level research results to landscape and regional scales.
  • Enhanced Adaptation to Climate Change of Conifer Species and Provenances in Northern Forest Ecosystems
• Develop techniques to extrapolate empirically-derived knowledge to other spatial and temporal scales.
  • Scaling Aspen-FACE Results to Landscape Scale
• Identify thresholds of scale where ecological relationships change.
• Apply landscape genetics techniques to questions of genome adaptation to climate change, dispersal of highly mobile organisms, and invasions by non-native species.
  • Designing Pest-Resistant Forest Landscapes: The Importance of Spatial Pattern
• Develop remote sensing and statistical methods to apply scaling theory to practical resource management problems.
  • Fire severity and ecosystem impacts immediately following an extreme fire event in northern Minnesota
• Effects of Insect Defoliation on Regional Carbon Dynamics of Forests