A/Prof J. Doland Nichols

J. Doland Nichols first began working in forestry in the Douglas fir forests of western Oregon, as an employee of the US Forest Service. He then spent six years in Costa Rica, as Peace Corps forestry volunteer, researcher and teacher. He completed a Masters degree on the ecology and silviculture of a native Central American tree Terminalia amazonia, and in Ghana West Africa did studies on the ecology and management of Milicia excelsa for a PhD. He is interested in rainforest tree ecology and continues to work with colleagues and students in long-term rainforest trials at Border Ranges National Park. He has also been active in research and teaching in the field of native forest management in Australian eucalypt forests, where a major shift away from timber production has taken place in recent years. Doland has taught Fire Ecology and Management and Forest Health  at SCU for 10 and 20 years respectively. In the realm of forest health, he collaborates on studies of the serious local problem Bell Miner Associated Dieback (BMAD) in wet eucalypt forests, as well as on the impact of weeds and the development of new pest species in eucalypt and rainforest plantations.