Cindy Hale, Ph.D., Research Associate

Position and Focus

Dr. Hale conducts research and education related to forest and ecosystems ecology, plant communities and soil dynamics with an emphasis on the impacts of invasive earthworm species. She has also volunteered to spearhead the Heritage Orchard restoration efforts on the UMD Field Experimental Station and to work with a diverse interdisciplinary team of faculty, staff and students to create research and educational opportunities for students and the community with the newly formed Sustainable Agriculture Program at UMD. Her family also operates a small, organic, integrated tree fruit, poultry and hog farm.

Background

Ph.D. Forest ecology, University of Minnesota, College of Natural Resources, Department of Forest Resources, St. Paul, Minnesota, 2003
M.S. Environmental Sciences, University of Minnesota Duluth, 1997
B.S. Ecology-Individually Designed Program, University of Minnesota, 1988
GGS Graduate Gemologist, Diamonds, Colored Stones, and Gem Identification. The Gemological Institute of America, Santa Monica, CA. 1982

Current Publications

Larson ER, Kipfmueller KF, Hale CM, Frelich LE, Reich PB. 2010. Tree rings detect earthworm invasions and their effects in northern hardwood forests. Biological Invasions 12:1053-1066.

Hale CM. 2007. Earthworms of the Great Lakes. First Edition:1-36.

Callaham MA, Gonzalez G, Hale CM, Heneghan L, Lachnicht SL, Zou X. 2007. Policy and management responses to earthworm invasions. Biological Invasions 7(6):1317-1329.

Hobbie SE, Reich PB, Oleksyn J, Ogdahl M, Zytkowiak R, Hale CM, Karolewski P. 2007. Species effects on litter chemistry and microenvironment regulate litter decomposition an dflorest floor dynamics in a common garden experiment with fourteen tree species. Ecology 87(9):2288-2297.

Tiunov AV, Hale CM, Holdsworth AR, Vsevolodova-Perel TS. 2006. Invasion patterns of Lumbricidae into the previously earthworm-free areas of northeastern Europe and the western Great Lakes region of North America . Biological Invasions 7(6):1223-1234.

Hale CM, Frelich LE, Reich PB. 2006. Changes in cold-temperate hardwood forest understory plant communities in response to invasion by European earthworms. Ecology 87(7):1637-1649.

Frelich LE, Hale CM, Scheu S, Holdsworth AR, Heneghan L, Bohlen PJ, Reich PB. 2006. Earthworm invasion into previously earthworm-free temperate and boreal forests. Biological Invasions 7(6):1235-1245.

Click here to view complete publication list.

Click here to view Dr. Hale's Great Lakes Worm Watch publications list.
 

Project list for Cindy Hale :

(A link will go to the project's current report, an arrow will take you to a project's home page)

Reducing Human-mediated Spread of Non-native Earthworms


Prevention and Early Detection of Invasive Earthworms
Our goal is to use a multi-pronged approach to reduce the introduction and spread of invasive earthworms through rigorous quantification of the relative importance of different vectors of introduction for earthworm species, develop and test the effectiveness of management recommendations for resource managers to limit the spread and introduction of earthworms, and to inform and actively engage diverse stakeholders in efforts to accumulate distributional data on invasive earthworm and their relative impacts across the state/region and to identify earthworm-free and minimally impacted areas worthy of protection.

Sustainable Agriculture Program