Dr. Libby Pansing
Director of Forest and Restoration Science at American Forests
Ph.D., University of Colorado Denver - Integrative and Systems Biology
M.S., University of Colorado Denver – Integrative Biology
B.A., University of Colorado Boulder – Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Date: May 2nd
Time: 12:00pm - 1:00pm
Location: Denver Campus – North Classroom, Room 3207
From Research to Resilience: Integrating Science and Strategy in Forest Restoration
Dr. Libby Pansing leads applied restoration science efforts at American Forests, where she works to integrate science and forest restoration designs large-scale, climate-informed forest recovery strategies. In this seminar, she will discuss her work directing the development of coordinated reforestation and restoration plans and activities across priority regions in the western U.S. in the wake of increasingly frequent and severe wildfires, including the 650,000-acre Integrated Post-Fire Resilience Strategy in south-central Oregon and emerging post-fire strategies in Northern Colorado, Washington, and Oregon.
Libby will detail how her team combines field-based ecology, spatial modeling, and partner engagement to assess reforestation need, guide planting decisions, and identify bottlenecks in workforce and nursery capacity. She will also share lessons learned from efforts to align diverse partners—from federal agencies and tribes to NGOs and local communities—around a shared vision for restoring climate-resilient forest landscapes.
This seminar will also spotlight her collaboration with the National Park Service to support whitebark pine conservation and emphasize the growing role of science-informed implementation planning. Designed as a non-traditional science talk, this session offers graduate students and early-career scientists a behind-the-scenes look at applied ecological work beyond academia, illustrating how scientific training can inform strategy, policy, and implementation in real-world forest management contexts.