Assistant Professor, Department of Natural Resources and the Environment & Center for Environmental Sciences and Engineering

• What excites you most about your research?

Our forests face a variety of threats, such as climate change, introduction of exotic pests and pathogens, and urban and suburban development. I am most excited by the opportunity to conduct research that will help make forests, and all the benefits that they provide to human society, more resilient to these threats. My work focuses on better understanding forests in human-dominated landscapes from highly urban to rural areas, and determining how best to manage forests to help them thrive in these different situations.

• What’s the most valuable aspect of your research for people and communities?

Trees and forests provide many benefits to the human communities in which they are situated. These include mitigation of urban heat, reduced energy usage, pollution interception, Carbon storage, stormwater interception, and direct aesthetic, health, and recreational benefits to people. My work is used by practitioners and public officials to promote the benefits of forests and to develop strategies to maintain them into the future.

Research focus: Ecological silviculture, urban forest modeling, forest structural complexity.

Website: http://faheylab.weebly.com/