Northern Research Station

As a Research Ecologist for the Northern Research Station, Susannah specializes in urban wildlife and biodiversity. She researches how wildlife responds to changing ecosystems on a holistic level. Her research examines how management influences wildlife and vice versa, from grassland birds’ response to bison reintroduction to understanding suburban lawns.

Pine barren ecosystems once covered millions of acres across the Great Lakes Region. Today, just a few thousand acres, or less than 1%, remain. Historically shaped by frequent wildfires, pine barrens are found in areas with sandy, nutrient-poor soils, and are defined by a diverse savanna-like plant community characterized by grasses, herbs, and low shrubs, like wild blueberries and sweet fern, below a scattered canopy of pine trees.

Patches of forest dotting the urban landscape are easy to take for granted. These are forests at their most informal: natural areas within a city reflecting different ownerships and varying degrees of health, use and stewardship. Nevertheless, encountering nature in a forest patch can be as powerful an experience as visiting a national park.