For centuries, forests have represented the unknown: mysterious places where fairies and spirits have dwelt and where the mark of civilization has never been felt. But we realized that forests are dynamic ecosystems that support a range of plants, fungi and wild animals. And far from being primitive, forests are quite sensitive to human activity.
Anna Trugman of UC Santa Barbara is among the scientists who have dedicated her career to unlocking the secrets of forests and understanding how they might respond to a changing environment. The assistant professor was named a 2022-2026 Early Career Fellow by the Ecological Society of America (ESA) for her work explaining how forest ecosystems respond to climate change.
Early Career Fellows are researchers recognized by ESA as having advanced ecological knowledge and applications within eight years of completing their doctoral training, and who promise to continue to make outstanding contributions to a wide range of areas served by the company. They are elected for five years.
“I am very humbled and honored to be awarded as an ESA Early Career Fellow,” Trugman said. “It’s a really impressive list of peers to be among.”
Trugman studies forests: what they are and where they are going in the coming decades. She is particularly interested in the impact of water limitation on these ecosystems. The processes underlying drought mortality have implications for carbon sequestration and forest resilience.
After earning a bachelor’s degree in geological and environmental sciences at Stanford University, Trugman earned his doctorate from the Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences program at Princeton University. “My research integrates all of these diverse areas to understand the interactions and processes that influence both forest responses to climate and forest feedback to the climate system,” she said.
His work addresses very palpable issues, especially for people in the American West. For example, one of his projects focuses on the effect of fire disturbance on vegetation dynamics in California and how this influences fire risk across the state.
Trugman has certainly made an impression in his field. Recognition from ESA follows receipt of the Tansley Medal from the New Phytologist Foundation. “Anna is a rising star in global ecology and has made major contributions to our understanding of how ecosystems respond to climate change,” said Trugman’s colleague William Anderegg, who nominated her for recognition. of the ESA. “She has an amazing track record in communication and outreach, teaching, mentoring and pedagogy, and integrating her research with land management and policy.”
Trugman said she’s especially proud of her collaborations with ecologists, plant physiologists, Earth system scientists and others. These partnerships provide a multidisciplinary perspective on forest ecology, she said. His own contributions are of a similar nature, drawing on fieldwork, mathematical models and remote sensing data.
“I’ve been inspired by many people in my scientific career, starting with my parents,” Trugman said. “I learned a tremendous amount from my postdoctoral advisor and collaborator William Anderegg, and my Ph.D. advisors David Medvigy [at Notre Dame] and Stephen Pacala [at Princeton]. Their support of early career scientists, their enthusiasm and their creativity have greatly influenced not only my scientific approach, but also my writing and communication style.
Forests were once a mystery to be feared. They were then a resource to be harvested. Today, researchers like Trugman are beginning to reveal their true complexity. Hopefully, the information they glean can help us manage and conserve these important ecosystems in an uncertain future.
