James M. Schmierer

Sustainable management of forest resources

As societal demands on forests continue to intensify, true stewards of the land must develop creative management solutions based on a long-term perspective and promoting a wide variety of tangible benefits. As a forester for Michigan Tech, I work with other faculty to conduct research and demonstration to provide a variety of examples of sustainable forest management on university lands and partnering properties.

I have adopted a teaching philosophy, which stresses the development of a necessary set of forestry knowledge and skills. This philosophy incorporates traditional lecture with classroom and field-based activities designed to engage students on several levels. I believe in solidifying important concepts with realistic field exercises, which require students to synthesize information from a variety of sources, and to utilize critical thinking and problem solving skills to produce timely, appropriate, and technically sound solutions.