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Dave Ellum - Environmental Studies and Biology

Phone: 828-771-3072
E-Mail: dellum@warren-wilson.edu
Address : CPO# 6291
Warren Wilson College Box 9000
Asheville, NC 28815-9000

Arrival Date: 2007

Education:

MF. Forest Management, Yale University

Ph.D. Silviculture and Forest Ecology, Yale University

Publications:
Ellum D.S., M.S. Ashton, G.P. Berlyn. In Prep. Morphological, anatomical and physiological responses of three forest understory herbs to seasonality of canopy removal in southern New England forests. American Journal of Botany.

Ellum, D.S., M.S. Ashton, T.G. Siccama. In Prep. Demographic patterns of southern New England forest understory vegetation in relation to topography and forest covertype. Forest Ecology and Management.

Aikens M.L., D.S. Ellum, J.J. McKenna, M.J. Kelty, M.S. Ashton. 2007. The effects of disturbance intensity on temporal and spatial patterns of herb colonization in a southern New England mixed-oak forest. Forest Ecology and Management. In Press.

Frey B.R., M.S. Ashton, J.J. McKenna, D.S. Ellum and A.J. Finkral. 2007. Topographic and temporal patterns in tree seedling establishment, growth, and survival among masting species of southern New England mixed-deciduous forests. Forest Ecology and Management. 245:1-3, p. 54-63.

Ellum D.S., M.S. Ashton, G.P. Berlyn. 2004. Between and within genera comparisons of morphological plasticity for Betula and Acer seedlings grown under varying light conditions. In Forestry Across Borders: Proceedings of the New England Society of American Foresters 84th Winter Meeting. GTR NE-314. p. 33-36.

Research:
Being new to WWC, I do not have any active research projects established as of yet. Research topics that I plan to develop with student help include:
1) Silviculture methods for maintaining understory plant diversity
2) Propagation and cultivation of non-timber forest products in managed forests
3) Non-chemical control methods for invasive plant species in managed forests
4) Fate of systemic chemical pesticides in plant tissues

Projects:
I've just begun working with The Southern Environmental Law Center and Wild South in an effort to assess and suggest revisions to the upcoming timber harvest operation in the Shope Creek area of Pisgah National Forest. I plan to involve students in this work by integrating the project into my Forest Managment course.

Another project I hope to develop this spring, again with the help of students, is long term monitoring of the phenology of both native and non-native plants present on the school forest. Understanding how critical time periods in plant life history traits change over time, such as flowering periodicity, will be important in predicting the effects of global climate change on plant communities.

Personal:
I feel extremely privileged to have the opportunity to teach silviculture and forest management in an area as culturally and biologically diverse as the Southern Appalachians. My interests outside academics include live acoustic music, gardening, salamanders, botanical rambles and messing around with my kids.