Dr. Julie Larson will be joining the SEFS community in September as an assistant professor of ecological restoration and management.  As a plant ecologist, she aims to address major challenges in these areas by understanding the mechanisms driving variation in plant performance and community response to restoration and management actions. 

In Colorado she’s been exploring the long-term impacts of grazing and drought on diverse native plant communities, and whether “winning” and “losing” species can be identified by their strategies of growth, survival or reproduction. In Oregon, Dr. Larson is working with the USDA to identify seed and seedling strategies that enable native (and invasive) species to cope with drought, freezing and other environmental barriers limiting large-scale restoration success. While at UW, Julie looks forward to connecting with land stewards in Washington’s diverse rangelands, prairies and forests to understand and address grand challenges for decision-making in these systems. 

Please feel free to get in touch with Julie – especially if you’d like to discuss:  

• Research:  Plant regeneration; Functional traits; Seed germination/dormancy; Seed banks and natural recovery; Plant community dynamics; Invasive plant management; Diversity, equity and inclusion 
• Pastimes: Growing, cooking, and (especially) eating new foods; Hiking; Thrifting; Watching sports: and maybe with the move to Seattle – Kayaking? 

Julie sends her thanks to SEFS faculty, staff and students for such a warm welcome and looks forward to meeting everyone soon. 

Visit Dr. Larson’s website and learn more about her research.