Photo of James M. Guldin

James M. Guldin

Senior Research Silviculturist
P.O. Box 1270
607 Spring Street (Shipping)
 Hot Springs, AR 71902-1270
Phone: 501-623-1180 x103
james.guldin@usda.gov

Current Research

  • Silvicultural strategies and tectics to restore native mature fire-adapted southern pine ecosystems in the southern United States
  • A national approach to adaptive silviculture under the influence of changing climate
  • Application of uneven-aged silviculture in southern pines and upland oaks
  • Conduct the Southern Pine Module, National Advanced Silviculture Program
  • Growth and yield of shortleaf pine
  • Regeneration dynamics in mixed shortleaf pine-hardwood stands under pine-bluestem restoration in the western Ouachita Mountains
Guldin, James M.; Bragg, Don C.; Zingg, Andreas. 2017. Plentern mit Kiefern—Ergebnisse aus den USA [Plentering with pines—results from the United States].  Schweizerische Zeitschrift fur Forstwesen. 168(2): 75-83. Weick, George F.; Jackson, Earlene Bracy; Smith, Robert; Crooks, James; Crane, Barbara; Guldin, James M. 2017. Longleaf pine cone collection on the Sabine National Forest during October 2014. Journal of Forestry. 115(3): 238-241. Nagel, Linda M.; Palik, Brian J.; Battaglia, Michael A. ; D'Amato, Anthony W.; Guldin, James M.; Swanston, Christopher W.; Janowiak, Maria K.; Powers, Matthew P.; Joyce, Linda A.; Millar, Constance I.; Peterson, David L.; Ganio, Lisa M.; Kirschbaum, Chad; Roske, Molly R. 2017.Adaptive silviculture for climate change: a national experiment in manager-scientist partnerships to apply an adaptation framework. Journal of Forestry. 115. 12 p. http://dx.doi.org/10.5849/jof.16-039 Bragg, Don C.; Guldin, James M. 2014. The silvicultural implications of age patterns in two southern pine stands after 72 years of uneven-aged management. Forest Science. 61(1): 176-182. Guldin, James M.; Buford, Marilyn A. 2014. A special issue of the Journal of Forestry—-proceedings of the 2013 National Silviculture Workshop. Journal of Forestry. 112(5): 393-394. Guldin, James M.; Rosson, Jr., James F.; Nelson, C. Dana. 2016. Restoration of longleaf pine—the status of our knowledge. In: Schweitzer, Callie Jo; Clatterbuck, Wayne K.; Oswalt, Christopher M., eds. Proceedings of the 18th biennial southern silvicultural research conference conference; 2015 March 2-5; Knoxville, TN. e-Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS-212. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station: 323-331. Guldin, James M. 2011. Experience with the selection method in pine stands in the southern United States, with implications for future application. Forestry 84(5):539-546. Guldin, James M.; Iffrig, Greg F.; Flader, Susan L. 2008. Pioneer forest - a half century of sustainable uneven-aged forest management in the Missouri Ozarks. Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS–108. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station. 123 p.

Research Interests

  • Ecology and silviculture of naturally regenerated forest stands, with an emphasis on southern pines
  • Theory and practice of uneven-aged silviculture, with emphasis on mixed loblolly-shortleaf pine stands on the Upper West Gulf Coastal Plain and upland oak-hickory forests in the Missouri Ozarks
  • Science delivery and technology transfer in silviculture and forest management, especially as related to southern pines
  • Ecological restoration of fire-adapted southern pine ecosystems that are underreprsented on the landscape
  • Application of silviculture under changing ecological, economic, and social forcing factors
Bradley, J.C.; Will, R.E.; Stewart, J.F.; Nelson, C.D.; Guldin, J.M. 2016. Post-fire resprouting of shortleaf pine is facilitated by a morphological trait but fire eliminates shortleaf x loblolly pine hybrid seedlings. Forest Ecology and Management. 379: 146-152. 7 p.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2016.08.016 McDaniel, Virginia L.; Perry, Roger W.; Koerth, Nancy E.; Guldin, James M. 2016. Evaluation of FOFEM fuel loading and consumption estimates in pine-oak forests and woodlands of the Ouachita Mountains, Arkansas, USA. Forest Science. 62(3): 307-315. Stewart, John F.; Tauer, Charles G.; Guldin, James M.; Nelson, C. Dana. 2013. Hybridization in naturally regenerated shortleaf pine as affected by the distance to nearby artificially regenerated stands of loblolly pine. Southern Journal of Applied Forestry. 37(2):102-107. Guldin, James M. 2014. History of silviculture on public lands. Journal of Forestry. 112(6): 616-618. 3 p. http://dx.doi.org/10.5849/jof.14-097 Tauer, Charles G.; Stewart, John F.; Will, Rodney E.; Lilly, Curtis J.; Guldin, James M.; Nelson, C. Dana 2012. Hybridization leads to loss of genetic integrity in shortleaf pine: unexpected consequences of pine management and fire suppression. Journal of Forestry 110(4):216-224. Lilly, Curtis J.; Will, Rodney E.; Tauer, Charles G.; Guldin, James M.; Spetich, Martin A. 2012. Factors affecting the sprouting of shortleaf pine rootstock following prescribed fire. Forest Ecology and Management 265:13-19. Guldin, James M. 2011. Silvicultural considerations in managing southern pine stands in the context of southern pine beetle. In: Coulson, Robert N.; Klepzig, Kier D., eds. Southern pine beetle II. Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS-140. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station: 317-352. Wells, Gail; Hayes, Deborah; Krause, Katrina; Bartuska, Ann; LeVan-Green, Susan; Anderson, Jim; Gough, Tivoli; Adams, Mary Beth; Schuler, Thomas M.; Kolka, Randy; Sebestyen, Steve; Kenefic, Laura S.; Brissette, John C.; Stout, Susan; Kanoti, Keith; Swanson, Fred; Greene, Sarah; Herring, Margaret; Ritchie, Martin; Skinner, Carl; Lisle, Tom; Keppeler, Elizabeth; Reid, Leslie; Wohlegemuth, Peter M.; Kitchen, Stanley G.; McCaughey, Ward; Guldin, Jim; Bragg, Don C.; Shelton, Michael G.; Loftis, David; Greenberg, Cathryn; Murphy, Julia [2009]. Experimental forests and ranges : 100 years of research success stories. General Technical Report FPL-GTR-182. Madison, WI: USDA-Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory. 29 p.

Past Research

Stevenson, Douglas J.; Lynch, Thomas B.; Saud, Pradip; Heineman, Robert; Holeman, Randal; Wilson, Dennis; Anderson, Keith; Cerny, Chris; Guldin, James M. 2016. Winter in the Ouachitas—a severe winter storm signature in Pinus echinata in the Ouachita Mountains of Oklahoma and Arkansas, USA. Dendrochronologia. 37: 107-115. 9 p.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.dendro.2016.01.001 Haavik, Laurel J.; Billings, Sharon A.; Guldin, James M.; Stephen, Fred M. 2015. Emergent insects, pathogens and drought shape changing patterns in oak decline in North America and Europe. Forest Ecology and Management. 354: 190-205. 10.1016/j.foreco.2015.06.019 Jones, Joshua S.; Tullis, Jason A.; Haavik, Laurel J.; Guldin, James M.; Stephen, Fred M. 2014. Monitoring oak-hickory forest change during an unprecedented red oak borer outbreak in the Ozark Mountains: 1990 to 2006. Journal of Applied Remote Sensing 8: article 083687. [DOI: 10.1117/1.JRS.8.083687] Haavik, Laurel J.; Jones, Joshua S.; Galligan, Larry D.; Guldin, James M.; Stephen, Fred M. 2012. Oak decline and red oak borer outbreak: impact in upland oak-hickory forests of Arkansas, USA. Forestry 85(3):341-351.

Why This Research is Important

  • Modifications of theory and practice of silvicultural systems under the influence of changing climate
  • Continue to advance the theory and practice of uneven-aged silvicultural systems in intolerant southern pines based on long-term experience
  • Advances in silvicultural theory and practice are needed to restore mature fire-adapted southern pine forest ecosystems in the Southern US that are underrepresented opn the landscape, including longleaf pine on the lower Atlantic and Guld Coastal Plain, mixed loblolly-shortleaf pine stands on the upper west Gulf Coastal Plain, pure shortleaf pine-dominated forest ecosystems in the Ouacahita and Ozark Mountains, and mixed shortleaf pine and pine-oak ecosystems in upands forests east of the Mississippi River
  • Advanced technical skills are needed for silvicultural certification required by law for foresters practicing on National Forest lands
  • Improve models for growth and yield of even-aged southern pine stands in the Ouachita Mountains
  • Develop indicators of long-term sustainability in applied forest management for ecological restoration goals in shortleaf pine-dominated ecosystems in the Ouachita Mountains
Guldin, James M.; Hallgren, Stephen; Crooks, James S. 2015. Outlook for Mid-South forests: a subregional report from the Southern Forest Futures Project. Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS-206. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station. 70 p.

Education

Ph.D. in Quantitative forest ecology, 1982
University of Wisconsin-Madison
M.S. in Forest Science (silviculture), 1977
Yale University
B.S. in Forest Science, 1975
Pennsylvania State University

Professional Experience

Station Silviculturist, SRS Research Advisory Board, SRS-4855, Center for Integrated Forest Science, Southern Research Station
2017—Current

Guldin is one of three permanent members of the SRS Research Advisory Board (RAB), which provides oversight and programmatic direction of the Station’s research program in collaboration and with concurrence of the Director. As member of the RAB, Guldin serves on the SRS Executive Board (EB, which provides support and advisement to the Station Director on decisions related to budget and hiring priorities, personnel actions, facilities, and research organization of the Station. As Station Silviculturist, Guldin plans, conducts, and administers research on silvicultural systems in southern pines, with an emphasis on even-aged and uneven-aged reproduction cutting methods that rely on natural regeneration at the stand and landscape scale. The scientist is responsible for active studies and demonstrations in four different forest types in the Mid-South: the Upper West Gulf Coastal Plain mixed loblolly-shortleaf pine stands in south Arkansas, pure shortleaf pine and pine-hardwood stands in the Ouachita Mountains and Ozark Highlands of Arkansas and Oklahoma, longleaf pine forests in the Lower Gulf Coastal Plain of Alabama and Louisiana, and oak-hickory hardwood-dominated stands in the Ozark Highlands.

Supervisory Research Ecologist and Project Leader, SRS-4159, Ecology and Management of Southern Pines, Southern Research Station, US Forest Service
2007—Current

Continue personal research, and provide scientific and administrative leadership and supervision for SRS locations related to ecology, silviculture, and restoration of southern pine ecosystems (especially Coastal Plain loblolly-shortleaf pine and Interior Highland shorttleaf pine forest types). Subunit locations include Monticello AR, Hot Springs AR, Pineville LA, Huntsville AL, and Nacogdoches TX; responsibities also include the Crossett EF in Crossett AR, the Stephen F. Austin EF in Nacogdoches TX, and the Alum Creek EF in Jessieville, AR.

Supervisory Research Ecologist and Project Leader, SRS-4158, Restoring and Managing Longleaf Pine Ecosystems, Southern Research Station
2014—2017

Develop new personal research, and provide scientific and administrative leadership and supervision for SRS locations related to ecology, silviculture, and restoration of longleaf pine ecosystems. Subunit locations include Auburn AL, Clemson SC, Pineville LA, and include the Escambia EF in Brewton AL and the Palustris EF in Pineville LA.

Supervisory Ecologist and Project Leader, SRS-4106, Ecology and Management of Upland Forest Ecosystems, Southern Research Station, US Forest Service
1998—2006

Continue existing personal research, provide scientific and administrative supervision for SRS locations in Monticello AR, Crossett AR, Hot Springs AR, and Jasper, AR

Research Forest Ecologist, SRS-4106, Ecology and Management of Upland Forest Ecosystems, Southern Research Station, US Forest Service
1991—1997

Continue existing personal research centered in the west Gulf Coastal Plain and Interior Highlands

Asst/Assoc.Professor, School of Forest Resources, University of Arkansas at Monticello, Monticello AR
1982—1991

Research emphasis on naturally-regenerated even-aged and uneven-aged southern pines in the upper west Gulf Coastal Plain; teaching included undergraduate and graduate courses in silviculture, forest recreation, summer camp, and senior seminar.

Professional Organizations

  • IUFRO 1.05.00 Uneven-Aged Silviculture Working Group, Member (2006—Current)
  • Arkansas Board of Registration for Foresters, Arkansas Registered Forester, License #774 (2005—Current)
  • Society of American Foresters (SAF), Chair, D-2 Silviculture Working Group (2012—2014)
  • Society of American Foresters (SAF), Co-Program Chair (2012—2013)

Awards and Recognition

Society of American Foresters Outstanding Working Group, D2 Silviculture Working Group, October 2014, 2014
In recognition of the accomplishments of the D2 Silviculture Working Group. This was awarded in Guldin’s final year as Chair of the D2 Silviculture Working Group.
Outstanding Alumni Award, Penn State Forestr Resources Alumni Group, 2013
Guldin was one of four recipients of this award in 2013. Dept. Head Mike Messina honored Guldin for "professional achievements, service to his profession and community and his high personal and professional standards." Read more bout the award here: http:
US Forest Service, Southern Region, Regional Forester’s Technology Transfer (External) Group Award., 2007
Participation in ad hoc Ouachita Shortleaf Pine-bluestem Technology Transfer Team.
USDA Forest Service National Silviculturist of the Year, 2003
For outstanding national accomplishments in the field of silviculture, awarded at the 2003 National Silviculture Workshop, Granby, CO
Arkansas Oak Award, Arkansas Field Office, The Nature Conservancy, 2003
For outstanding national accomplishments in support of the conservation of Arkansas forests.

Featured Publications and Products

Publications

Research Highlights

Experimental Forest Network Hosts Nationwide Bee Monitoring Project (2011)
IITF-2011-01 There is a widespread perception that populations of pollinating insects in North America are in decline.
Fire is for the Birds: How Two Rare Species Influence Fire Management Across the United States (2019)
SRS-2019-40 A national team of scientists examined two case studies that compare and contrast the value of prescribed fire and thinning to manage habitat for two endangered species: the red-cockaded woodpecker and the spotted owl. A key to success in managing the woodpecker in the south has been active prescribed burning programs along with thinning and other management for multiple species. Similar approaches would likely benefit the spotted owl in the west.
Fuel, Smoke, and Prescribed Fire in the Ouachita Mountains (2016)
SRS-2016-224 Prescribed burning is a key tool in restoration and management of native stands of southern pines in the southern U.S., but the smoke produced by prescribed fires can be challenging to manage. Computer models are used to simulate the effects of prescribed burning, and research is currently underway to more accurately predict the smoke that prescribed fires produce.
How much does a woodpecker cost (2011)
Using simulations to predict the value of timber production lost due to conserving an endangered species
Longleaf pine seed collection in Texas boosts restoration efforts of this important species (2017)
SRS-2017-133 Longleaf pine is an unpredictable seed producer and adequate or better seed crops occur once every five years or even more infrequently. Efforts to restore longleaf pine in the southern U.S. are limited by seed supply. Forest Service scientists at the agency’s Southern Research Station and their research partners at the National Forests and Grasslands in Texas conducted visual surveys of a national forest “seed production area” in the spring of 2014 and identified stands that would produce bumper crops in the fall. The seeds were collected in fall of 2014 and will meet the needs of the National Forests and Grasslands in Texas for the foreseeable future.
Options for forest management in southern forests under changing climate conditions (2018)
SRS-2018-91 In the southern United States, how will foresters respond to the threat posed by changing climate conditions? Easy—by managing one stand at a time, so that over time, forests will be resistant or resilient in the face of damaging events.
The Southern Pine Module Goes Virtual (2020)
SRS-2020-82 The need to communicate Station scientific findings and applications with resource managers in the field has not stopped during the COVID-19 pandemic. But what has changed is the way we engage in that communication. SRS researchers modified 40 hours of lectures for online science delivery and recorded the sessions for independent learning.
Use More Tools from the Toolbox: Simple and Innovative Tactics for Restoring Fire-adapted Southern Yellow Pine Ecosystems (2019)
SRS-2019-20 Native, mature southern pine ecosystems are shrinking on the landscape, and the plants and animals that depend upon them are in trouble as well. A broader view of forest management, especially tactics associated with partial cutting, prescribed fire, and tree planting, will be key to restoring these fire-adapted southern yellow pine forests across the region.
R&D Affiliations
Research Topics
Priority Areas
SRS Science Area
Experimental Forests and Ranges
External Resources
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