Dr. Heather D. Alexander is a professor of forest and fire ecology in the College of Forestry, Wildlife, and Environment at Auburn University. Her research focuses on understanding forest ecosystem vulnerability in the face of changing fire disturbance regimes using observations across natural gradients and field–based experimental manipulations. She has studied the implications of fire suppression and ‘mesophication’ on composition, structure, and flammability of oak, mixed, and pine forests of the eastern U.S. for 20 years and has spent over a decade investigating wildfire implications for forest growth and regeneration dynamics in Siberian forests underlain by permafrost soils.

Dr. Milton is currently a postdoctoral researcher, working with Dr. Alexander to understand the interacting effects of disturbance and management on carbon sequestration across southern forests. She completed her PhD at the University of Michigan, where she investigated contributions of niche and neutral processes to tree species dominance and rarity in the Brazilian Amazon, with a focus on the Brazil nut family (Lecythidaceae).

Kathleen is a Ph.D. student with the Forest and Fire Ecology Lab. She is a landscape ecologist, concerned with how variability in plant traits can affect flammability and landscape scale processes. She has spent 2 decades researching the forests and landscape management of the eastern United States. Her research with the lab focuses on upland oak and pine forests and their vulnerability and response to wild- and prescribed fire.

Nathan Moore is a Ph.D. student in the Forest and Fire Ecology Lab at Auburn University and the Landscape Ecology Lab at the Jones Center at Ichauway, co-advised by Drs. Heather Alexander and Jeffery Cannon. His research focuses on fire behavior and oak persistence in longleaf pine ecosystems. Nathan received both his B.S. and M.S. in Natural Resource Ecology and Management from Oklahoma State University. In addition to his graduate research focused on fire ecology, Nathan has also worked on topics such as soil carbon storage, woody plant encroachment, and pyric herbivory. Broadly, his research interests are focused on the influence of disturbance on ecosystem services.

Mabely Romero, originally from Honduras, holds a degree in Environment and Development. She is currently undertaking a six-month internship as a Research Assistant at Auburn University’s College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environmental Sciences. This marks her second training experience at Auburn, following a professional internship in 2023 at the Department of Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences, which formed part of the requirements for completing her undergraduate studies.

Throughout these academic and professional experiences, she has developed a strong interest in forest ecology. Her involvement in research activities and field training has strengthened her technical and analytical skills while broadening her professional outlook toward the management and conservation of natural resources in both academic and applied contexts.

Oscar is a senior student at Zamorano University pursuing a degree in Environmental and Development Engineering. He is currently participating in an international program at Auburn University, working with the College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment in the Forest and Fire Ecology Lab. His undergraduate thesis focused on the valorization and prefeasibility of implementing carbon markets in the Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve, Honduras. He has also contributed to a research paper on ecosystem services in the same reserve. These experiences have strengthened his interest in forest management and the development of forest plantations across Central America, while also building his skills in data analysis, carbon storage assessment, and biodiversity distribution. At Auburn, he continues to gain valuable experience in research and fieldwork.

Natalia Osorio is a senior student at Zamorano University, originally from Tegucigalpa, Honduras, and is currently completing a three-month internship at the College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment at Auburn University. Her undergraduate thesis focused on the evaluation of Spathodea campanulata distribution within the Zamorano campus, where she conducted a census and analyzed its ecological behavior to determine its potential contribution to the landscape. This experience fostered her strong interest in forest ecology, carbon dynamics, and species distribution, which she continues to develop through research and field training at Auburn.

Sam McWhorter is a recent graduate from Auburn University having gotten his BS in Natural Resource Management with a minor in Watershed Sciences. He has spent his career taking part in a wide variety of opportunities in both academic and professional settings. Using the experience he has gained, Sam hopes to obtain his MS by heading a research project of his own. His research interests include wetland ecology and population ecology.