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Lake Edward Graboski

  • MS Student, Ecology
  • Dr. Kim Steiner's Lab
Lake Edward Graboski
325 Forest Resources Building
University Park, PA 16802

Areas of Expertise

  • Forest Ecosystems of Pennsylvania

Education

  1. Bachelor's of Science in Environmental Resource Management. PSU. 2012.
  2. MOPETC Certification. The 60th Municipal Class PSP SWTC. 2014.
My work is to collect and analyze information generated by the Oak Regeneration Study in Pennsylvania or ORSPA. ORSPA is an ongoing long-term observational study which follows Quercus spp. or 'Oak' dominated forests from pre-harvest conditions through subsequent regeneration. This study was established in partnership with the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) and some sites are reaching ages of 20+ years of monitoring. 
 
This research has both practical and ecological import. Our current goals are to improve upon existing regeneration models which are the building blocks for management guidelines useful for foresters and land managers. Further, forest succession can be studied over time to understand interactions which allow different steady states to form from a previously oak-dominated ecosystem.
 
Before I began my graduate career, I worked as a state park officer for the PA DCNR at both Lackawanna and Hickory Run State Parks. During my undergraduate career at Penn State, I worked as a research assistant and was a member of the community garden. I have been an active member of the American Chestnut Foundation since 2015.