How long have you been a member of SER, and what is your best experience with SER far?

I have been a member of SER since 2013. That year, I attended the SER World Conference held in Madison, Wisconsin, USA. I was impressed by the diversity of attendees, ranging from restoration practitioners, scientists, policymakers, to representatives from the private and non-profit sectors from around the globe – a much broader suite of stakeholders than I’d seen at many other professional society meetings I had attended up until that point. From that first meeting in Madison, I was hooked!

Since first joining SER, I have been a member of several regional chapters, including the Great Basin, Australasia, Pacific Northwest and co-founded and currently serve as a Chair-elect of an SER section – the International Network of Seed-based Restoration.

Production of pine seedlings for reforestation efforts in Lebanon.

Please tell us about your career trajectory in the field of ecological restoration?

I began my career at Purdue University, where I received a B.S. in Forestry & Natural Resources with a minor in International Policy and Politics. Through this program, I not only built a strong foundation of natural sciences, but also had the opportunity to take extensive field courses in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Sweden, and the Pacific Northwest. This is where I first developed my love of plants and began to appreciate their pivotal role in ecosystem function.

Following my B.S., I pursued an M.Sc. at the University of Idaho, where I worked on several projects focused on native plant restoration and seed ecology. I also had the opportunity to train as an apprentice to nursery operations at the University of Idaho’s Center for Forest Nursery and Seedling Research (CFNSR), which allowed me to pair my scientific skills of plant physiology and ecology with practical knowledge of plant propagation and nursery management.

After completing my M.Sc., I worked as a Research Associate and Scientist at the CFNSR, where I had the opportunity to engage in many projects supporting reforestation and revegetation across the Pacific Northwest, the Great Basin, the Northern Rockies, and the Hawaiian Islands, and work with Tribal groups, municipalities, agency scientists and managers on seed or seedling-based restoration efforts in challenging environments. A particularly rewarding project involved work on a USAID & USFS-led program aimed at developing a national reforestation strategy, capacity, and training in Lebanon. In this capacity, I worked with a local organization (Lebanon Reforestation Initiative) and stakeholders to co-develop recommendations, practices, and train local leaders to build nursery and reforestation capacity in Lebanon.

Later, I pursued a Ph.D. at the University of Western Australia, in partnership with USDA-ARS Eastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center, and Kings Park and Chicago Botanic Gardens, where I had the opportunity to carry out joint research projects focused on improving large-scale dryland restoration in the western U.S. and Australia. Working in two dryland systems on different continents advanced my thinking on technology transfer and allowed me to develop collaborations between scientists and practitioners that worked in systems with different economic frameworks but similar mechanisms of degradation and ecological challenges driving the need for restoration.

Evaluating a range of post-mining soil types and seed technologies in the Controlled Environmental Facility located in the Pilbara Bioregion of Australia.

During my Ph.D. program, I recognized that I wanted to further develop project management, consulting, and outreach skills to compliment my science background. Through starting my own consulting firm, Verdant Consulting Group, and as an Associate at a large environmental consulting firm, EnviroIssues, I had the opportunity to manage projects supporting a diversity of clients ranging from municipal, industry, and non-profit clients. This work included community engagement, outreach, strategic planning, research, and science communication. During this time, I recognized that I most enjoy working at the intersection of science, stakeholder engagement, and land management.

More recently, I was lucky to find a role that allowed me to pursue a personal interest and hone my technical expertise by working on challenges in seed-based restoration at The Nature Conservancy (TNC), as part of the Sagebrush Sea Program. I currently manage the Innovative Restoration Project, where I coordinate teams working across 6 western U.S. states, build partnerships, and guide R&D of seed technologies to improve the restoration of the sagebrush biome.

 

Nursery training workshop hosted in partnership with the Lebanon Reforestation Initiative.

Why would you encourage others, particularly young people, to get involved in this field?

The dual crises of climate change and biodiversity loss are increasingly threatening the wellbeing of nature and people. To solve this complex challenge, which is likely to define humanity’s future during this century, will require much more direct engagement, creativity, determination, and diversity of perspectives from across the globe. Restoration ecology, both as a scientific discipline and as a practice, provides an opportunity to slow the trajectory of degradation and enable ecosystem recovery. To steer us in the right direction, we need all hands-on-deck!

 

Installing a reforestation project on a site previously impacted by grazing and invasive grasses, Maui, Hawaii, USA.

What’s something about you (a fun fact) that not many people know?

I was born and spent my early years in Ukraine. It is my hope that I can, one day, contribute to the restoration of Ukraine’s incredible ecosystems that have been severely impacted by Soviet-era industries, the Chernobyl disaster, and more recently the full-scale Russian invasion.