Personnel:

Christopher Keyes joined the faculty in August 2007 as Associate Research Professor in the Department of Forest Management. His primary role is Director of the newly-established Applied Forest Management Program, a research and outreach program of the Montana Forest and Conservation Experiment Station. Chris spent the previous six years at Humboldt State University in Arcata, California, where he was Assistant Professor of Silviculture.

His research addresses applied aspects of forest stand dynamics, and has focused on the themes of natural regeneration ecology, dynamics and silviculture of forest fuels, and silvicultural applications for restoring degraded forests. A native of New England, Chris has worked in various fields of forestry in Washington, Maine, and Florida, and received degrees from Oregon State University (Ph.D. silviculture), the University of Montana (M.S. silviculture), and Holy Cross College (B.A. international development). Chris enjoys traveling and spending time with his wife Lisa and sons Sawyer (6) and Wyatt (4). Chris is very glad to be back in Montana, but wishes he had not gotten rid of his union suit and wool pants somewhere along the way.

Michael Sweet joined the Mission Oriented Research Program in December 1983 as a research specialist. His primary duties are to assist with long-term field studies, and provide analytical and information systems support. Arriving in Montana in 1970, Mike has completed degrees in Resource Conservation, Sociology, and Computer Science. Prior to arriving at The University of Montana, his early career led to employment with the Montana Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station. Through MORP, in 1984 Mike supported the initiation of a geographic information systems program within the College of Forestry and Conservation. The University of Montana now hosts the largest geographic information systems program in the region. Mike serves on the Governor's Montana Land Information Council and the board of the Montana Association of Geographic Information Professionals. Mike enjoys the intellectual stimulation of the university environment while still being able to work in and explore Montana's forests. Mike's real claim to fame is that he is married to a Montana native born in Butte. You can't get more real than that.

Steve Robertson joined the Mission Oriented Research Program (MORP) in April of 1989 as a research assistant. His primary duties are to install, maintain and measure permanent plots as well as enter, analyze and maintain the data collected from the research installations. Steve is looking forward to working within The Applied Forest Management Program. In a previous life, Steve was a livestock entomologist earning a B.S. degree in entomology from Purdue University in 1975 and a M.S. in entomology from Texas Tech University in 1977. Prior to moving to Montana Steve worked for the North Carolina Agricultural Extension Service as a livestock entomologist. For some reason, he seems to think that working in Montana’s forests is more desirable than working in chicken houses or hog parlors.