I have always been fascinated by what stories trees can tell us using their rings, especially about past climatic conditions. Tree ring based climate reconstructions are at the heart of my research. From the swamps of Alabama to the mountains of Wyoming, my climate reconstruction projects vary from tree ring width based streamflow reconstructions to quantitative wood anatomy or blue intensity based temperature reconstructions.

​Tree ring width reconstructions utilize the climate signal in the width of the tree rings as well as their earlywood and latewood width. Blue intensity is a proxy for density that can be used to extract a climate signal from tree cores. Quantitative wood anatomy uses cellular characteristics of the tracheids that make up the tree rings to extract a climate signal from the tree core. 

Fires and trees often go hand in hand. To confront issues such as how fire kills trees and the flammability of different forest species, I collaborate frequently with the PyroEcoPhysiology Lab at the University of Idaho. I am involved in multiple projects centering around how we can use tree cellular data to better understand fire induced tree mortality.

During my time as a MS student at the University of Alabama I led a project investigating environmental drivers of new cell formation throughout the year. Our findings from the first year of this data was recently published and I continue to be involved in this type of wood anatomy research. 

Bark beetle attacks are a major threat to the timber industry and forests in the US and resin ducts are the primary defense trees have against these attacks. In collaboration with the Environmental Ecology lab at Washington State University I am working on a project investigating the effects of pine plantation management techniques on resin duct production. 

Dendroarchaeology merges the study of tree rings with archeology. Through sampling old structures, we can provide supporting evidence for construction dates and extend tree ring records back in time to improve climate reconstructions. I have experience collaborating on dendroecological studies in the southeastern US at sites such as historic cabins to churches.