Patrick I. Bennett

Past research has focused on the factors influencing the population structures of economically and ecologically important Douglas-fir pathogens including Nothophaeocryptopus gaeumannii, cause of Swiss needle cast, and Leptographium wageneri, cause of black stain root disease. Other projects investigated the ecology and host distribution of the root disease fungus Armillaria.

Research interests include ecology and epidemiology of fungal forest pathogens, population genetics/genomics, anthropogenic and environmental influences on forest pathogen populations, and detection/monitoring of forest pathogens using molecular techniques.

Tree diseases are a major cause of lost growth and productivity in forests worldwide. Anthropogenic influences such as the global trade in plants and timber products, climate change, and forest management practices can have wide-ranging effects on the population biology and dynamics of forest pathogens. A comprehensive and holistic understanding of these processes is essential for developing efficient and sustainable management practices that mitigate the impacts of native and invasive forest pathogens.