The southern region, particularly the Appalachian Mountains, is where the majority of my education and experience is sourced, and I eagerly pursue further knowledge with every excursion or relevant journal. I returned to university so that I could develop insights that would allow me to work with professionals and the community to sustain and/or restore imperiled species and habitat. I am compelled to learn the name and characteristics of nearly every plant I encounter, their associations with specific forest types, and relationships with biotic and abiotic elements therein.

I previously worked as a research technician for the non-profit Forest Restoration Alliance (http://threatenedforests.com), and am developing projects to utilize the vast iNaturalist community to find host resistance in eastern hemlock and Carolina hemlock to the non-native, invasive hemlock woolly adelgid. HWA threatens hemlocks throughout most of their range in the U.S., and has caused mortality in excess of 80% of the trees in some areas. Candidate trees submitted to our project page "Help the Hemlocks: Finding Host Resistance to the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid" (https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/help-the-hemlocks-finding-host-resistance-to-the-hemlock-woolly-adelgid) will be included in our tree breeding program. Resistance or tolerance will be assessed through screening trials, and selections will be used to establish resilience in niches where the hemlock is a keystone species.

I am fortunate to have transitioned to restoring the southern Appalachian mountains on a forest scale by working as a forester with the non-profit organization EcoForesters. I welcome comments on any of my personal submissions but I not longer manage the hemlock pages. Although, I am always happy to share any insight I have around saving hemlocks as it is a goal that is very dear to me. Thanks for your time, folks!