Research output per year
Research output per year
Personal profile
Research Interests
Research in the Restoration Ecology Lab focuses on three primary areas:
- effects of large-scale disturbance on understory plants and trees
- efficacy and ecological impacts of ecological restoration treatments
- sampling methods for detecting changes in understory plant abundance.
These topics are being explored at landscape, population, and organism scales, through field experiments, retrospective studies, and meta-analyses. Cara and her students are particularly interested in projects that contribute to basic knowledge of plant ecology, provide managers with timely information about the ecological effects of management interventions, and increase understanding of the conceptual foundations of ecological restoration.
Teaching Experience
- Elements of Ecological Restoration (NRSM 265)
- Restoration Ecology (NRSM 365)
- Integrative Ecological Restoration (NRSM 444)
- Advanced Problems in Restoration Ecology (FOR 565)
Education/Academic qualification
Bachelor, Evergreen State College
Doctorate, Forest Ecosystem Analysis, University of Washington
Master, Forestry, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Master, Conservation Biology and Sustainable Development, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy -
SDG 13 Climate Action -
SDG 14 Life Below Water -
SDG 15 Life on Land
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Recent external collaboration on country/territory level. Dive into details by clicking on the dots or
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Characterizing reference sites to inform restoration of the last remnants of the endangered Nothofagus alessandrii forest ecosystem
Fajardo, L. F., Echeverría, C., Pommerening, A. & Nelson, C. R., Aug 2026, In: Forest Ecosystems. 16, 100486.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
International principles and standards for the practice of ecological restoration. Third edition
Gann, G. D., McDonald, T., Walder, B., Aronson, J., Nelson, C. R., Hallett, J. G., Guariguata, M. R., Gonzales, E. K., Hua, F., Echeverría, C., Eisenberg, C., Liu, J., Decleer, K., Barr, Z. E., Bartholomew, D. C., Best, M., Chazdon, R., Cliquet, A., Cortina-Segarra, J. & Kalirai, H. & 5 others, , Jun 2026, In: Restoration Ecology. 34, S2, e70441.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Lessons learned from a 15-year experiment on the efficacy of mechanical harvest and prescribed fire to restore Pinus albicaulis forests
Martelli, E., Keane, R. E., Larson, A. J. & Nelson, C. R., Jul 2026, In: Restoration Ecology. 34, 5, e70367.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Trait variation between and within Andes and coastal mountain ranges in the iconic South American tree Araucaria araucana in Chile
McIntosh, M., González-Campos, J., Demaree, P., Toro-Salamanca, O., Ipinza, R., Bustamante-Sánchez, M. A., Hasbún, R. & Nelson, C. R., Mar 2026, In: Restoration Ecology. 34, 3, e70268.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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A well-connected Earth: The science and conservation of organismal movement
Brodie, J. F., Gonzalez, A., Mohd-Azlan, J., Nelson, C. R., Tabor, G., Vasudev, D., Zeller, K. A. & Fletcher, R. J., Apr 25 2025, In: Science. 388, 6745, p. eadn2225Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review