Principal Investigator
Austin Himes
Associate Professor of Forest Ecology
School of the Environment
Office: TROY Hall 320
Research Interests
- Silviculture for multiple ecosystem services
- Silviculture and management of poplar for multiple benefits
- Diverse values of nature’s contributions to people
- Relational values
- Sustainable forest landscapes
Graduate Students
Kelechi G. Ibeh (PhD Student)
Kelechi is a Ph.D. student at Washington State University, where his research focuses on alternative forest management strategies, landscape-scale modeling, ecosystem services, system dynamics, and the impacts of changing climatic and disturbance regimes. He is currently a fellow of the Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center (NW CASC).
He earned a master’s degree in Forest Resources Management (Forest Biology and Silviculture) from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Before joining WSU, Kelechi worked as a lecturer and researcher in the Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management at Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Nigeria, where he taught undergraduate courses, supervised student projects, and contributed to scientific outreach and mentorship. He later served as a graduate research assistant at Mississippi State University before transferring to WSU to continue his Ph.D.
Outside of research, he enjoys photography, graphic design, mentoring students, and exploring creative approaches to science communication and community engagement.
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He earned a master’s degree in Forest Resources Management (Forest Biology and Silviculture) from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Before joining WSU, Kelechi worked as a lecturer and researcher in the Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management at Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Nigeria, where he taught undergraduate courses, supervised student projects, and contributed to scientific outreach and mentorship. He later served as a graduate research assistant at Mississippi State University before transferring to WSU to continue his Ph.D.
Outside of research, he enjoys photography, graphic design, mentoring students, and exploring creative approaches to science communication and community engagement.
Google Scholar
Website
Ruben Solorza (MS Student)
Ruben Solorza is a master’s student at Washington State University, focusing on the abundance and productivity of huckleberries in Northeastern, Idaho. His research, in collaboration with the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, will look to investigate future silviculture approaches that will continue the longevity of the culturally significant understory species. Prior to WSU, Ruben was a high school science instructor and cross country & track coach at St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower, California. He earned his bachelor’s degree in environmental science and psychology, as well as his master’s degree in education at Whittier College. When not in the field or in the office, Ruben enjoys hiking, fishing, and watching sports. His favorite hobby is running marathons around the world as he looks to complete the 6 World Major Marathons
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Sam Kaiser (PhD Student)
Kaiser’s research addresses the role of land management organizations in just and sustainable transitions with focuses in conservation policy and practice, diverse nature philosophies, marginalized land histories, and organization evaluation techniques. His methodologies include field surveys, policy and historical analyses, geospatial data science, and the application of justice frameworks. He’s applied these methods when researching land stewardship frames affecting United States Federal-Tribal co-management partnerships at Isle Royale National Park, developing decision-based social-ecological systems frameworks for outdoor education institutes, and studying how power dynamics shape ecotourism development in coastal Tanzania.
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CV
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Social Ecological Systems Research Group (SESRG)
The Social Ecological Systems Research Group is a multi-lab interdisciplinary team that the Himes lab is part of. SESRG is dedicated to understanding the dynamic interactions between human societies and natural ecosystems. More Info
Group Photos
