Forestry

New Zealand School of Forestry

Dr Justin Morgenroth

PositionJustinMorgenroth

Lecturer

Qualifications

BSc, University of Western Ontario
MFC, University of Toronto
PhD, University of Canterbury

Room

Forestry 231

Contact Details

Phone: +64 3 364 2128
justin.morgenroth@canterbury.ac.nz

Postal Address

School of Forestry
College of Engineering
University of Canterbury
Private Bag 4800
Christchurch
New Zealand

Undergraduate Courses

Course Coordinator/Lecturer:

Contributing to:

Research Interests

My research is focussed on the interactions between trees and their environment. Through empiric research and modelling, I try to understand and explain the impact of climatic, edaphic, and anthropogenic effects on a range of ecosystems from forested landscapes to urban forests where trees are heavily managed. Likewise, describing the environmental and social benefits derived from trees is of particular interest.  Understanding this bidirectional relationship, whereby trees respond to, but also affect their environment, is the common theme underlying my research goals. 

Current Research Activities

  • Modeling tree response to changes in soil properties following Christchurch’s earthquakes
  • Measuring and modeling the structure and ecological function of urban forests
  • Improving forestry decision support systems using climate and soil data
  • Interpreting LiDAR data for forest inventory purposes
  • Modeling biomass and leaf area index for New Zealand’s native tree species

Further information on research

Recent Publications

Peer-Reviewed Publications
Morgenroth, J. 2011. Root Growth Response of Platanus orientalis to Porous Pavements. Arboriculture and Urban Forestry 37(2): 45-50.

Morgenroth, J., and R. Visser. 2011. Above-Ground Growth Response of Platanus orientalis to Porous Pavements. Arboriculture and Urban Forestry 37(1).

Morgenroth, J., and G.D. Buchan. 2009. Soil Moisture and Aeration Beneath Pervious and Impervious Pavements. Arboriculture and Urban Forestry 35(3): 135-141.

Morgenroth, J. 2008. A review of root barrier research. Arboriculture and Urban Forestry 34(2): 84-88.

Conference Posters and Presentations
New Zealand Arboricultural Association Conference. 11-13 November 2010. Auckland, New Zealand. Paper presented: "Installation of Porous Pavements".

International Conference for Urban Forestry in Challenging Environments. 29 Aug - 1 Sept 2010. Beijing, China. Paper presented: "Porous Pavements increase above-ground growth of Platanus orientalis".

International Society of Arboriculture Annual Conference. 25-29 July 2009. Providence, Rhode Island, USA. Poster presented: “Effect of Porous Paving on Tree Growth”.

The Landscape Below Ground III. 6-8 October 2008. Lisle, Illinois, USA. Paper presented: “Response of urban trees to changes in soil moisture and aeration status as affected by porous paving”.

New Zealand Institute of Forestry Conference. 15-18 May 2008. Paper presented: “Urban Forests: overlooked and underappreciated”.

New Zealand Arboricultural Association Conference. 22-24 November 2007. Christchurch New Zealand. Paper presented: “Minimizing tree root conflicts with infrastructure while optimizing the rooting environment for urban trees”.

Reports
Bloomberg, M., Davies, T., Visser, R., and Morgenroth, J. 2011. Erosion Susceptibility Classification and Analysis of Erosion Risks for Plantation Forestry. New Zealand Ministry for the Environment.

Morgenroth, J.  2006. Street Tree Survey and Recommendations.  Technical Report prepared for City of London Parks and Planning Division.

Morgenroth, J. 2006. Threats to London’s Trees.  ReForest London. http://www.reforestlondon.ca/threats-londons-trees

 

Postgraduate Students

Ralph Adewoye, PhD. Geospatial mapping and forest biodiversity study of the montane forests of the Mambilla Plateau and Gotel Mountains of Taraba State, Nigeria. Dr. Hazel Chapman is primary supervisor.

Andi Adriana We Tenri Sau, PhD. The impact of the mining operations on the production forests. Its contribution to the rate of deforestation and to the utilization pattern on the production forests. A case study on the area of Kolaka Regency in South-east Sulawesi, Indonesia. Dr. Bruce Manley is primary supervisor.

Nick Adkins, MForSc. Vegetation assessment to understand the effect of feral goat populations on native flora composition. Dr. Hamish Cochrane is primary supervisor.

Hamish Berkett, MForSc. An examination of the current slope gradients being experienced by ground-based forest machines in New Zealand plantation forests. Dr. Rien Visser is primary supervisor.

James Skurupey, MForSc. A comparison of various mapping scales for estimating soil erosion susceptibility. Dr. Mark Bloomberg is associate supervisor.

Matthew Stobbart, MSc. Managing trees in and around Aotearoa’s towns and cities - A survey of urban forestry in New Zealand. Dr. Mark Johnston is primary supervisor.