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Stella Cousins

Stella Cousins
Research Scientist; Adjunct Lecturer
Ecosystem Science and Management
Climate + Energy
Conservation + Restoration
[email protected]
(734) 647-5047
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Dana 4032

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About

Dr. Stella Cousins is an ecosystem ecologist interested in understanding how and why forests change. She uses patterns measured in trees and forests such as growth, mortality, and community dynamics to reveal how ecosystems respond to human demands and disturbances. Her current research focuses on the drivers of tree mortality in California forests and the transformations that can be expected in ecosystems that experience rapid change. In earlier research she has examined forest carbon processes, air pollution impacts to montane forests, provision of watershed services, and the management of vegetated cultural landscapes. Her work leverages comprehensive surveys conducted by the USFS Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) Program, long-term monitoring, and measurements ranging from individual tree rings to whole forest structures. Dr. Cousins is broadly interested in how landscapes can be sustainably managed for multiple benefits, which often involves collaborating on multi-disciplinary teams and investing in place-based data collection. She is especially interested in social-environmental problems facing the Western United States. Prior to joining SEAS, Dr. Cousins was an Assistant Professor at California Polytechnic State University and a postdoctoral scholar at UC Berkeley. She completed her Ph.D. at UC Berkeley and was a graduate fellow at the National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC). 

Publications

Wilson, E.C. Cousins, S., Etter, D.R., Humphreys, J.M., Roloff G.J., and Carter, N.H. 2023. Habitat and Climatic Associations of Climate-Sensitive Species along a Southern Range Boundary. Ecology and Evolution 13, e10083 doi:10.1002/ece3.10083

Mitchell, J. C., Kashian, D. M., Chen, X., Cousins, S., Flaspohler, D., Gruner, D., Johnson, J., Surasinghe, T., Zambrano, J., and Buma, B. 2022. Forest ecosystem properties emerge from interactions of structure and disturbance. Frontiers in Ecology and Environment 2023; 21(1): 14– 23, doi:10.1002/fee.2589

Reed, S. E., Volk, D., Martin, D. K. H., Hausman, C. E., Macy, T., Tomon, T., and Cousins, S. 2022. The distribution of beech leaf disease and the causal agents of beech bark disease (Cryptoccocus fagisuga, Neonectria faginata, N. ditissima) in forests surrounding Lake Erie and future implications. Forest Ecology and Management 503: 119753 (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2021.119753)

Romulo, C. R., Posner, S., Cousins, S., Fair, J., Bennett, D., Huber-Stearns, H., Richards, R. and McDonald, R. R. Global State and Potential Scope of Investments in Watershed Services for Large Cities. 2018. Nature Communications 9, 4375. (https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-06538-x)

Cousins, S., Battles, J., Sanders, J., and York, R. 2015. Decay patterns and carbon dynamics of standing dead trees in mixed conifer forests. Forest Ecology and Management 353: 136-147. (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2015.05.030)

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Education

Ph.D., 2016. University of California Berkeley, Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management

Master of Forest Science, 2010. Yale University, School of Forestry and Environmental Studies

Bachelor of Science, 2004. Stanford University, Department of Biological Sciences

In the News
Ice storm and widespread power outages in Michigan: U-M experts available
February 23, 2023

Ice storm and widespread power outages in Michigan: U-M experts available

ANN ARBOR—More than 600,000 Michiganders were without power Thursday following a severe ice storm in southeast Michigan. University of Michigan experts are available to...

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