Associate Professor
West Virginia University
MORGANTOWN, West Virginia, United States
Dr. Kathryn Arano Gazal is an Associate Professor of Forest Economics and Management in the School of Natural Resources and the Environment at West Virginia University (WVU). She earned her B.S. and M.S. degrees in Forestry from the University of the Philippines Los Baños and a Ph.D. in Forest Economics and Management from Mississippi State University, where her research focused on the investment behavior of nonindustrial private forest landowners.
Since joining WVU in 2004, Dr. Gazal has expanded her research focus beyond private landowner behavior to explore a broad array of critical issues in forestry economics. Other research areas include forest products industry performance, forest taxation policies, urban forestry, and the rapidly evolving field of climate-smart forestry. One of her most current research areas includes examining the economic contributions of the forest products industry, particularly in the context of challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic. She also investigates private forest landowners’ interest and participation in the forest carbon market, exploring how forest-based climate solutions can enhance ecological and community resiliency. This work is critical in addressing contemporary issues such as carbon sequestration and sustainable forest management, aligning economic incentives with environmental stewardship. She has secured substantial research funding from USDA and NSF to support her projects on climate-smart forestry.
Dr. Gazal is actively engaged in professional service, including roles as an Associate Editor for leading forestry journals and participation in international/national conferences and workshops.
West Virginia Private Forest Landowners’ Perspectives on Forest Carbon Offset Programs
Wednesday, September 18, 2024
2:00 PM – 2:30 PM MST
Thursday, September 19, 2024
9:30 AM – 10:30 AM MST
