Maloof measuring a cherrybark oak in her Maryland yard

 Joan Maloof 

Joan@OldGrowthForest.net

410-251-1800

 Joan Maloof is the author of Teaching the Trees: Lessons from the Forest (2005) and Among the Ancients: Adventures in the Eastern Old-Growth Forests (2011). In 2016 she will publish a book about how management affects the biodiversity of a forest, and in 2017, a book Seeing Forests with photographer Robert Llewellyn. 

Maloof is a professor emeritus from Salisbury University where she taught biology and environmental studies. During her time there she mentored students in Champion Tree work. 

In 2012 Maloof founded the Old-Growth Forest Network. The Old-Growth Forest Network is the first national organization working specifically to preserve ancient forests for the enjoyment of present and future generations. In counties capable of supporting forest growth they identify at least one forest that will be forever protected from logging and open to the public. Then they help families connect with these forests. The result will be a national network of treasured forests where all generations can experience native biodiversity and the beauty of nature.  Visit the Old-Growth Forest Network at www.oldgrowthforest.net

 Maloof travels the nation giving talks about the Network and dedicating new forests into it. She also speaks out for threatened forests and advises others who are doing the same. One of her recent forest preservation victories was the Naylor Mill Park forest in Salisbury, Maryland. In 2016 she will relocate from the Eastern Shore of Maryland to Southern California.

Maloof with a coast live oak in southern California

Until recently, I was employed by Forest Watch, a group advocating for old-growth protection and restoration (among other things) in Vermont. Forest Watch is now going to become the Northeast office of the Center for Biological Diversity, and I will be their first staff person in this office. For those of you familiar with the old Wild Earth journal, Forest Watch (and now CBD) has been occupying their former space for the last couple of years.

“As a whole, the northeast United States is one of the most densely populated regions on Earth, and yet we have here one of the best opportunities to figure out how humans can live respectfully and harmoniously alongside nature and thriving wild places,” said Mollie Matteson, former deputy director of Forest Watch and now the Center’s Northeast public lands advocate. “The story of this region is one of ecological upheaval and loss, followed by the dramatic recovery of much of our forests and native wildlife since the early 20th century. The first half of that story is playing out all over the world today, and we can show that it is possible to turn those losses around — to restore wild nature, not just destroy it."

“However,” continued Matteson, “our gains have only been partial. With the ongoing threats of air and water pollution, development and habitat fragmentation, invasive species, and of course the looming specter of climate change, we are likely to fall far short of realizing this region’s potential to return to ecological health. In fact, without dramatic, pro-active efforts, we are going to see our ecosystems unraveling and the increasing loss of species — both those already rare and species we now take for granted.”

I have been very interested in old-growth forests for a long time. I am particularly hopeful that as a representative of CBD, we will be able to find opportunities to get public lands agencies to get more serious about old-growth ecosystems. Rare or sensitive plants, lichens, invertebrates, or other wildlife with strong associations with old-growth --these are the kinds of things I would be interested in knowing more about.

One of the yet-to-be learned lessons in the history of the world is that understanding how ecosystems work is necessary for the flourishing of human societies. Research in my lab attempts to further understanding of how ecosystems work. In particular, we recognize that ecosystems are constantly changing. They respond to changes in environmental conditions, to dynamics among existing species, and to introductions of new species. Research in my lab is focused on plants, plant communities, and ecosystem processes. Long-term perspective on ecosystem dynamics is achieved through the analysis of tree rings, and permanent plots. Ongoing research includes studies that explore the role of historical disturbances (such as fire) in ongoing forest dynamics. 

http://udbiology.com/content.php?id=1664

http://www.linkedin.com/in/travismorse 

Ecologist at Earth Dimensions, Inc.
Buffalo/Niagara, New York Area 

Earth Dimensions, Inc. is a soils and environmental consulting firm which has been investigating soils and the environment throughout the Northeastern United States for over thirty years.

My specialties include habitat surveys /inventories, wetland delineations, natural resource impact analyses, rapid bioassessments, Clean Water Act, Section 404, Article 24, SEQR and regulatory compliance, permit applications, compensatory mitigation, restoration, creation, enhancement and maintenance of wetlands, rare, threatened, and endangered species surveys, biomonitoring, functional assessments, tree surveys, and plant taxonomy.

Education: State University of New York College at Buffalo 
University of Nebraska at Kearne

Grace Nichols

Grace Nichols is a biology teacher and a parent of two young adults in Albany, NY. Locally, she works for the local and rare ecosystem, the Albany Pine Bush, with a fantastic crew, the Save the Pine Bush group.
Motto: "Pay your rent, work for the earth."

Bio:  I spend a lot of time explaining the fundamental "neat and cool" aspects of nature to energetic, inquisitive middle school students. The rest of time is devoted to my own teenagers. A native of Brooklyn, I find the rocks, birds, plants, animals, and trees of the Capital District to be good teachers. I retain that "oh wow" enthusiasm for wildlife, given that I am from the land of pigeons, starlings, concrete and litter.