About Peter's Work

Since completing his M.S. in botany in 1993, Peter has conducted a variety of research focusing on lichen conservation biology in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. Most significant projects have included a study of differences in lichen diversity and abundance associated with forest age; a study of the structural components in young managed forests associated with diverse lichen communities; floristic studies of vascular plants and lichens in western and arctic Alaska; and a conservation status assessment of lichens in Gates of the Arctic National Park in Brooks Range of Alaska. Peter is currently serving as the Lichen Communities Director(Western US Region) for the Forest Health Monitoring Program, a USDA/Forest Service program using lichens to assess air quality gradients and biodiversity losses on a national level. He is also serving as plant ecologist for the Western Arctic National Parklands in Nome, AK, where he has overseen the Northwest Alaska Network's Inventory and Monitoring Program.