In 2003, Yale University, in conjunction with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI), embarked on a large forest restoration project in the Republic of Panama. The goal of the project was to demonstrate the feasibility of re-establishing native tree species on degraded agricultural land. Dr. Andrew Park is an active participant in this project. He is analyzing data on species growth and environmental variables, topography, geography, rainfall, and the effects of tree establishment on local hydrology. This environment is a challenging one in which to work, partly due to the exuberant growth of Paja Blanca (Saccharum spontaneum), an aggressively invasive wild sugar cane that forms dense stands up to five meters in height. Because the Paja Blanca is a dominant feature ofdegraded farmland throughout the Panama Canal watershed, Dr. Park and his students have extended their hydrological studies to include this species. The results of these investigations will improve our understanding of the effects of tree plantations and Paja Blanca on rainfall interception and allocation.

Another of Dr. Park's projects examines the impact of cattle grazing on the regeneration of aspen cutovers in the Duck Mountain region of Manitoba. In recent decades, trembling aspen has become an important source of fibre to Canada's forest industry, but its exploitation is accompanied by attendant conflicts between competing land uses. Dr. Park's graduate student, Jeff Renton, is investigating whether cattle grazing is affecting the quantity and overall health of regeneratingaspen populations.

Dr. Parks' research has taken him from the warm temperate forests of Mexico, to restoration projects in Panama, the study of gap dynamics in tropical forests of Bolivia, and analyses of the spatial dynamics of Boreal forest succession. His experience has encouraged him to develop a global view of forest ecology and the importance of forests to society. He also recognizes that a closer study of the effects of climate change on forests will be needed to adapt forest management practices to the novel environments that may develop in the future. Together with other colleagues from CFIR, Dr. Park is developing plans to examine the impacts of climatic fluctuations on tree growth in Manitoba.