Rebecca Montgomery

Rebecca Montgomery serves as a Professor and the F.B. Hubachek Endowed Chair of Forestry at the University of Minnesota, directing the Forest Ecology Lab. Her research investigates plant responses to environmental changes—including climate change, disturbances, and altered precipitation—across tropical, temperate, and boreal forest ecosystems through field-based studies.

She earned her Ph.D. from the University of Connecticut in 1999.

Dr. Montgomery's research spans ecophysiology, forest ecology, phenology, tropical ecology, community-engaged research, and art-science integrations. She examines plant functional traits (e.g., photosynthesis, water loss, leaf anatomy) to understand implications for forest dynamics, biodiversity, and ecosystem function under global change. Her work bridges basic and applied science with a focus on supporting land stewards in Minnesota and the Lake States, particularly Native Nations, while emphasizing the interplay between people and land since time immemorial.

Current projects include:

• B4WarmED: climate impacts in the boreal-temperate ecotone
• SPRUCE: responses in forested peatlands
• Luquillo LTER: tropical rainforest studies
• ASCC: Adaptive Silviculture for Climate Change at Minnesota sites (Cutfoot Experimental Forest and Mississippi National River and Recreation Area)
• MSP LTER and Backyard Phenology: community-engaged art-science initiatives

She collaborates extensively with students, land stewards, artists, and social scientists to address real-world challenges, fostering interdisciplinary approaches to environmental stewardship and climate adaptation.