Small insects. Big challenges.

In the forest insect ecology lab, we study how forest insects manifest global change in areas such as invasion biology and climate change. We work on insect challenges to trees and forests that span state, region, national, and international scales.

Come explore who we are and what we're working on. 

We currently have an open position for a postdoc to help with emerald ash borer.

News and Events

6 Feb 2024

Packed house at the annual DNR/US Forest Service Forest Health Day in Grand Rapids, where Jess and Grace shared their work. Everyone is hoping that conditions in 2024 fare better than 2023!

2 Feb 2024

'Crootin day! The Entomology Graduate program held its annual recruiting day over Zoom. It's always enjoyable talking to prospective students, some of whom we hope to see on campus for a visit soon!

9 Jan 2024

Emily's working with a collaborator at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC this week, describing and identifying what appears to be a new species of parasitoid from her field work! 

8 Jan 2024

Sayesha is presenting a poster on her research plans with spongy moth at the USDA Interagency Research Forum on Invasive Species in Annapolis, MD.

1 Dec 2023

Oh she does so, so much more than budworms. Congrats to Jess, who just won the college graduate student chili cookoff! Bravo!

25 Oct 2023

Welcome to our newest team member, Clarissa, who joins us on the elongate hemlock scale project. As it turns out, she shares a birthday with the PI. Big party next month!

6 Oct 2023

Emily and Sayesha just wandered in carrying three enormous puffballs! We're pretty sure they're edible, although we might consult with our friends in plant pathology before making risotto. 

15 Sep 2023

There were some great student presentations at the North Central Forest Pest Workshop this week. Congrats to Jess, Emily, and Rose for the UMN sweep of the student awards!

12 Sep 2023

Our newest lab member Sayesha is also giving a presentation today: the Valedictory Address at the MS graduation ceremony for the Erasmus Mundus program in Valencia, Spain!

11 Sep 2023

With posters printed and slides assembled, the lab is off to Wausau, Wisconsin for the North Central Forest Pest Workshop.

24 Aug 2023

The lab made cookies together today. Yes, a few trees were sectioned during chainsaw training. We are proud to use Stihl products.

11 Aug 2023

The lab website is back! Kinda like a cicada. Have we missed anything in the last few years? Bark beetles are still in family Scolytidae, right?

9 Aug 2023

Emily and Rose gave a presentation on insects to a 4H group with our good friend Sabrina from the Heimpel lab. The hissing cockroaches were a big hit.

4 Aug 2023

Leave it to Ian and Garrett to top the pizza with ground elk and Jess' sour gummi worms at our lab gathering. Bam! If you didn't try it, then you didn't try it.

2 Aug 2023

Scots pine seems to have some level of intrinsic defense against mountain pine beetle: a new paper out in Forest Ecology & Management with former postdoc Kevin Chase and friends.