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Restoration
Ecology Course

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Conservation Biology
Graduate Program

Applied Plant Sciences
Graduate Program

Water Resources
Science Graduate Program

Ecology, Evolution,
Behavior Graduate
Program

Introduced Species
NSF IGERT

Horticultural Science
Deptartmant

Institute on the
Environment

College of Food, Ag
Natural Resource Sciences

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Susan M. Galatowitsch

Professor, Restoration Ecology, Horticultural Science
Fesler-Lambert Chair in Urban & Regional Affairs
Fellow, Institute on the Environment
Director of Graduate Studies, Conservation Biology

Although restoration has been pursued for more than 50 years in the U.S., we know very little about how to restore most ecosystems so they resemble natural (i.e., not previously converted) ones. Most restorations receive little or no tracking of their success. In fact, many non-regulatory restoration programs nationwide record a project a success on the day of construction or planting; regulatory programs will make this determination 3 to 5 years later. Consequently, the practice of ecological restoration has been more influenced by minimizing time and costs than by an understanding of ecological processes.

My team’s research has emphasized five themes related to restoration ecology: 1) understanding limitations to community reassembly, 2) improving revegetation practices, 3) developing approaches for pre- and post- restoration assessments, 4) developing invasive species removal strategies and enhancing post-removal recovery enhancing ecosystem recovery after invasive species removal, and 5) assessing risks of introduced aquatic plants. Most of our work has focused on research in the prairie pothole wetlands within the agricultural landscapes of the Midwestern U.S. However, we have pursued research on each of these topics in other regions and systems, as well.

 

Email: galat001@umn.edu

University of Minnesota
Dept. of Horticutural Science
305 Alderman Hall
1970 Folwell Avenue
St. Paul, Minnesota 55108

Phone: 612-624-3242
Fax: 612-624-4941