Faculty Spotlight – Scott Stark
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EmailScott Stark shares his journey with forestry and offers insight into the many aspects of the forestry program at MSU.
Dr. Scott Stark is originally from Delaware, Maryland and the Pennsylvania Tri-state area. He earned a BS at the University of Pittsburgh and a PhD at the University of Arizona. He is currently teaching Graduate and Undergraduate Forest Ecology.
What experiences in forestry did you have before teaching?
My first encounter with forestry that helped push me towards this career was as a Forest Service temp in Pennsylvania, where I monitored regeneration in the Allegheny National Forest after exceptional wind disturbance from a massive storm line. Since that time—for almost two decades now—I have studied the role of tropical forests in climate regulation, working in the Brazilian Amazon.
What inspired your interest in teaching in forestry at MSU?
I am driven by a passion to both communicate and advance science on the vital role that healthy biodiverse forests play in fighting climate change. I am equally enthusiastic about helping students explore and unravel the fascinating natural dynamics of forest ecology, to deepen understanding and appreciation of these critical ecosystems.
What has been one of your best experiences teaching so far?
It’s hard to pinpoint one moment, but my most rewarding experience has been witnessing the growth of interest and knowledge in incoming students who are pursuing forestry to help fight climate warming and address other social and environmental crises. Enabling students to better realize these aspirations is just great!
What do you want others to know about this program?
I want people to know that the Forestry program is wide and deep; so many types of questions must be addressed to value and manage forests that you can find nearly all disciplines in forestry. The expertise of our students, faculty and staff reflect this diversity. I also want people to know that Forestry is for everyone. We are so excited to welcome people of all backgrounds and experiences to share in solving the problems and filling the needs that only forests can.
Any thoughts or advice for current students?
One thing that you’ll learn in Forestry is that forests hold an incredible set of co-benefits; they provide recreation, timber, climate cooling, preservation of biodiversity, game habitat, water resources and more. If you cultivate your broadest academic interest in forests now this will help in your future stations to have a clear vision of how your decisions will affect all of these co-benefits. Armed with this knowledge, working across sectors when needed, you can have a strong impact on preserving and maximizing these incredible contributions of forest to the world.
