Dr. Howard Neufeld, Honors faculty member and professor in the Department of Biology, was featured in the Oct. 17, 2020 story, “Human-driven climate change is changing the colors of fall foliage, scientists say” by Kat Long in the Washington Post. Dr. Neufeld’s research is focused on physiological plant ecology, plant water relations, ecosystem ecology, and air pollution effects on plants. In this news article, Dr. Neufeld discusses the negative impact of foreign pests and pathogens on our landscapes. The story reflects,
“But wildly multicolored forests are under threat. Foreign pests and pathogens, arriving unnoticed in imported lumber or even packing materials, can alter whole landscapes in a short time, said Howard Neufeld, a plant ecophysiologist at Appalachian State University.
‘They can take out trees, and if other trees come in that are different colors, that can have a dramatic effect,’ he said. Under the moniker ‘Fall Color Guy,’ Neufeld issues foliage color reports on the university’s website and on Facebook.”
Dr. Neufeld is a long-time Honors faculty member who will be teaching this next Spring 2021 semester a junior level Honors seminar The Future of Human Civilization: Population Growth, Climate Change, and the Prospects for Sustainability, directly centered on the topic of this news article. To learn more about this upcoming seminar, click here to read the course description and to watch Dr. Neufeld describe the course in the video recording of the Spring 2021 virtual Honors Course Preview.
Top photo of Dr. Howard Neufeld by Marie Freeman
