David S. Buckley
Associate Professor

Dr. David S. Buckley received B.S. and M.S. degrees in biology from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1986 and 1989. He earned his Ph.D. in Forest Science from Michigan Technological University in 1994. His M.S. research consisted of a comparison of regeneration patterns of red and sugar maple in response to overstory conditions at the University of Michigan Biological Station in northern Lower Michigan. For his Ph.D. research, Dr. Buckley studied effects of overstory and understory competition, deer browsing, rodents, and late spring frost on the success of northern red oak acorns and nursery seedlings planted in oak and pine stands near Grayling in northern Lower Michigan.

After completing his Ph.D., Dr. Buckley worked as a Post-doc with the USDA Forest Service, North Central Forest Experiment Station in Rhinelander, Wisconsin. While at the Rhinelander Forestry Sciences Lab, he participated in additional oak regeneration studies and investigations of the effects of silvicultural treatments on understory vegetation and microclimate on the Chequamegon National Forest and Wisconsin State Forests. Dr. Buckley's primary Post-doc research took place on the Ottawa National Forest and consisted of a comparison of canopy structure, age and diameter distributions, microclimate, and understory plant species diversity in northern hardwood stands representative of unmanaged second growth, even-aged management, uneven-aged management, management for old-growth characteristics, and unmanaged old growth.

Dr. Buckley arrived at the University of Tennessee in 1998, and the Buckley family currently resides near the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains between Maryville and Walland, Tennessee.

Teaching:
Dr. Buckley teaches FWF 212–Dendrology And Silvics Of North American Trees, FOR 215–Forest Ecology, and FOR 520–Advanced Forest Ecology. He also teaches portions of FOR 322–Silvicultural Practices, FWF 601-Teaching Methods in Natural Resources, and ANR 333–Food, forests, and the environment. Six students have successfully completed an M.S. degree under Dr. Buckley’s direction over the past five years, and he is currently working with one M.S. and one Ph.D. candidate.

Memberships and Service:
Dr. Buckley is a member of the Ecological Society of America and the Society of American Foresters (SAF), and serves as Advisor of the UT student chapter of SAF. He is a Coordinating Editor for the international journal New Forests, and serves on the academic core team within the Office of Surface Mining Appalachian Regional Reforestation Initiative (ARRI). He is a member of the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture Advisory Council, College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources Undergraduate Academic Council, and Plant Biotechnology Building Committee, and is currently Chair of the Department of Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries Student Affairs Committee.

Research:
Dr. Buckley’s interest in the regeneration of oaks and other tree species continues, along with interests in the mechanisms underlying the results of silvicultural treatments and effects of silvicultural practices on commercial tree species, non-commercial plants, wildlife, microclimate, and other components of forest ecosystems. Dr. Buckley's research program is currently focused on key ecological interactions and disturbances that shape the development, properties, and processes of forest ecosystems and the silviculture, ecology, and regeneration of oak species. Recent initiatives in Dr. Buckley’s research program include mechanisms by which silvicultural practices increase or decrease the susceptibility of forest ecosystems to invasion by exotic plants, and techniques for expediting the recovery of native herb, shrub, and tree species on recently reclaimed and older mine sites. He is always interested in corresponding with prospective graduate students with similar interests. See contact information at the top of this page and the listing of available Graduate Assistantships on the Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries departmental web page.

Publications:
Jackson, S.W., D.S. Buckley, B.F. Miller, and C.A. Harper. First-year impacts of prescribed burning, shelterwood cutting, and selective girdling on heterogeneity in canopy cover, light, soil moisture, and understory plant composition in mature oak-hickory forests in Tennessee. (In Press, Northern Journal of Applied Forestry)

Hemel, B.T., C.K. Routh, D.S. Buckley, A.J. Long, H.M. Rauscher, W.G. Hubbard, and D.E. Nute. Development of a wildland fire component for the NED decision support system. EastFIRE Conference Proceedings, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA. (In Press)

Hartman, J.P., D.S. Buckley, and T.L. Sharik. Differential success of oak and red maple regeneration in oak and pine stands in northern Michigan: Restoration of oak and pine interactions on intermediate quality sites. (In review following revision, Forest Ecology and Management)

Barwatt, B.A., D.S. Buckley, and W.K. Clatterbuck. Regeneration microsites and resource levels resulting from a range of silvicultural treatments in Tennessee oak-hickory forests. Proceedings, 13th Biennial Southern Silvicultural Research Conference. (In Press)

Buckley, D.S., and R.M. Evans. 2004. Effect of season of cutting on the production and growth of white and Shumard oak stump sprouts in Tennessee. P. 45-51 in Yaussy, D., D.M. Hix, P.C. Goebel, and R.P. Long, Eds. Proceedings of the 14th Central Hardwood Conference. USDA Forest Service Northeastern Research Station General Technical Report NE-316. 539 P. (CD-ROM)

Kraft, L.S., T.R. Crow, D.S. Buckley, E.A. Nauertz, and J.C. Zasada. 2004. Effects of harvesting and deer browsing on attributes of understory plants in northern hardwood forests, Upper Michigan, USA. Forest Ecology and Management 199:219-230.

Jackson, S.W., and D.S. Buckley. 2004. First-year effects of shelterwood cutting, wildlife thinning, and prescribed burning on oak regeneration and competitors in Tennessee oak-hickory forests. P. 231-237 in Connor, K.F. Ed. Proceedings of the 12th Biennial Southern Silvicultural Research Conference. USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station General Technical Report SRS-71. 594 P.

Buckley, D.S., T.R. Crow, E.A. Nauertz, and K.E. Schulz. 2003. Influence of skid trails and haul roads on understory plant richness and composition in managed forest landscapes in Upper Michigan, USA. Forest Ecology and Management 175:509-520.

Chadwell, L.S., and D.S. Buckley. 2003. Site and canopy characteristics associated with oak advance reproduction in mature oak-hickory forests in the Ridge and Valley Province in Tennessee. P. 228-236 in Van Sambeek, J.W., J.O. Dawson, F. Ponder, E.F. Loewenstein, and J.S. Fralish (eds.). Proceedings, 13th Central Hardwood Forest Conference. USDA Forest Service North Central Research Station Gen. Tech. Rep. NC-234. 565 P.

Mercker, D., D. Buckley, and B. Ostby. 2003. Identifying oak trees native to Tennessee using “brief recognizable features”. University of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service Publication No. PB1731. 16 P.

Buckley, D.S., and T.L. Sharik. 2002. Effect of overstory and understory vegetation treatments on removal of planted northern red oak acorns by rodents. North. J. Appl. For. 19:88-92.

Crow, T.R., D.S. Buckley, E.A. Nauertz, and J.C. Zasada. 2002. Effect of management on the composition and structure of northern hardwood forests in Upper Michigan, USA. Forest Science 48:129-145.

Buckley, D.S. 2002. Field performance of high-quality and standard northern red oak seedlings in Tennessee. P. 323-327 in Outcalt, K.W., ed. Proceedings of the Eleventh Biennial Southern Silvicultural Research Conference; 2001 March 20-22; Knoxville, TN. USDA For. Serv. Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS-48.

Zasada, J., D. Buckley, E. Nauertz, and C. Matula. 2001. Dirca palustris L. Eastern leatherwood. Chapter in Woody Plant Seed Manual, (online edition, USDA Forest Service, Washington, D.C.

Zasada, J.C., R.M. Teclaw, D.S. Buckley, and J.G. Isebrands. 1999. Effects of frost on hardwood regeneration in northern Wisconsin. P. 17-24 in Stringer, J.W., and D.L. Loftis (eds.). Proceedings, 12th Central Hardwood Forest Conference. USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS-24.

Buckley, D.S., T.L. Sharik, and J.G. Isebrands. 1998. Regeneration of northern red oak: positive and negative effects of competitor removal. Ecology 79:65-78.

Tyrrell, L.E., G.J. Nowacki, T.R. Crow, D.S. Buckley, E.A. Nauertz, J.N. Niese, J.L. Rollinger, and J.C. Zasada. 1998. Compiled information about old growth for selected forest type groups in the eastern United States. USDA Forest Service, North Central Forest Experiment Station Gen. Tech. Rep. NC-197. 507 p.

Buckley, D.S., J.C. Zasada, J.C. Tappeiner II, and D.M. Stone. 1997. Plant morphological characteristics as a tool in monitoring response to silvicultural activities. P. 37-41 in Communicating the role of silviculture in managing the National Forests: Proceedings of the National Silviculture Workshop; 1997 May 19-22; Warren, PA. USDA Forest Service Gen. Tech. Rep. NE-238.

Nauertz, E.A., D.S. Buckley, R.M. Teclaw, T.F. Strong, and J.C. Zasada. 1997. Effects of silvicultural treatments and forest structure on temperature at various scales in northern hardwood forests. P. 253-266 in Proceedings, First Biennial North American Forest Ecology Workshop.

Kim, C., T.L. Sharik, M.F. Jurgensen, R.E. Dickson, and D.S. Buckley. 1996. Effects of nitrogen availability on northern red oak seedling growth in oak and pine stands in northern Lower Michigan. Can. J. For. Res. 26:1103-1111.

Heilman, W.E., J.C. Zasada, R.M. Teclaw, and D.S. Buckley. 1996. Harvesting effects on the microclimate of northern hardwood forests in the upper Great Lakes Region. P. 397-400 in Proceedings of the 22nd Conference on Agricultural and Forest Meteorology and the 12th Conference on Biometeorology & Aerobiology. Jan 28-Feb2, 1996, Atlanta GA. American Meteorological Society, Boston, MA.

Zasada, J.C., R.M. Teclaw, J.G. Isebrands, D.S. Buckley, and W.E. Heilman. 1994. Effects of canopy cover and site preparation on plant succession and microclimate in a northern hardwood forest. P. 45-46 in Proceedings, Ecosystem Management Strategies for the Lake Superior Region.

Zasada, J.C., R.M. Teclaw, J.G. Isebrands, D.S. Buckley, and W.E. Heilman. 1994. Effects of canopy cover and site preparation on plant succession and microclimate in a hardwood forest in northern Wisconsin. P. 479-480 in Proceedings of the 1994 SAF/CIF Convention

Graduate Student Theses:

Barwatt, B.A. 2004. Maximizing northern red oak (Quercus rubra) seedling growth to sustain oak-dominated ecosystems in East Tennessee. M.S. Thesis, University of Tennessee. 136 P.

Ellis, D.M. 2004. Effects of community type and site productivity on re-accumulation of forest fuels after prescribed burning in East Tennessee. M.S. Thesis, University of Tennessee. 52 P.

Hemel, B.T. 2004. Prescribed burning in Tennessee: Importance and barriers, goals, and information needs of private, state, and federal managers. M.S. Thesis, University of Tennessee. 91 P.

Hartman, J.P. 2003. Northern red oak regeneration in oak and pine stands: Long-term effects of mechanical competitor removal and short-term effects of prescribed fire. M.S. Thesis, University of Tennessee. 133 P.

Jackson, S.W. 2002. First-year changes in oak regeneration, understory competitors, and resource levels in response to two overstory treatments and prescribed burning at Chuck Swan State Forest. M.S. Thesis, University of Tennessee.112 P.

Chadwell, L.S. 2001. Patterns of oak advance reproduction in mature oak-hickory forests in the Ridge and Valley Physiographic Region of Tennessee . M.S. Thesis, University of Tennessee. 102 P.

Contact Information

David S. Buckley
Associate Professor
Forestry, Wildlife & Fisheries
274 Ellington Plant Sciences
(865) 974-7126
Email:dbuckley@utk.edu