ForestSAT2026: Special Session: Applying New Technologies to Forest Hurricane Research
The Jones Center Landscape Ecology Lab is hosting two sessions on hurricane-resilient forests at ForestSAT2026 (May 4-8, Gainesville, FL). Eight presentations showcase terrestrial lidar, UAV, and satellite remote sensing innovations for understanding forest resilience to intensifying tropical cyclones. Researchers from across the southeastern United States will present cutting-edge work on hurricane-adaptive canopy traits, wind disturbance impacts, damage assessment using deep learning, and ecological recovery.
New Study: Spaceborne lidar advances global forest monitoring
The Jones Center Landscape Ecology lab joined a global research team to synthesize research on NASA’s ICESat-2 spaceborne lidar mission and its applications for forest vegetation monitoring beyond its initial mission for ice monitoring. The team analyzed 293 studies and identified both current uses and emerging opportunities for combining satellite data to better understand forests, fire ecology, and environmental change.
NA-IALE: Hurricane Ecology and Restoration (International Association for Landscape Ecology)
The Jones Center Landscape Ecology Lab will showcase restoration and ecology research at the 40th Annual IALE-North America Meeting in Athens, GA. Our team will present three talks, three posters, and a hands-on workshop on lidar analysis in R, advancing our understanding of hurricane impacts on forests, remote sensing applications for restoration monitoring, and sustainable forest management in longleaf pine ecosystems.
Now Hiring: Landscape Ecology Seasonal Technician
We are seeking motivated individuals for a Seasonal Technician position supporting forest ecology and restoration research in longleaf pine woodlands at the Jones Center at Ichauway. The successful applicant will assist with field data collection, tree and understory surveys, terrestrial lidar collection and processing, and UAV operations in a team setting. Application deadline: March 30, 2026.
New paper on fire reintroduction and fertilizer legacy effects on plant communities
The Plant Ecology, Ecohydrology, and Ecological Silviculture Labs collaborated on a recent publication utilizing the Jones Center’s Long-term Productivity project. We found that: •Recovery in species composition was more evident at wetter sites compared to drier sites, likely because of seed establishment limitations at the drier sites. •A legacy of fertilizer addition dampened species richness […]
A Practical Guide to Revising a Peer-Reviewed Manuscript
Getting reviewer comments back can feel overwhelming—especially the first time. This article walks budding scientists through a clear, practical process for tackling peer-review revisions. From managing reviewer feedback to writing an effective response letter, this guide focuses on organization, momentum, and making it easy for reviewers to say yes.
Measuring Fire Injury with Lidar: New Research and podcast interview on Fire Ecology Chats
We joined a recent episode of Fire Ecology Chats, to discuss our lab’s new research using terrestrial lidar to measure fire-caused crown scorch in longleaf pine. By linking lidar return intensity to scorch severity, this approach offers a faster, more objective alternative to traditional ocular estimates—scaling fire effects measurements from individual trees to entire stands. The conversation explores implications for fire ecology, forest monitoring, and operational fire effects research.
Happy New Year from Ichauway
The Aquatic Sciences Lab wishes you a Happy New Year and an exciting 2026! We’ve stayed busy this fall and winter, and the coming months are poised to be just as busy with new projects, graduate students diving into field work, new RaMP fellows, conferences to attend, and events in SW Georgia Lab welcomes post-doc, […]
New Study: 48 Wildlife species use uprooted longleaf pine root mounds
We partnered with the Herpetology lab in a new study which showed that uprooted longleaf pine tip-ups—created when trees fall—provide a brief but critical wildlife habitat. Using >1 million camera-trap photos, we documented 48 vertebrate species using the mounds to forage, perch, bask, or shelter. The study highlights how even short-lived storm features support biodiversity and should factor into post-disturbance management decisions.
New Study: Terrestrial lidar provides accurate and objective measures of crown scorch
A new study from our lab shows that terrestrial LiDAR scanning (TLS) can measure crown scorch in longleaf pine with unprecedented speed and objectivity. TLS provides high-resolution, quantitative estimates of fire-caused crown damage—at least 20× faster than traditional ocular methods. The CrownScorchTLS R package makes these tools accessible for researchers and land managers, enabling more precise, mechanistic studies of fire impacts on forests.