F.E. "Jack" Putz
Distinguished Professor
- Gainesville FL UNITED STATES
- College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Frances "Jack" Putz applies science to real-world problems related to ecosystem management and conservation.
Contact More Open optionsBiography
An applied ecologist, Frances "Jack "Putz aims to use science to solve real-world problems related to ecosystem management, restoration and conservation. He conducts research on forests and savannas in Florida, but also throughout the tropics. He holds joint appointments at UF with the School of Forest Resources and Conservation and the Center for Latin American Studies. His research ranges from ethnobotany and natural history to biomechanics and physiological ecology, but his principal interest is in tropical silviculture. To promote adoption of improved forest management methods, he is involved in market-based mechanisms for conservation and development including forest product certification and forest management for climate change mitigation.
Areas of Expertise
Media Appearances
Deforestation remedies can have unintended consequences
ScienceDaily online
2014-07-02
“We need to be careful about what is it we’re losing and gaining,” UF biology professor Francis E. “Jack” Putz said. Putz worked with UF biology professor Claudia Romero on the paper, which will appear in the July issue of Biotropica.
Social
Articles
Sustainability of Brazilian forest concessions
Forest Ecology and ManagementPlinio Sist
2021-09-15
In 2006, the Brazilian Forest Service (SFB) started an ambitious program to establish forest concessions so as to provide a legal framework for long-term sustainable timber production in Amazonian forests. Forest concessions in the Brazilian Amazon currently cover only 1.6 million ha (Mha) but we estimate the area of all potential concessions as 35 Mha.
Effects of Permanent and Temporary Edges on Pinus clausa (sand pine) Architecture and Stand Conditions
Canadian Journal of Forest ResearchColin Smith and Francis E. Putz
2021-04-30
Effects of permanent (i.e., maintained) and temporary edges with north- and south-facing exposures were studied in sand pine (Pinus clausa var. clausa) scrub, an open-canopied forest type in Ocala National Forest, Florida. On edges and interiors of four stands of each type, we measured canopy tree architecture in 5 x 100 m plots and stand density and basal area in 5 x 200 m plots. Edge effects were modest but often stronger on south- than north-facing edges and along permanent forest roads than temporary edges of clearcuts that were allowed to regrow.
Corrigendum: Intact Forest in Selective Logging Landscapes in the Tropics
Frontiers in Forests and Global ChangeFrancis E. Putz, et al.
2021-04-28
The selective logging that characterizes most timber extraction operations in the tropics leaves large patches of logging blocks (i.e., areas allocated for harvesting) intact, without evidence of direct impacts. For example, in ~10,000 ha sampled in 48 forest management enterprises in Africa (Gabon, Republic of Congo, and the Democratic Republic of Congo), Indonesia, Suriname, and Mexico, an average of 69% (range 20–97%) of the area in logging blocks was not directly affected by timber harvests.
Underground carbohydrate stores and storage organs in fire-maintained longleaf pine savannas in Florida, USA
American Journal of BotanyFrancis E. Putz, et al.
2021-03-08
Many perennial herbaceous plants develop underground storage organs (USOs) that store carbohydrates, water, and minerals. The resprouting ability of plants is influenced by the availability of these materials and by the type of underground organ and number of viable buds. In this study, we illustrate the diversity of longleaf pine savanna species and their nonstructural carbohydrate (NSC) pools and concentrations. We also determined whether NSC concentrations by USO are good predictors of NSC pools in species with different types of underground structures.
Tree Species Diversity, Composition and Aboveground Biomass Across Dry Forest Land-Cover Types in Coastal Ecuador
Tropical Conservation ScienceXavier Haro-Carrión, Bette Loiselle and Francis E. Putz
2021-02-15
Tropical dry forests (TDF) are highly threatened ecosystems that are often fragmented due to land-cover change. Using plot inventories, we analyzed tree species diversity, community composition and aboveground biomass patterns across mature (MF) and secondary forests of about 25 years since cattle ranching ceased (SF), 10–20-year-old plantations (PL), and pastures in a TDF landscape in Ecuador. Tree diversity was highest in MF followed by SF, pastures and PL, but many endemic and endangered species occurred in both MF and SF, which demonstrates the importance of SF for species conservation. Stem density was higher in PL, followed by SF, MF and pastures.
