Research Projects

• Cooperative Research Program in Growth and Yield of Managed Stands of Loblolly Pine (Twelve industrial forestry firms plus Virginia Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation and USDA Forest Service, 1979-present): The objective of this Cooperative is to develop loblolly pine tree growth and stand development models sufficiently flexible to account for the effects of intensive cultural practices, with output sufficiently detailed to allow for analyses of a full range of utilization options. The Cooperative maintains three large field studies: (1) a set of designed spacing trials, (2) a region-wide set of growth plots in intensively managed plantations, and (3) two pruning experiments and is part of the NSF Center for Advanced Forestry Systems.

Teaching Responsibilities

• FOR 5224 Forest Biometry

Selected Recent Publications

Journal Articles

• Radtke, P. J., R. L. Amateis, S. P. Prisley, C. A. Copenheaver, D. C. Chojnacky, J. R. Pittman and H. E. Burkhart. 2009. Modeling production and decay of coarse woody debris in loblolly pine plantations. For. Ecol. & Manage. 257:790-799.
• Russell, M. B., H. E. Burkhart and R. L. Amateis. 2009. Biomass Partitioning in a minature-scale loblolly pine spacing trial. Can. J. For. Res. 39:320-329.
• Trincado, G. and H. E. Burkhart. 2009. A framework for modeling the dynamics of first-order branches and spatial distribution of knots in loblolly pine trees. Can. J. For. Res. 39:566-579.
• Burkhart, H. E. 2008. Modelling growth and yield for intensively managed forests. Jour. For. Sci. 24:173-180.
• Carlson, C. A., H. E. Burkhart, H. L. Allen, and T. R. Fox. 2008. Absolute and relative changes in tree growth rates and changes to the stand diameter distribution of Pinus taeda as a result of midrotation fertilizer applications. Can. J. For. 38(6):2063-2071.
• Choi, J., H. E. Burkhart and R. L. Amateis. 2008. Modeling trends in stern quality characteristics of loblolly pine trees in unthinned plantations. Can. J. For. Res. 38:1446-1457.
• Mehtatalo, L., T. G. Gregoire and H. E. Burkhart. 2008. Comparing strategies for modeling tree diameter percentiles from remeasured plots. Environmetrics 19:529-548.
• Trincado, G. and H. E. Burkhart. 2008. A model of knot shape and volume in loblolly pine trees. Wood and Fiber Sci. 40:634-646.
• VanderSchaaf, C.L. and H. E. Burkhart. 2008. Using segmented regression to estimate stages and phases of stand development. For. Sci. 54:167-175.
• Sharma, M., H. E. Burkhart and R. L. Amateis. 2007. Scaling taper relationships from miniature-scale to operational-scale stands of loblolly pine. For. Sci. 53: 611-617.
• Trincado, G., C. L. VanderSchaaf and H. E. Burkhart. 2007. Regional mixed-effects height-diameter models for loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) plantations. Eur. J. For. Res. 126: 253-262.
• VanderSchaaf, C. L. and H. E. Burkhart. 2007. Comparison of methods to estimate Reineke's maximum size-density relationship species boundary line slope. For. Sci. 53:435-442.
• Amateis, R. L., S. P. Prisley, H. E. Burkhart, and J. Liu. 2006. The effect of physiographic region and geographic locale on predicting the dominant height and basal area of loblolly pine plantations. South. J. Appl. For. 30:147-153.
• Dieguez-Aranda, U., H. E. Burkhart and R. L. Amateis. 2006. Dominant height growth of unthinned loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) plantations in the United States. For. Sci. 52:262-272.
• Sharma, M., M. Smith, H. E. Burkhart and R. L. Amateis. 2006. Modeling the impact of thinning on height development of dominant and condominant loblolly pine trees. Ann. For. Sci. 63:349-354.
• Trincado, G. and H. E. Burkhart. 2006. A generalized approach for modeling and localizing stem profile curves. For. Sci. 52:670-682.
• Amateis, R. L. and H. E. Burkhart. 2005. Estimating the proporation of peeler, sawtimber and pulpwood trees in loblolly pine plantations. South. J. Appl. For. 29:158-162.
• Bullock, B. P. and H. E. Burkhart. 2005. An evaluation of spatial dependency in juvenile loblolly pine stands using stem diameter. For. Sci. 51:102-108.
• Bullock, B. P. and H. E. Burkhart. 2005. Juvenile diameter distributions of loblolly pine characterized by the two parameter Weibull function. New Forests 29:233-244.
• Dieguez-Aranda, U., H. E. Burkhart and R. Rodriguez-Soalleiro. 2005. Modeling dominant height growth of radiata pine (Pinus radiata D. Don) plantations in north-western Spain. For. Ecol. & Manage. 215:271-284.
• Radtke, P. J., S. P. Prisley, R. L. Amateis, C. A. Copenheaver and H. E. Burkhart 2004. A proposed model for deadwood C production and decay in loblolly pine plantations. Env. Mgmt. 33:S56-S64.
• Westfall, J.A., H.E. Burkhart and H.L. Allen. 2004. Young stand growth modeling for intensively-managed loblolly pine plantations in Southeastern U.S. For. Sci. 50:823-835.

Book

• Avery, T. E. and H. E. Burkhart. 2002. Forest Measurements. 5th Ed. McGraw-Hill, New York. 456 p.

Professional Achievements

• Served as Chairman, Blue Ridge Chapter; Chairman, Virginia Division; Regional Technology Coordinator; Chairman, Biometrics Working Group; Member of various committees, SAF
• Leader, IUFRO S4.01 Mensuration, Growth and Yield; Deputy Leader, IUFRO Division 4; Deputy Leader S4.11 Statistical Methods, Mathematics and Computers
• Past Editor of Southern Journal of Applied Forestry and Forest Science
• International Union of Forestry Research Organizations Scientific Achievement Award
• J. Shelton Horsley Research Award, Virginia Academy of Science
• Virginia Tech Alumni Award for Research Excellence
• State Council of Higher Education for Virginia Outstanding Faculty Award
• Distinguished Service to Forestry Award, Appalachian SAF
• Barrington Moore Memorial Award, SAF
• Distinguished Agriculture Alumnus Award, Oklahoma State University
• Distinguished Statistical Ecologist Award, INTECOL
• Elected a Fellow in the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Society of American Foresters