Forest Impacts
UNH Forestry Researchers Receive Grants to Study Issues Impacting Northern Forest Region
What impact do nonnative pests and diseases have on the vegetation of the Northern Forest? How will climate change impact the range of the northern red oak, especially within the Northern Forest?
These are two questions that University of New Hampshire scientists hope to answer with support from the U.S. Forest Service-funded Northeastern States Research Cooperative (NSRC) competitive grants... 
A Lifetime Achievement
COLSA Natural Resources & the Environment Professor Receives Lifetime Achievement Award from Geospatial Education Consortium AmericaView
Professor of Natural Resources and the Environment Russell Congalton has spent close to half a century researching and teaching geographic information systems (GIS), remote sensing and geospatial technologies. During that time, he’s witnessed significant change – which is really just the nature of his work: identifying changing habitats and environments from imagery provided by satellites,... 
Microbial Ecologist Honored with CAREER Award
Funds to support research, teaching and outreach targeting soil microbes in thawing permafrost
The National Science Foundation (NSF) recently recognized Jessica Ernakovich, assistant professor of natural resources and the environment, with a prestigious $1.1 million CAREER award to continue her work building a research, teaching and outreach program focused on soil microbes in the Arctic’s permafrost. Ernakovich will study how the microbes behave as the permafrost thaws and how the rate of... 
In the Face of a Storm: Bend or Resist?
New study guides coastal management and climate change planning
Bill McDowell, professor of environmental science.
In a new study of the ecological impacts of tropical cyclones, an international research team including researchers from UNH addresses a question that people have asked for centuries: When confronted by a storm, is it better to be resistant like an oak or resilient like a willow? The findings, published in the journal Science Advances, could help... 
Pine Pests
Researchers discover southern pine beetle in Maine, N.H.
UNH researchers have discovered the southern pine beetle, one of the most damaging tree-dwelling insects in the Southeast, in forests in Maine and New Hampshire. The southern pine beetle has never been seen this far north and has forestry experts concerned, specifically about the unique pitch pine barrens found throughout New England.
“Warmer winter temperatures make it easier for beetles to... 
Going With The Flow
New research helps untangle complex relationship between climate and water quality
Climate change is expected to cause more droughts and stronger storms, and a new UNH study suggests that as these precipitation extremes grow more common the effect on water quality may be hard to predict. Rainfall and drought have direct impacts on the amount of carbon and nutrients, such as nitrogen, washing into our waterways, and healthy nutrient concentrations are important for maintaining... 
E&E News: Dems' spending bill taps small banks for climate justice
Eric Hangen & Neda Arabshahi
As climate change concerns begin to rise, legislators in Washington have began to shift the focus of resources toward implementing clean energy, especially in overlooked communities. E&E News recently reported on the roll of community development financial institutions (CDFIs) in this investment effort, interviewing Eric Hangen, a senior research fellow at the Carsey School, and Neda... 
Transforming Students Into Climate Leaders
Three programs provide research opportunities in Arctic, Andes
The next generation of climate science researchers is getting its start at UNH, thanks to three new initiatives that will engage students with international research experiences at global flashpoints of our changing climate. The projects, all funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), will send undergraduates, graduate students and faculty mentors from UNH, minority-serving institutions (... 
Giving Eelgrass an Edge
Grant aims to understand role of water quality in plant’s decline
Eelgrass, the flowering plant whose underwater meadows provide a range of benefits for marine organisms and humans, has declined significantly in the Great Bay Estuary in recent decades. A new grant led by Bill McDowell, professor of natural resources and the environment, aims to understand how changes in water quality — with a particular focus on nitrogen and sediments — affect eelgrass health.... 
Research Snapshot: Spying on Wildlife
Trail cameras help researchers monitor N.H.’s wildlife
This bear appeared ready for its close-up as it wandered in front of a trail camera, one of several deployed across southeastern New Hampshire by Remington Moll, assistant professor of natural resources and the environment.
Moll, his Ph.D. student Andrew Butler, and research partners from New Hampshire Fish and Game are harnessing the increased quality of trail cameras and improved models for...