I’ve always loved the outdoors, and as a kid I wanted to be hiking, kayaking, or catching insects. In college I studied biology. Then I got into the world of forest health, studying an invasive disease sudden oak death that is killing trees on the West Coast.Â
Seeing the damage caused by this pathogen, and how it impacted the people who lived there, made me want to focus on the area more, because I knew I could have a big impact. Trees benefit us in so many ways! From giving us clean air and water to providing habitat for animals, we need healthy forests. Unfortunately, there are lots of threats to the health of forests, and they need our help.