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Rubenstein School student Olivia Lopez double majored in Environmental Sciences and Forestry, spent a summer installing permanent monitoring plots at UVM Forests, and earned numerous awards for her campus involvement in helping to further strengthen UVM’s reputation for environmental sustainability.
Senior Olivia Lopez ‘21, from North Andover, Massachusetts, came to the University of Vermont (UVM) as an Environmental Sciences major, added a double major in Forestry, and became a leader for environmental sustainability and inclusion across campus.
During her sophomore year in the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, she was required to choose a concentration in Environmental Sciences. The NR 205 course on ecosystem management had sparked Olivia s interest in forest ecosystems. At the recommendation of her faculty advisor, Jennifer Pontius, Olivia settled on a second major, instead, and turned her attention to a potential career in forestry.
Rubenstein School students (left to right) Helene Thomas ’21, Olivia Lopez ’21, and Miriam Wolpert ’20 stand near plot center after they finish installing the last of 271 Continuous Forest Inventory plots at the UVM Jericho Research Forest during summer and fall 2020. Photo: Tony D Amato
The University of Vermont (UVM) Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources has established 464 permanent monitoring plots on UVM Forests. The Vermont properties Jericho Research Forest in the town of Jericho, Talcott Forest in Williston, Wolcott Research Forest in Wolcott, and Washington Forest in Washington are owned by UVM and managed by the Rubenstein School.
The Continuous Forest Inventory (CFI) plots, installed during the summers of 2019 and 2020, will be re-visited each decade, beginning in the summer of 2021, to collect data and monitor changes in tree age and health, tree species composition, carbon sequestration, and other forest ecosystem attributes.