Laura Kenefic

The findings of her research can be summed up in two words: Silviculture Matters. The forest management decisions we make today determine the forests of the future.

Some examples of my research projects and collaborations include:

Mixed-Species Silviculture – Kenefic studies how complex northern conifer (hemlock – spruce – fir), northern hardwood (beech – birch – maple), and mixedwood (hardwood – softwood) forests develop and respond to management. This includes rehabilitation (restoration) of degraded stands, regeneration and recruitment, stand structure, and understory vegetation and substrate following silvicultural treatment. This research is on Penobscot Experimental Forest in Maine, Dukes Experimental Forest in Michigan, and other public, private, and tribal forestland. 

Northern Hardwood Resilience – Kenefic is working with colleagues from the U.S. Forest Service, Michigan State University, and Canada to assess the state of the northern hardwood resource in North America, identify challenges to sustainable management, determine alignment between manager’s goals and silvicultural outcomes, and develop management guidelines for sustainable management of productive northern hardwood forests.

Adaptive Silviculture – Adapting forests to future conditions is an important part of forest management. Her work with U.S. Forest Service and university colleagues includes analysis of effects of management on biomass in trees, deadwood, soils, and wood products. Through the SEED (Social, Economic, and Ecological Dimensions of Adaptive Silviculture) project, she is working with others to evaluate outcomes, operational feasibility, and social acceptance of adaptation treatments.

Tribal Forestry – Kenefic is collaborating with the U.S. Forest Service, university, and non-governmental organizations to support tribal forestry through partnerships with Indigenous people. This includes research with the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians in Michigan on northern white-cedar (giizhik) and Penobcot Nation in Maine on American beech management. This work uses co-production to engage tribal resource managers in co-development of projects that support tribal sovereignty and protect Indigenous ecological knowledges.

Sustainability – Kenefic is the co-lead of northern white-cedar research collaboration with colleagues from universities and state, federal, and provincial governments in the U.S. and Canada. This work includes multi-site experiments such as MICedar: a project by Michigan State University, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, and U.S. Forest Service to assess outcomes of historical cedar harvests and develop and test new silvicultural approaches.

Experimental Forest Research – Kenefic’s research includes several foundational studies on experimental forests. These originated up to a century ago, providing long-term perspective on management outcomes. In addition to using historical work to answer new management questions, Kenefic works with the Forest Service’s Research Data Archive to make data from long-term studies publicly available. This work includes scaling up results from one location to regional or national levels by synthesizing results across multiple forests and regions.