Research

Research on the UCSC FERP

We welcome and encourage responsible research on the UCSC-FERP that complements our long-term research goals.  We strive to make our data freely accessible to researchers, and welcome observational and minimally manipulative studies in the forest.  Please see our pages on data policy and available data, and contact FERP Director and Environmental Studies Professor Gregory Gilbert (ggilbert@ucsc.edu) for more information.

Manipulative studies on the FERP require prior written approval from FERP Director Gregory Gilbert; no manipulations that may have a significant impact on forest dynamics, well being of forest animals, or ecosystem function are permitted.  Manipulative studies must be well justified, require the use of FERP resources in particular, and be of insignificant impact to be approved.  There is ample similar forest available on the UCSC campus for manipulative research that does not require FERP resources.  Contact Campus Natural Reserve Manager Alex Jones for more information. 

UCSC students wishing to do independent or thesis research on the FERP must have prior written approval from FERP Director Gregory Gilbert, provide a detailed plan of research, have a UCSC faculty research sponsor, and provide a summary report of their research.

All research on the UCSC-FERP or with FERP data must comply with our data policy, and conform to norms of research ethics.

 

Background information

Please see these  publications for background information on the UCSC-FERP and the Smithsonian ForestGEO network.  

Gilbert, G.S., S.G. Carvill, A.R. Krohn, and A.S. Jones. 2024. Three censuses of a mapped plot in coastal California mixed-evergreen and redwood forest.  Forests  15(1), 164; https://doi.org/10.3390/f15010164

Gilbert, G.S., E. Howard, B. Ayala-Orozco, M. Bonilla-Moheno, J. Cummings, S. Langridge, I.M. Parker, J. Pasari, D. Schweizer, S. Swope. 2010. Beyond the tropics: forest structure in a temperate forest mapped plot. Journal of Vegetation Science 21:388-405 PDF Appendices

Davies, S.J. + many.  2021.  ForestGEO: Understanding forest diversity and dynamics through a global observatory network. Biological Conservation 253: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2020.108907