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
PhD, 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
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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
21 Scopus citations -
Morphological and physiological response of conifer seedlings to drought conditioning
Ross, A. C., Pinto, J. R., Crotteau, J. S., Goke, A., Nelson, C. R., Affleck, D. L. R. & Larson, A. J., Sep 26 2025, In: New Forests. 56, 54.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Age, experience, social goals, and engagement with research scientists may promote innovation in ecological restoration
Mohr, J. J., Cummins, T. M., Floyd, T. M., Metcalf, E. C., Callaway, R. M. & Nelson, C. R., Apr 2023, In: PLoS ONE. 18, 4, p. e0274153 e0274153.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access3 Scopus citations -
Efficacy and non-target effects of herbicides in foothills grassland restoration are short-lived
Lugar, R., Nelson, C. R. & Wagner, V., Jul 1 2023, In: Applied Vegetation Science. 26, 3, e12738.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access2 Scopus citations