Forest Resources and Conservation

Dr. Wendell P. Cropper, Professor

Wendell Cropper joined the School faculty in 2002 with teaching and research responsibilities in Biological Process Modeling. He has extensive experience developing computer simulation models of populations and physiological and ecosystem processes for southern pines and other Florida ecosystems.

Research:
Simulation modeling of plantation and natural forests at multiple scales. Matrix population modeling of tree and palm species. Mechanistic modeling of physiological and ecological processes. Modeling of nutrient uptake in roots and mycorrhizae. Landscape modeling of pine forests.

Applications of genetic algorithms for optimization, model calibration and inverse modeling. Applications of neural networks for prediction of complex ecological characteristics, such as pine Leaf Area Index.

Future Research: Development, testing, and application of computer simulation models that use mechanistic/physiological approaches for trees and forests, forest landscape models, and population models. Applications of biologically-inspired computing.

Degrees:
PhD, Emory University, 1980
MS, Emory University, 1977
BA, Cornell College, 1973

Graduate Students:

Douglas Shoemaker (M.S 2005, SFRC) Extraction of Leaf Area Index in Plantation Pine Forests from Satellite Imagery

Louise Loudermilk (M.S. 2006, SFRC) Modeling Forest Succession and Fire Disturbance in a North-Central Florida Landscape

Louise Loudermilk (Ph.D. 2010, SNRE) Multi-scale modeling of fire dynamics to assess longleaf pine regeneration success

Jennifer Holm (M.S. 2008, SNRE) Population dynamics of the Amazonian palm Mauritia flexuosa: Model development and simulation analysis.

Helen Claudio (M.S., SNRE) A Multi-Scale Approach in Development of a Generalized Coupled Evapotranspiration and CO2 Flux Model for the
Southern Pine Forest.

Sebastian Palmas (M.S., SFRC) Simulating tropical tree populations with Integral Projection Models