Robert M. Scheller, Ph.D.

Senior Ecologist

Email: rmscheller@consbio.org See CV [ PDF ]

I am a forest landscape ecologist and I have studied forest landscape dynamics in California, New Jersey, Manitoba, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. My research examines the biotic, abiotic and anthropogenic processes that drive potential long-term change in forested ecosystems with particular emphasis on climate change, wildfire, harvesting, insect defoliation, and invasive species.    In particular, I'm interested in examining how disturbances interact and alter forest tree species composition and the carbon and nitrogen cycles of forested landscapes.My research has been funded by the US Forest Service , NASA , and The Nature Conservancy .

My most recent research addresses the interactions among fisher (a large member of the weasel family) population size, wildfire, and fuels management in California. In addition, I have been exploring how disturbances and succession affect soil carbon and nitrogen and how soil C and N in turn influences succession. I am also a lead scientist developing the LANDIS-II forest landscape simulation model .

My interest in forest ecology really began growing up in the woods of Savage, Minnesota . 'The Woods' were a fantastic place for a nerdy kid to muck about and only later did I begin to see the history of Savage (and Minnesota and America) embedded within this forest fragment:  remnant open-grown bur oaks, prairie remnants, failed attempts at planting red pine, lowland elm forests decimated by Dutch elm disease . And there are still some really cool and rare communities in the neighborhood including pure stands of iron wood (Ostrya virginiana), calcareous fens, and oak woodlands. More recently the woods are marked by the scourge of suburbia: invasive species.  English ivy, buckthorn, and garlic mustard are now as common as blood root and jack-in-the-box were growing up. Change is a constant, I know, but it still pains me to see my woods losing some of their 'native' character.& On the plus side, they're still there and there's a new generation of kids mucking about, building forts, and with any luck, appreciating an unmanaged slice of nature, no matter how small.