-= NMSU PANORAMA - Summer 2006 =- Faculty Profile: Saving our Forests

Faculty Profile

Saving our Forests

By Darrell J. Pehr

Professor John Harrington focuses on restoration ecology and forest biology research

Photo by Darrell J. Pehr

When it comes to forest research and education, New Mexico State University Professor John Harrington ’91 is prepared to take on just about any challenge to get the job done, whether flying across the country to speak at a seminar, maneuvering a four-wheel-drive Suburban across mud and snow to reach deep into a forest, or strapping on special climbing gear to scale an 80-foot evergreen that was selected as the nation’s Christmas tree last December.

Harrington, who also serves as superintendent of NMSU’s Mora Research Center, was tapped for his expertise last year when New Mexico was picked to supply a Christmas tree that would be displayed on the west lawn of the U.S. Capitol. Harrington’s challenge was not only to ensure that the Engelmann spruce was well prepared for its odyssey from the Santa Fe National Forest to Washington, D.C., but also to help cut down the giant with as little damage as possible. So Harrington donned helmet, goggles and climbing gear, scrambled to the top of the tree, and supervised the connection of the uppermost trunk to a massive crane that gently lowered the spruce onto a trailer after it was cut.

Not all of Harrington’s assignments are quite so dramatic, but he’s no stranger to high-altitude hillsides where he advises mining companies about forest restoration; mountain ranches where he helps New Mexico Tree Farmers and Christmas tree growers maximize their harvests as well as the health of their forested lands; and Mora’s glass-encased greenhouses where he and his staff have produced more than two million tree and shrub seedlings.

“If we ask him for something, he comes through for us,” says Jeannie McKinley, program director at the San Miguel County Cooperative Extension Service Office in Las Vegas, N.M. Harrington has worked with her office on a variety of projects, such as a community program that focused on forest health, forest thinning and forest fire prevention.

Harrington has a bachelor’s degree in forestry from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and his master’s in forest biology from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. In 1991, he earned his doctorate from NMSU’s agronomy and horticulture department.

“I knew I wanted to work in forested ecosystems early on,” Harrington says. “Through the good fortune of meeting positive influences such as Jim Fisher, John Mexal, Bruce Buchanan and Karl Wood here at NMSU and others elsewhere, I was able to refine my direction to focus on reforestation and restoration.”

Harrington is now focusing on restoration ecology and forest biology research.

“In restoration ecology, I spend quite a bit of time working with propagation of native plants and understanding both the biological and environmental factors impacting transplant shock,” he says.

Harrington believes the most significant long-term impact will come from research on reforestation in mined areas. Until the early 1990s, mines were rarely reforested. In 1992, Harrington began researching the feasibility of biological and environmental controls associated with mined land reforestation at high-elevation mine sites. At the time, managers of the Appalachian coal region and Midwestern coal fields also began looking at reforestation. Since then, many findings associated with Harrington’s research in the West has either substantiated findings from the East or sparked ideas for new research in the East.

“In terms of the future of forestry and restoration ecology, some of the biggest and most challenging areas will be in the arenas of sociology and economics,” he says. “The challenge is becoming less about what the desired future condition should be, but what is the best way to attain this condition and how does it impact society – in particular, forest-dependent communities.”

Outside his university work, Harrington runs 15-20 marathons a year, including this year’s Boston Marathon and the Leadville Marathon in Colorado. On several occasions, he has used his passion for running to raise funds for nonprofit organizations such as the Whitman-Walker AIDS Clinic in Washington, the AIDS Marathon Program and the Disability Law Center in Boston. He is involved in local volunteer firefighting and search-and-rescue organizations. He also hikes kayaks, fishes, plays golf and cycles.

“Fortunately, many of my recreational activities I can do with my wonderful wife, Anne Wagner (’89 ’92), who is also an NMSU graduate,” Harrington says.

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