Dr. Robert Carter
(with birch) click here to see Dr. Carter hanging out with Bigfoot!

Education

Auburn University, Alabama
Degree: Doctor of Philosophy, December 1999.
Major: Forestry
Dissertation Title: Ecological Land Classification in the Uplands of the Southern Loam Hills of South Alabama: Longleaf Pine Ecosystems.


Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina.
Degree: Master of Science, August 1994.
Major: Forest Resource Management
Thesis Title: Landscape Ecosystem Classification of Successional Forest Types on the Highlands Ranger District, Nantahala National Forest in North Carolina.

Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina
Degree: Bachelor of Science, May 1991
Major: Forest Resource Management 

Courses Taught

BY 101 – Introductory Biology I
BY 102 – Introductory Biology II
BY 332 – Ecology
BY 435/435G – Landscape Ecology
BY 5 – Community Ecology
BY 406/406G – Ornithology
BY 562 – Symbiotic Associations
 

Experience

August 2002 – present.  Assistant Professor and Herbarium Curator.  Department of Biology, Jacksonville State University, AL.
            Responsible for instruction and research in ecology and biology.

September 2000-August 2002.  Assistant Extension Professor, Department of Forestry, Mississippi State University, MS.
            Responsible for planning, coordinating, and conducting extension education programs for a variety of natural resource-related audiences in Northeast Mississippi. Assist with 4-H Forestry and Envirothon Team development, and judging 4-H competitions.

September 1997-May 2000.  Instructor of Forestry, Lurleen B. Wallace College, Andalusia, AL.
            Responsible for instructing classes in forestry, botany, and physical science.

Summer 2003/2004.  Camp Director, Camp Sequoyah, Boy Scouts of America, Delta, Alabama. 
            Responsible for administering a program that included a wide array of educational (merit badges) and recreational activities for teenagers. Responsible for payroll records and for insuring that all federal, state, and local laws are followed. This included working with adults as well as youth.

Community Activities 

Assistant Scoutmaster, Troop 147, Jacksonville, AL (2003).

 Honors and Awards

Eagle Scout, Xi Sigma Pi, Omicron Delta Kappa, Gamma Sigma Delta, Who’s Who Among American Colleges and Universities, Outstanding Senior in Forestry (Clemson University), Outstanding Graduate Student in Forestry (Clemson University), Outstanding Instructor – Lurleen B. Wallace College.

Professional Training/Certification

Mississippi Registered Forester #02215, Certified Forester #1162, Mississippi Certified Prescribed Burner, Alabama Certified Prescribed Burner, Project Learning Tree Facilitator.

Professional Societies

Member: Society of American Foresters, Southern Appalachian Botanical Society, Longleaf Alliance, Ecological Society of America, Society of Wetland Scientists, Association of Southeastern Biologists, American Society of Plant Taxonomist.

Grant Proposals

Carter, R.E.  2002.  Ecological land classification of Montane Longleaf Pine Forest in the Talladega Mountains of Alabama. Submitted to National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.  Funded

Carter, R.E.  and T. Hamissou.  2003.  Ecological land classification of montane longleaf pine ecosystems of the Dugger Mountain Wilderness and Nances Creek of the Talladega Mountains, Alabama and creation of a virtual herbarium.  A proposal submitted to the National Science Foundation. 

Carter, R.E. and A. Londo.  Vegetation response to fuel reduction fires in green pitcher plant bogs of the Little River National Preserve.  A proposal to the Joint Fire Science Program. 

Carter, R.E. and M. Hammisou.  Landscape scale physiological response of eastern hemlock to hemlock wooly adelgid infestations.  A preproposal to the National Forest Foundation. 

Carter, R.E. and B.G. Blair.  The effect of prescribed fire on small mammal populations and ticks infected with Borrelia burgdorferi in the Little River Canyon National Preserve, AL.  A proposal to the Lyme Disease Foundation. 

Carter, R. E. Providing Forest Ecology Education for Spring Semester Ecology Students at Jacksonville State University.  A proposal to Alabama Forests Forever Education Grant. 

Selected Publications

Carter, R. E., M. D. MacKenzie, D. H. Gjerstad.  1999.  Ecological land classification of Longleaf pine ecosystems in the Southern Loam Hills Region of south Alabama.  Forest Ecology and Management 114: 395-404.

Carter, R. E., J. T. Myers, V. B. Shelburne, and S. M. Jones. 2000.  Integrated ecological land classification in the High Rainfall Belt of the Southern Appalachian Mountains.  Castanea 65:258-272.

MacKenzie, M.D. and R.E. Carter.  2001.  Using geospatial technologies for ecological classification of longleaf pine sites in southern Alabama. Annual Meeting of the Ecological Society of America Abstracts.  p. 314.

Carter, R.E. and G. M McCullars.  2001. Lyme Disease in Mississippi.  Mississippi State University Extension Publication P2287. Mississippi State University, MS.

Shurette, G.R., G.R. Cline, and R.E. Carter. 2002.  The effects of hardwood mid-story removal in montane longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) stands on breeding bird communities in the Talladega National Forest, Alabama: Preliminary results.  Conference Program and Abstracts, Fourth Longleaf Alliance Regional Conference, Southern Pine, NC.  62 pp.

Carter, R.E and A. Londo.  2003. Remnant fire disturbed montane longleaf pine forest in West Central Georgia, USA.  Proceedings of the Second International Fire Ecology and Fire Management Congress, Orlando, FL.

Carter, R.E and A. Londo.  2003.  Community analysis and species responses to fire in pitcher plant bogs of the Little River Canyon National Preserve, Alabama, USA. Proceedings of the Second International Fire Ecology and Fire Management Congress, Orlando, FL.

Womack, W.L. and R.E. Carter.  2004.  A history of longleaf pine forests in northeast Alabama and northwest Georgia.  In: Kush, J.S. (Comp.), pp. 82-83, Proceedings of the First Montane Longleaf Alliance Conference.  Longleaf Alliance Report No. 7.

Carter, R.E., M.D. MacKenzie, D.H. Gjerstad, and D.C. Jones.  2004.  Species composition of fire disturbed ecological land units in the Southern Loam Hills of south Alabama.  Southeastern Naturalist 3:297-308.

Current Graduate Student Research

 Kevin Jenne – Thesis title: A dendrochronological study of relic longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) stands in the Talladega National Forest, Alabama.

 Analysis of remnant longleaf pine stands to detect disturbance patterns and correlation with climatic factors.

Terry Boyer - Thesis title: Community classification of green pitcher plant bogs in the southeastern United States.

 Classification of green pitcher plant bogs based on species composition, soils, and landform features.

Sherri Groghan – Thesis title: Species richness and relative abundance of small mammals in the Little River National Preserve.

 Population analysis by mark recapture techniques for a one year period.

Brent Womack – Thesis title: Ecotype delineation in the Horseblock Mountain Landtype Association, Shoal Creek Ranger District, Talladega National Forest, Alabama.

 Identification of landscape scale ecosystems in the Horseblock Mountain Region of the Talladega National Forest using plant species composition, soils, and landform variables.

 Jason Shelton – Thesis title: Evaluation of the habitat needs for natural seedling recruitment of the green pitcher plant, Sarracenia oreophila, by relating germination rates and subsequent growth to both the microhabitat and nutrient release due to prescribed fire.

Actions/activities/methods: Compare germination rates found using controlled conditions to those observed in the field at plots representing different microhabitats such as bare mineral soil, leaf litter (duff), and competing vegetation, specifically mosses and/or grasses.  The sites will be selected to include mostly natural conditions, but modified or prepared sites resulting from prescribed fire, removal of competing vegetation and soil disturbance will also be used. Additional lab variables include application of ash in a range of amounts, simulating prescribed fire, a range of soil saturation, seed age (current and previous year), seed/seedling density and comparison of seedling growth for grouping from the same or different parent plants.

Previous Graduate and Undergraduate Research

The effects of hardwood mid-story removal in montane longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) stands on breeding bird communities and species diversity in the Talladega National Forest, Alabama.

 G. R. Shurette, R.E. Carter, and G. R. Cline. 

Remnant fire disturbed montane longleaf pine forest in west central 
Robert Carter and Andy Londo (Mississippi State University)

Dendrochronological analysis of montane longleaf pine stands on Weisner Mountain, Alabama 

Emily Cohen, Clint Howard, Sharla Setser, and Robert Carter 

Research Interest

1) Identification of units of land that are similar relative to function and the type and structure of vegetation.  These units of land (ecosystems) can be identified by relating vegetation patterns with soil, landform, hydrology, geology, and geomorphology. 

2)  The response of bird and small mammal populations to changes in vegetation due to disturbances within their habitats. 

3)  Ecology of birds and variations in bird.

4)  The responses of woody species to human disturbances (fire, silviculture).

5)  Longleaf pine ecosystem ecology.