The piney woods are waking up! Pollen is popping, spring wildflowers are blooming, and the peak of prescribed fire season has passed. Spring so far has brought above normal temperatures, and it is DRY. Little rainfall since September meant isolated wetlands did not fill this winter, more coarse woody debris is available to burn, and stream levels are noticeably dropping with the spring green-up. This first issue of 2026 highlights our Woods research program, recent land management activities, and highlights of our visiting groups. 

RESEARCH – WOODS

In 2025, Dr. Josh Puhlick gained one new MS student: Savannah Rascon. Savannah (co-advised by Dr. Ajay Sharma at Auburn University) will be conducting research on uneven-aged silvicultural systems used in longleaf pine ecosystems. All three graduate students in the lab (Gabe Nyen, Bryce Messer, and Savannah) began fieldwork during the winter of 2026. Dr. Puhlick presented research on soil carbon sequestration and was a member of a panel discussion about adapting forests to climate change at the 2025 Society of American Foresters National Convention in Hartford, Connecticut.  

Stemflow is rainfall that runs down tree trunks, bringing nutrients and water to the soil at the tree base. Stemflow can make up more than 10% of the water a tree receives, and it’s highly enriched in carbon, nitrogen, and other nutrients. But just how important is this nutrient-enriched water to the health and vigor of the tree? Darla Lohwasser, a new graduate student at Mississippi State University, is seeking the answer. This spring, she’s setting up a “stemflow exclusion” study, an experiment that captures stemflow and shuttles it away from the tree, removing this potentially valuable resource. She’ll then measure how the loss of stemflow water affects tree water stress and photosynthesis. Darla’s also setting up an experiment to measure how much stemflow is lost on live oak trees when epiphytes like resurrection ferns cover the branches. These first-of-their-kind experiments will help us better understand how rainfall is partitioned in forest canopies and how that division of resources impacts tree physiology. 

The Plant Ecology Lab recently piloted an experiment in collaboration with Drs. Katie Sieving and Marcus Lashley from the Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Program at the University of Florida to investigate how predator management influences native plant colonization in our long-term predator exclosures. The lab has recently secured funding from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources for herbicide research with collaborator Dr. David Clabo of the University of Georgia, the Florida Plant Rescue for collecting seeds from target rare plants, and Seeds of Success for workhorse restoration seed research. Two graduate students joined the lab in January: Kimi Birrer, a PhD student with the University of Florida, and Lindsey Grimes (former Center entomology technician) a MS student with Georgia Southern University. All three of the lab’s students (Kimi, Lindsey, and Bell Scherick) begin their research this summer. Lastly, the lab recently supported the seed collection of Florida flame azalea (Rhododendron austrinum) by the North Carolina Arboretum’s Native Azalea Collection curator, Carter Ellis. 

A Pilot Program for Longleaf Biodiversity Credits 

Our Landscape Ecology Lab is working with partners from the Longleaf Alliance, Milliken Advisors, and universities to develop cost-effective biodiversity monitoring protocols in longleaf pine ecosystems for wildlife, plant diversity, and vegetation characteristics for a pilot biodiversity credit program. By combining high resolution data via remote sensing techniques (drones and terrestrial lidar) on forest structure and field-based verification, we hope to build a standardized system to make biodiversity credits more accessible to small landowners.

Landscape Ecology Lab’s Hurricane Research Builds Momentum 

Research on hurricane impacts in longleaf pine ecosystems continues to expand at the Center, with growing contributions including new funding, publications, and student training. In collaboration with partners at North Carolina State University, the Landscape Ecology Lab was recently awarded a grant from the U.S. Department of War to study how hurricanes and other disturbances drive rapid ecological change in southeastern ecosystems. This work is particularly relevant for landscapes associated with U.S. military installations, including longleaf pine systems. Recent publications include a review article led by former Center postdoctoral researcher Dr. Nicole Zampieri in BioScience, highlighting the important role hurricanes play in shaping longleaf pine ecology. In parallel, the Landscape Ecology Lab contributed to a globally collaborative publication in Geoscience and Remote Sensing Magazine titled “Beyond Ice,” which explores new applications of the ICESat-2 satellite. Originally developed by NASA to measure polar ice, ICESat-2 is increasingly being used to study vegetation structure, forest disturbance, and restoration at global scales. Jones Center RaMP fellow Tristen Pasternak was jointly recruited by the lab and the University of Central Florida to begin an MS program, where she will study hurricane impacts on herbaceous plant communities across Florida. 

Entomology & Microbiology Lab on Tour 

The Entomology Lab has been reaching out to share recent research at a few key meetings in early 2026. Dr. Kier Klepzig presented a talk (coauthored by Drs. Kamal Gandhi and Caterina Villari, UGA) entitled “P4: An invasives response plan in theory and in practice” at the NAISMA USDA Cooperative Research Forum on Invasive Species. PhD student Alexia Marconi presented a poster entitled “Wild bee populations and communities in restored longleaf pine stands of various age classes” at the Southern Appalachian Forest Entomology and Pathology Seminar. Kier has also been selected as the Mississippi State University’s Carlton Owen Lecture speaker for 2026. He will present “Resistant trees, resilient ecosystems, and the long life of longleaf pine.” 

Scanning Scorch: Lidar Brings Speed and Precision to Fire Ecology  

CONSERVATION

Prescribed Fire Season is Ablaze 

The drought we’ve experienced since September has led to an opportunity to more thoroughly burn many of our isolated wetlands. Burning wetlands reduces woody encroachment and promotes favorable habitat conditions for many of our imperiled amphibians of the Southeastern Coastal Plain, such as striped newts and gopher frogs, which are dependent on grassy wetlands embedded in pine savannas.

Inaugural Wetland Field Day 

In March, we hosted the inaugural Ichauway Conservation Wetland Management Field Day for nearby landowners, land managers, and partners. Our objectives were to relay the benefits and importance of wetlands and wetland management, demonstrate how upland management impacts isolated wetlands, and to identify and facilitate opportunities for management and restoration partnerships. We planned this event with Ducks Unlimited and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, and we look forward to working on wetland conservation with them in the future. 

Timber Management in a Changing Market 

Timber markets in the southeast are rapidly changing. With the 2025 closure of the pulpwood mill in Cedar Springs, Georgia, the Center lost access to its primary small-diameter market. In response, Conservation staff implemented a first thinning, fuelwood harvest on a 118-acre area of planted longleaf. We are using this operation as a demonstration of alternative uses for small-diameter wood and as a potential option for future timber management operations. In this case, the wood was run through a chipper on site and wood chips hauled to a local factory which uses them to generate electricity. In addition, a single-tree selection operation was conducted on approximately 200 acres using fuelwood to harvest the small diameter trees and tops from larger harvested trees. Larger trees were merchandized as saw timber. The objectives for the single-tree selection harvest included habitat management, timber stand improvement, thinning of regeneration, and demonstration. 

Red-cockaded Woodpeckers Translocated to Chickasawhatchee WMA 

In December, a translocation of federally threatened Red-cockaded Woodpeckers (RCWs) was completed at the Chickasawhatchee Wildlife Management Area in southwest Georgia. This was a collaborative effort between the Georgia DNR, the Department of War (Fort Stewart Army Base), The Jones Center at Ichauway, Tall Timbers, the USDA Forest Service, the Longleaf Alliance, Casto Environmental Services, Quail Forever, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.⁠ Five pairs of birds were captured and transported from Fort Stewart, supplemented by an additional two pairs from The Jones Center at Ichauway, to Chickasawhatchee WMA. This is the first RCW release for the WMA. Public-private partnerships in conservation, such as this, are a key to successfully restoring imperiled species on the landscape. 

One of the busiest stretches of the year for the Outreach & Education Program is February to April. Between university spring break short courses, field trips, and fire-focused groups, it’s all hands on deck. 

University Spring Frenzy 

The Education Program hosted Mercer University’s Conservation Biology students, a new course instructed by Dr. Rebecca McKee, who had our very own Dr. Mike Conner on her committee for her PhD from the University of Florida. 

Others University student groups included: 

• University of Georgia Prescribed Fire in the Forest Ecosystem 
• University of Georgia Herpetology 
• Berry College Conservation Biology 
• University of Florida Silviculture 
• University of Tennessee at Martin chapter of The Wildlife Society

Professional Groups

It’s not just student season; a variety of natural resource practitioners and environmental leadership descended upon Ichauway in the first months of 2026. Here are some highlights: 

Leadership and forestry research staff from the National Council for Air and Stream Improvement, Inc. (NCASI) traveled from Canada and all over the U.S. to visit Ichauway and to discuss shared research interests in forest management, aquatic systems, and wildlife ecology. 

Nearly 50 wildland firefighters participating in the National Interagency Prescribed Fire Training Center’s 20-day Prescribed Fire Leadership Module visited Ichauway for a crash course in prescribed fire in southeastern ecosystems.  

The Indigo Snake Working Group returned to the Center in February with stakeholders from 10 partner organizations to advance the eastern indigo snake reintroduction program by addressing ongoing challenges and planning for the future of the program. The Jones Center has been a partner in this collaborative effort since 2007.⁠ 

The Institute for Georgia Environmental Leadership (IGEL) Board met at The Jones Center, led by our Director and IGEL Board Chair, Dr. Kier Klepzig. This group of leaders from across the environmental community spent time setting up the vision, goals, and policies that will guide IGEL forward, while also learning about the Center’s approach to research, education, and conservation. 

The Southeast Native Seed Network, a coalition of regional organizations that represents researchers, producers, biologists, educators, and other stakeholders dedicated to advancing environmental solutions through the responsible use and management of native seeds, visited Ichauway for their annual meeting hosted by our Plant Ecology Lab. 

The Mussel Conservation Lab hosted the Lower Flint-Ochlockonee Council Meeting at Ichauway in early April. The lab’s Caitlin Sweeny co-facilitated the meeting, one of ten regional planning councils across Georgia. 

Center Alumni Visit Ichauway 

Our Education Coordinator hosted several Center alumni in January to strategize on how to strengthen alumni engagement. In honor of World Wetlands Day, our alumni Aquatic Sciences Lab Scientist (Dr. Nick Marzolf) and Research Associate (Jamie Rogers), led a wetland field tour. 

Prescribed Fire Awareness Campaign: Round Two

Year two of our prescribed fire communications campaign for the Albany, Georgia area launched in February to coincide with peak burn activity in southwest Georgia. The campaign recently received an award from the American Advertising Federation’s Colorado District. This project is in partnership with Tall Timbers and funded by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources – Wildlife Resources Division.

Podcast Feature: Hurricanes and Forest Ecology 

Woods to Water Program Passes Mid-Point 

The second year of this 12-month, field-based fellowship for postbaccalaureates reached its midpoint in February, during which all 10 fellows presented their research project progress during a mini-Symposium. We bid farewell to our first cohort of RaMP fellows and welcomed our second cohort. Our current cohort resided in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, with their University of Alabama mentors and conducted field work with National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) staff since August.

Community Outreach 

Although Center onsite youth education isn’t our focus, this March some of our Research and Education Program staff left our property borders for offsite outreach events for local schools in Bainbridge, Georgia. The Aquatics and Herpetology Labs participated in a Spring Creek Charter School Flint River experience, and the Herpetology and Wildlife Ecology Labs and our Education Coordinator participated in a Bainbridge High School campus wiregrass and longleaf planting. 

ICHAUWAY ON THE ROAD

In December, Ecohydrology students Suranjana Chatterjee and Virginia Hudspeth attended the American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana. The AGU fall meeting is one of the largest science conferences in the world, attracting 25,000 researchers. Suranjana presented a poster on our NASA wetland detection project, while Virginia presented a poster about the effects of prescribed fire on oak and pine saplings.  

Ecohydrology RaMP fellow Zoe Brown presented a poster of her project on long-term leaf area index dynamics at the Association of Southeastern Biologists annual meeting March 26th in Mobile, Alabama.

In February, Steven Brantley, David Mason, and Nick Marzolf traveled to the Savannah River Ecology Lab (SREL) in Aiken, South Carolina for a workshop on science communications. The workshop, which was led by SREL director and Jones Center Advisory Committee member Gene Rhodes, focused on strategies for effectively communicating research findings to policy-oriented stakeholders including university government affairs officers, mission-driven agencies, science advocacy groups, and Congressional staffers.

The Herpetology and Wildlife Ecology Labs were represented at the joint Georgia and Alabama Chapters of The Wildlife Society annual meeting in Phenix City, Alabama in February. 

The Mussel Conservation Lab’s Dr. Steve Golladay and Caitlin Sweeney presented on their ongoing habitat conservation plan for freshwater mussels in the lower Flint River at the Georgia Chapter of the American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting on Jekyll Island, Georgia in February. 

PhD student, Kimi Birrer recently presented her proposed research at the Gainesville Museum of Natural History Bird Lunch. 

Dr. David Mason gave a seminar at UGA’s Warnell School of Forestry in January and Georgia Southern University in early April, detailing the development of the Plant Ecology Lab’s research program. 

RaMP fellow Josh Sorenson attended the 2026 Southeastern Society of American Foresters Annual Meeting with Dr. Josh Puhlick in Gainesville, Florida. 

In March, RaMP fellow Oriana Gutierez presented “The Ecological Role of Juvenile Wild Turkeys in Seed Dispersal” at the 87th Annual Meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists in Mobile, Alabama. 

NEW FACES AT ICHAUWAY

Santana Addison joined our Guest Services Team in March. She was born and raised in Newton, Georgia.

Kimi Birrer started as a PhD student with the Plant Ecology Lab co-advised by the Center’s Dr. David Mason and Dr. Marcus Lashley at the University of Florida in January. 

Railey Davis started as a Maintenance Team Member in March. Railey is from Mitchell County, Georgia.

Michaela DiGiovanni started as our Communications Specialist in March. Michaela is a University of Georgia alumna from Guyton, GA. 

Ryan Grantham started as a Conservation Fellow in March. Ryan was previously a Conservation Technician since May 2025. 

Lindsey Grimes started as an MS student with the Plant Ecology Lab, co-advised by the Center’s Dr. David Mason and Dr. Isaac Park at Georgia Southern University in January. 

Georgeanna Randall started as a Research Technician III in the Affiliate Mussel Conservation Lab in March. Georgeanna was previously a seasonal technician with the Ecohydrology Lab. 

Caleb Ransefore started as a Maintenance Team Member in March. Caleb was previously part of the Guest Services Team since October 2024. 

Bo Sheffield started as a Conservation Team Member on the Woods Crews in March. Bo is from Baker County, Georgia. 

Jessica Shores started as a Research Technician I in the Ecohydrology Lab. Jessica was previously a seasonal technician in the Ecohydrology Lab. 

Elizabeth Sicking started as a Research Technician I, shared between the Aquatic Sciences and Entomology Labs. Elizabeth is a former MS student in Entomology and will begin her PhD research in the Fall semester at the Odum School of Ecology at the University of Georgia. 

Savanna Wooten started as a postdoctoral researcher in December working with the Aquatic Sciences, Ecohydrology, and Ecological Silviculture Labs. Savanna recently obtained her PhD from Auburn University.  

Students

Tayton Alvis (Aquatic Sciences Lab) was awarded the EO Wilson Biodiversity Fellowship to support conference travel and summer research funds ($8000). 

Lindsey Grimes (Plant Ecology Lab) was awarded the Institute for Coastal Plain Sciences Fellowship for summer research assistantship funds at Georgia Southern University.  

Chloe Hall (Aquatic Sciences Lab) was awarded 2nd place honorable mention for Best Oral Presentation at the EMES and E3P Research Symposium. 

Leela Hospach (Entomology & Microbiology Lab) defended her MS thesis in March 2026 from Clemson University entitled, “Biology, ecology and control of eye gnats in an open pine ecosystem.” 

Katy Perkins (Ecohydrology Lab) defended her MS thesis in November 2025 from Auburn University and accepted a position at the University of Florida as a lab manager. 

Bradley Pruitt (Conservation) finished his tenure as an Ichauway Conservation Fellow and is now working as a Coordinating Wildlife Biologist with Quail Forever in Texas. 

Bell Scherick (Plant Ecology Lab) was awarded the Delia Owens Fellowship from the Odum School of Ecology at the University of Georgia. She was also previously the recipient of the John Spencer Distinguished Fellowship from The Jones Center at Ichauway and the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program. 

Dr. Justine Smith (Wildlife Ecology Lab) obtained her PhD in December 2025 from the University of Georgia and accepted a position as a postdoctoral researcher with Texas A&M University. 

Staff

Dr. Jeffery Cannon was named Deputy Director of Research in January 2026. Read More

Jessica McCorvey was named Education Associate in January 2026. 

Rachel McGuire (Outreach & Education Coordinator) was announced as a member of the Institute for Georgia Environmental Leadership (IGEL) Program Class of 2026. 

Dr. Josh Puhlick (Scientist, Ecological Silviculture) graduated from the IGEL Program and is part of the Class of 2025. 

Brandon Rutledge was named Deputy Director of Partnerships in January 2026. Read More

David Sisson was named Natural Resource Manager in January 2026. Read More

Scott Smith was named General Manager in January 2026. Read More