Christian GiardinaDr. Giardina received his BS in Zoology from Duke University, his MA in Religious Studies from Iliff School of Theology, his MS in Forestry from Colorado State University, and his PhD in Biology from University of Denver. Christian has been a researc scientist with the USDA Forest Service since 2002 - serving in Houghton, Michigan where he worked in the belowground processes unit of the Northern Research Station, and then in Hilo, Hawaii, where he continues to work at the Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry. His research focuses on carbon cycling in tropical ecosystems, with a focus on understanding the response of tropical forests to disturbance, including fire and invasions, and to climate change, including warming and drought. He also leads research on tropical forest restoration and the development of cost-effective strategies for community based resource stewardship. He led the recently completed Hawaii Carbon Assessment, a statewide effort supporting a congressionally mandated US inventory of current and future ecosystem carbon stocks. He also serves on the Hawaii Greenhouse Gas and Emissions Reductions Task Force, which was established to develop a comprehensive strategy for achieving a carbon neutral Hawaii by 2045. Read More Read Less