Kirsten Stephan

Kirsten Stephan is a Teaching Professor of Forest Resources Management and Program Coordinator of Forestry at West Virginia University, teaching undergraduate and graduate courses including Forest Ecology, Fire Ecology, Dendrology, Introduction to Plant Identification, and Tree Ecophysiology. She recently collaborated on introducing forestry curriculum to middle and high school Ag Ed and STEM teachers.

Her educational background includes:

• Master's degree in Biology from Friedrich-Schiller University in Jena, Germany
• Ph.D. in Natural Resources from the University of Idaho

She was previously a Teaching Associate Professor at Lincoln University in Missouri before joining WVU. Dr. Stephan's research centers on the herbaceous layer—the most diverse forest stratum—studying its responses to natural disturbance, herbivory, and forest management. She also investigates nitrogen and carbon cycling effects from fire, land use, and management practices.

Field work spans the Rocky Mountains, Ozark Mountains, Appalachians (since 2016), prairies, abandoned limestone quarries, and urban ecosystems. Her recent publications (2021-2023) reveal a consistent focus on Central Appalachian hardwood forests, herbaceous layer dynamics, and global fire ecology comparisons between savannas and forests.

Scientific awards: None mentioned in the source text.

As Program Coordinator and educator, Dr. Stephan shapes forestry curriculum but no formal advisees are listed. No research grants are detailed, though her collaborative work appears in multi-institutional publications like Nature Ecology and Evolution. She leads no named lab or team but works extensively across geographical regions with diverse research partners.