Stefan Hupperts
Forest Science
By spanning aboveground and belowground ecology, my research aims to strengthen our knowledge of plant and fungal community responses to disturbance and ultimately contribute toward improved forest management systems. My work will provide critical evidence to support or refute prevailing hypotheses that management systems in Great Lakes forests can be revised to better promote species diversity. Conclusions will also help identify which plant and fungal traits are selected for or against along disturbance gradients to better inform trait databases, future modeling efforts, and forest management.I’m extremely grateful for the support of my advisor Dr. Yvette Dickinson, the McIntire-Stennis Cooperative Forestry Research Program, and the MTU Graduate School. Living, exploring, and conducting research in the forests of the Upper Peninsula has been an incredible privilege.