SPEA - School of Public and Environmental Affairs

Education
Ph.D., Purdue University, 1974
M.S.F., Purdue University, 1971
B.S.F., Purdue University, 1969

Professional Experience

• Director, Undergraduate Programs, School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University, 2008–2011
• State Forester & Director Division of Forestry, Indiana DNR, 1990-2005
• The Nature Conservancy Sustainable Forestry Review Team, South America Projects, 2005
• Co-coordinator, Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant Program, 1985-1989
• Professor and Extension Forester, Purdue University, 1977-1997
• Assistant Professor, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, 1974-1977

Awards, Honors & Certifications

• IU-B Freshman Learning Program Fellow, 2008
• SPEA Teaching Award, Undergraduate Instruction, 2008
• Indiana Urban Forest Council “Outstanding Government Entity – in Promoting the Principles of Urban Forestry in Indiana to Indiana University’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs Urban Forestry Course,” 2007
• NASF Burney Fischer Current Achievement Award in Urban Forestry, established 2006
• Indiana Arborist Association Distinguished Service Award, 2004
• President, National Association of State Foresters (NASF), 2003-2004
• Purdue University Distinguished Agricultural Alumni, 2003
• USDA National Urban Forestry & Community Advisory Council (NUCFAC), 2000-2003
• Elected Fellow, Society of American Foresters, 1998
• Society of American Foresters Certified Forester, 1997- present
• Indiana Society of American Foresters Meritorious Service Award, 1996
• Co-chair Indiana Governor’s Conference on the Environment, 1994
• General Chair, Society of American Foresters National Convention, 1993
• Society of American Foresters Technology Transfer and Extension Award, 1985

Professional Interests
Forestry, particularly community and urban forest management practices and issues; forest resources policy and state government management; collaborative forestry; silviculture and growth and development of Central Hardwood forest stands

Current Projects

• Member, Board of Directors, Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Inc. 2011-present
• Member, Board of Directors, Alliance for Community Trees, 2010 – present
• Urban Forestry Resources and Institutions research program (co-PI), 2009 – present
• Evaluation of the USFS State & Private Forestry Redesign Program (PI), 2009 – present
• Chair, Workshop Advisory Council, IUB The Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis, 2009 – present
• Vice President, Board of Directors, Indiana Urban Forest Council, 2007 – present
• National Arbor Day Association Tree Campus USA Advisory Committee, 2007 – present
• President, National Association of State Foresters Foundation, 2006 – present
• IU-B SPEA and City of Bloomington, IN: Partnering for the Urban Forest, 2006 - present
• Dynamics of Reforestation in Coupled Social-Ecological Systems: Modeling Land-Use Decision Making and Policy Impact, National Science Foundation Grant (co-PI), 2007-09
• US Forest Service NEPA for the 21st Century Initiative (co-PI), 2006-09
• Member, City of Bloomington Tree Commission, 2005 - 2010
• Member, HP&VA Hardwood Forestry Fund Board, 1999 - present
• Member, Indiana Forestry Education Foundation, Life Trustee

Urban Forests

Selected Publications
Full Vita (pdf)

• Vogt, J. and B.C. Fischer. 2011. Exploring the Relationship Between the Urban Forestry and Community Sustainability Program in Indiana. Arboriculture and Urban Forestry (Submitted).
• Cox, Michael, Burnell Fischer, Sarah Mincey, Tatyana Ruseva, and Sergio Tomas-Villamayor. 2011. Evaluating the USFS State & Private Forestry Redesign Program: A First Look at Policy Implications. Ecological Economics (in press).
• Coleman, E., J. Kershaw and B.C. Fischer. 2011. Using Stocking Guides to Take Stock of Forest Institutions. Society and Natural Resources (in press)
• Farmer. J.R., D. Knapp, V.J. Meretsky, C. Chancellor and B.C. Fischer. 2011. Motivations Influencing the Adoption of Conservation Easement. Conservation Biology 25(4): 827-834.
• Auer, M., K. Richards, D. Seesholtz, B. Fischer, C. Freitag and J. Grice. 2011. The U.S. Forest Service and Its Responsibilities under the National Environmental Policy Act: A Work Design Problem. Public Organization Review DOI 10.1007/s11115-010-0115-6,p. 135-153.
• Fleischman, F.D., K. Boenning, G.A. Garcia-Lopez, S. Mincey, M. Schmitt-Harsh, K. Deadlow, M.C. Lopez, X. Buasurto, B.C. Fischer and E.O. Ostrom. 2010. Disturbance, Response and Persistence in Self-Organized Forested Communities: Over-Time Analysis of Five Communities in Southern Indiana. Ecology and Society. [online] URL: http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol15/iss4/art9/.
• Tucker, C.M., A. Agrawal and B.C. Fischer. The International Resources and Institutions Research Program: An Elinor Ostrom Creation. Transnational Corporations Review 2(2):79-83.
• Fischer, B.C. and T.B. Ruseva. 2010. What is happening in and outside America’s private woodlands. Journal of Forestry 108(6):304-306 (Response to: Coufal, J.E., C. Wiedemann and M. Gleason, What’s happening in the woods).
• Vogt, J. and B.C. Fischer. 2010. Tree City USA: A Potential Catalyst for Community Sustainability. Poster Paper, International Society of Arboriculture Annual Conference 2008, July 25-28, Chicago, IL.
• Mincey, S.K. and B.C. Fischer. 2009. The Woodland Campus: A historic walking tour of Indiana University-Bloomington. IU-B School of Public and Environmental Affairs publication (1st edition), 20p.
• Morrissey, R.C., M.M. Gauthier, J.A. Kershaw, Jr., D.F. Jacobs, J.R. Seifert and B.C. Fischer, 2009. Grapevine dynamics in association with manual tending, physiography, and host tree associations in temperate deciduous forests. Forest Ecology & Management 257: 1839-1846.
• Fischer, B.C. and B.C. Steed. 2008. Street Trees: A Misunderstood Common Pool Resource. Proceedings of the 84th International Society of Arboriculture Annual Conference, St. Louis, MO. 18 p.
• Morrissey, R.C., M.M. Gauthier, J.A. Kershaw, Jr., D.F. Jacobs, B.C. Fischer, and J.R. Seifert. 2008. Grapevine dynamics after manual tending of juvenile stands on the Hoosier National Forest, Indiana. In: Jacobs, D.F. and Michler, C.H., eds., Proceedings of the 16th Central Hardwood Forest Conference; 2008 April 8-9, West Lafayette, IN. USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-P-24.
• Morrissey, R.C., D.F. Jacobs, J.R. Seifert, B.C. Fischer and J.R. Kershaw. 2008. Competitive success of natural oak regeneration in clearcuts during the stem exclusion state. Canadian Journal of Forest Research, 38:1419-1430.
• Richards, K., D. Seesholtz, J. Grice, M. Auer, B. Fischer, C. Freitag and G. McArdle. 2007. Internal organization and external contracting for the NEPA process: Lessons from new institutional economics and strategic organization design. A white paper prepared for the USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station.