Edward Smith is working to conserve and improve the health and resilience of forests, meadows, and riparian communities of the Sierra Nevada Mountains of northern California by working with partners to increase the pace and scale of science based, ecologically restorative management. Edward has a strong interest in incorporating continuous business practice improvement into relevant conservation and protection projects through the provision of sound science.
Edward led similar efforts for TNC in Arizona, launching and leading with others the Four Forest Restoration Initiative. He also provided strategic science in support of land management and planning in a changing climate, and supported quality collaborative process and teamwork to ensure lasting results. Trained as a forest ecologist and soil scientist, Edward has studied the response of rare understory plants to forest management, soil nutrient cycling in intact and disturbed forests of SW, and the role of spatial soil nutrient distribution in greenhouse gas production. He also worked for Northern Arizona University in the use of effluent in tree farms, and as an arborist in the San Francisco Bay area, and is an avid amateur mycologist. He served on Governor Napolitano’s Forest Health Advisory Committee for Arizona Game and Fish from 1999-2005.
