Lee Frelich

Lee E. Frelich
OccupationsEcologist, academic, and author
Academic background
EducationB.S., Botany and Bacteriology
Ph.D., Forest Ecology
Alma materUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison
Academic work
InstitutionsUniversity of Minnesota

Lee E. Frelich is an ecologist, academic, and author. He is the director of the Center for Forest Ecology and an adjunct professor in the Department of Forest Resources at the University of Minnesota.[1]

Frelich is most known for his work on forest disturbance dynamics. His work also deals with climate change, herbivory, and the ecological effects of invasive earthworms.

As of 2025, Frelich's work has been cited 9400 times according to Scopus.[2]

Education and career

Frelich completed his B.S. in Botany and Bacteriology in 1980 from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Later in 1986, he completed his Ph.D. in Forest Ecology from the same institution. He has been the director of the University of Minnesota Center for Forest Ecology since 2000 and is also an adjunct professor in the Department of Forest Resources since 2022.[1]

Research

In his early research, Frelich investigated natural disturbance patterns in Upper Michigan's old-growth forests. For this purpose, he employed tree ring analysis to quantify canopy accession dates and revealed canopy residence times (145–175 years) and persistent disturbance rates (5.7-6.9% per decade).[3] He worked on the Neighborhood Effect Theory of Forest Response to Disturbance and Succession, also known as the cusp catastrophe theory of forest dynamics, emphasizing that the dynamics within the forest ecosystem, influenced by relationships between different tree layers as well as their spatial interactions with adjacent trees, contribute significantly towards forest succession and resilience.[4]

Frelich also led the research on the consequences of invasive earthworms from Asia and Europe on plant communities and forest ecosystems in the boreal and temperate regions of North America.[5][6] He also explored the rapid transformation of boreal forests due to climate change, highlighting the nonlinear and complex nature of forest transitions, and indicated that future changes may be widespread, more sudden as well and ecologically more disruptive than what gradual climate models generally suggest.[7] Additionally, he also studied the disturbances in Minnesota's Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.[8] He demonstrated that while boreal forests showed some resistance, frequent disturbances altered the forest's structure and composition, resulting in the replacement of evergreen coniferous forests by deciduous birch and aspen forests.[9]

Bibliography

Books

  • Frelich, Lee E. (2002). Forest Dynamics and Disturbance Regimes: Studies from Temperate Evergreen-Deciduous Forests. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780511542046.

Selected articles

  • Lorimer, C. G.; Frelich, L. E. (1989). "A methodology for estimating canopy disturbance frequency and intensity in dense temperate forests". Canadian Journal of Forest Research. 19 (5): 651–663. doi:10.1139/x89-102.
  • Frelich, L. E.; Lorimer, C. G. (1991). "Natural disturbance regimes in hemlock-hardwood forests of the upper Great Lakes region". Ecological Monographs. 61 (2): 145–164. doi:10.2307/1943005. JSTOR 1943005.
  • Johnstone, J. F.; Allen, C. D.; Franklin, J. F.; Frelich, L. E.; Harvey, B. J.; Higuera, P. E.; Turner, M. G. (2016). "Changing disturbance regimes, ecological memory, and forest resilience". Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. 14 (7): 369–378. doi:10.1002/fee.1311.
  • Dyderski, M. K.; Paź, S.; Frelich, L. E.; Jagodziński, A. M. (2018). "How much does climate change threaten European forest tree species distributions?". Global Change Biology. 24 (3): 1150–1163. doi:10.1111/gcb.13925. PMID 28991410.

References

  1. 1 2 "Lee Frelich - University of Minnesota". University of Minnesota. Retrieved May 8, 2025.
  2. ↑ "Lee Frelich". Scopus. Retrieved May 22, 2025.
  3. ↑ Lorimer, Craig G.; Dahir, Sally E.; Nordheim, Erik V. (December 2001). "Tree mortality rates and longevity in mature and old-growth hemlock-hardwood forests". Journal of Ecology. 89 (6): 960–971. doi:10.1046/j.0022-0477.2001.00619.x.
  4. ↑ Elliot, Grant P.; Larson, Evan R. "Disturbance and Successional Dynamics in an Old-Growth White Pine-Mixed Hardwood Forest in the Great Lakes Region of Minnesota". The Geographical Bulletin. 50 (1).
  5. ↑ "Some Squirmy Stowaways Got to the Arctic. And They Like It There". The New York Times. July 14, 2023.
  6. ↑ Berry, Bill (18 July 2022). "Climate, earthworms and deer overpopulation alter northern forests". Wisconsin Examiner. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
  7. ↑ "In fast-warming Minnesota, scientists are trying to plant forests of the future". Washington Post. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
  8. ↑ Wright, Pam (29 May 2024). "Elder trees of the BWCA may not survive climate change". Quetico Superior Wilderness News.
  9. ↑ Johnson, Alissa (3 July 2017). "Ten Years After the Ham Lake Fire: A Forest Regenerates". Quetico Superior Wilderness News.
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