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Susan Crocker

Research Forester
Northern Research Station
Forest Inventory & Analysis
1992 Folwell Avenue
St. Paul, MN 55108
United States
Phone
651-649-5136
Email
Current Research

I am a Research Forester in the Northern Research Station's Forest Inventory and Analysis (NRS-FIA) program; NRS-FIA conducts annual inventories of forest land across all ownerships in the 24-state region that encompasses the Northeast, Midwest and Upper Great Plains. I serve as the lead FIA analyst for New Jersey and Illinois, evaluating and reporting on state-level forest conditions and trends. I also serve as regional lead for insect and disease analyses. My current research utilizes a landscape-scale approach to identify the mechanisms that influence insect spread and to assess the impacts of forest insect pests on forest resources. To date, I have focused particularly on the study of the exotic emerald ash borer (EAB), Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), using landscape-level models and geospatial approaches to categorize risk and predict patterns of EAB dispersal.

Research Interest

· Landscape and spatial ecology of forest insects

· Mapping and analyzing forest insect disturbance

· Predicting and preventing establishment of insect pests

· Monitoring impacts of insects pests on plant hosts

Why This Research Is Important

Comprehensive forest resource information provides the basis for sound forest policy and management strategies. It also offers a synoptic view of insect activity and the resulting impacts on the structure and composition of forest resources. Landscape-scale approaches that incorporate ground-level forest inventory data can improve our understanding of the influence of forest ecosystems on insect dispersal patterns and subsequent impacts to forest land. This research will provide more effective means of detecting and managing insect pests like EAB, and will inform mitigation strategies designed to slow insect spread and reduce impacts to forest resources.

Education
  • State University of New York, College of Environmental Science and Forestry, M.S., Environmental and Forest Biology, Entomology, 2006
  • Rutgers University, B.S., Natural Resource Management, Conservation Ecology, 2001
Professional Organizations
  • Member,  Entomological Society of America,  2012 - Current
  • Member,  Ecological Society of America,  2010 - Current
Featured Publications
Other Publications
Research Highlights

Forest Inventory and Analysis Data Helps Inform Landscape Drivers of Insect-induced Tamarack Mortality

Year: 2016
Tamarack trees have long been associated with Minnesota’s “Great North Woods” and have seen a slow but steady rise in abundance starting in the mid-20th century. Now, an eruption in the population of native eastern larch beetles is causing mortality of tamarack to climb.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/about/people/crocker