Allan E. Houston
Professor
Webpage: www.amesplantation.org
Dr. Houston is Research Professor of Forest and Wildlife Biology in the Department of Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. He received Bachelor of Science degrees in Forestry and Wildlife Biology at North Carolina State University. He also earned a Masters degree in Forest Management at North Carolina State University. He received his Doctorate in Ecology at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. His dissertation centered on beaver ecology, specifically looking at reclamation of beaver impoundments with planted hardwoods and immigration of beaver into the control areas.
Dr. Houston is stationed on the Ames Plantation in western Tennessee. He directs forest and wildlife management and research on the 18,600-acre tract. Dr. Houston has been involved with large-scale and often long-term research projects on a number of wildlife species, including beaver; coyote food habits and movements; white-tailed deer habitat utilization; mesopredators; small rodents; quail habitat utilization, mortality factors and response to landscape-scale habitat manipulations; over-wintering habitat utilization and home range for Cooper’s hawks; presence, availability and consequences of mycotoxins to wildlife; and occurrence of disease in white-tailed deer. Recent research in forestry has included studies on the environmental effects of converting cropland to short rotation woody crops, the development of carbon sequestration models in these systems, and developing the methods and soil amendments required to convert short rotation lands back into agricultural systems. His research has included hardwood species comparisons and cultural treatments for establishment of planted seedlings. He has conducted research in bottomland systems, particularly work focused on degradation of riparian zones due to accelerated sand deposition.
Dr. Houston teaches Silviculture 322 to University of Tennessee-Knoxville Forestry Spring Camp students. Students also come from other Universities for training in various forestry or wildlife projects, for example, University of Tennessee-Martin, Murray State University, The University of the South, Union University, The University of Memphis and Kaesetsart University, Thailand. Dr. Houston frequently serves as an invited instructor for UT Martin wildlife classes and University of Memphis, Natural Resource classes. He is adjunct at the University of Memphis Biology Department and Mississippi State University Department of Forestry and Wildlife. He has served as past Chair of the Kentucky-Tennessee Chapter of the Society of American Foresters and is a Fellow in that Society. Locally, he serves on the Board of the Fayette County Forestry Association and Memphis Lumberman’s Education Foundation.
Dr. Houston initiated the nationally recognized "Woods Walk - Woods Talk" program, teaching ecological awareness to teachers, media representatives and students, also in-service training sessions for Shelby County, Memphis City and North Mississippi Private school systems in forest ecology orientation. This program was expanded in 1998 as a week-long Teachers Conservation Workshop and has received continuing grants from the Tennessee Forestry Association and the Lumbermen's Education Foundation.
Dr. Houston’s responsibilities also include development of forest management plans and timber harvesting on the Ames Plantation. Currently he is involved with developing an economically viable outdoor recreational infrastructure to support Ames, including hunting leases, guided hunts, uniquely developed fishing ponds, bird watching and horseback riding.
Dr. Houston’s research interests are generally focused on wildlife and forest ecology and management. He is currently involved with work to investigate the potential of Quality Deer Management as it impacts herd dynamics and the quality of the hunting experience. He is involved with a large study of mesopredator inter-relationships and species occurrence as correlated with an array of micro-habitat features. Dr. Houston is working with the University of Tennessee’s Tree Improvement Program to develop hardwood seed orchards on the Ames Plantation. From that work, studies are in place to examine the ability of highly selected, known-lineage hardwood seedlings to thrive in harvested openings in mature hardwood stands. Additionally, he has a number of long-term studies looking at growth, quality and the economics of intermediate hardwood stands having received release and fertilization treatments. These studies combine to form a set of silvilcutural treatments for Precision Forestry where specific species and genetic lineages within species are optimally established in relation to site and light regimes. Selected trees are later manipulated with cultural treatments to increase growth.
Dr. Houston’s position requires a balance between land management, personal and collaborative research, teaching, extension requests, and the administration of forestry and wildlife programs and protocols. Forest and wildlife management integrate with forest and wildlife research at both administrative and visionary levels. The interaction of management with teaching and research provide opportunities for effective assessment and examination of natural resource issues that have bearing on Tennessee and regional landowners.
Contact Information
Allan E. Houston
Ames Plantation
(901) 878-1067
Email:
ahouston@amesplantation.org