James Hart

James Hart serves as an Associate Professor Emeritus in the Department of Forestry at Michigan State University (MSU), within the College of Agriculture & Natural Resources. His research focuses on forest soils, hydrology, and landscape ecology, with expertise in ecological classification systems, wetland hydrology, and the impacts of sludge application on forest ecosystems. He has held joint appointments in MSU's Department of Crop and Soil Science and previously worked with the Army Corps of Engineers and Weyerhaeuser Company.

Education: Ph.D. in Soil Science from North Carolina State University (1970), M.S. in Forestry from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (1966).

Research Interests

• Forest soil fertility and moisture dynamics
• Hydrological processes in wetlands and upland forests
• Ecological effects of municipal sludge fertilization
• Acid rain impacts on forest ecosystems
• Development of ecological classification systems for forest management

Grants & Programs

• Michigan Department of Agriculture Grant: Atrazine, simazine, hexazinone, and nitrate in groundwater under Christmas Tree plantations
• USFS-funded development of the Huron-Manistee National Forest Ecological Classification System
• Long-term studies on sludge fertilization effects on forest productivity

Labs/Teams: Collaborated with the USDA Forest Service and led interdisciplinary teams in ecological inventory systems and forest hydrology studies.