Carlton Owen lecturer to share insights from longleaf pine ecosystem
Contact: Vanessa Beeson
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥Kier Klepzig, director and research entomologist at the Georgia-based Jones Center at Ichauway, will present Mississippi State鈥檚 2026 Carlton Owen Lecture on April 24.
The annual event, hosted by 国产麻豆AV鈥檚 College of Forest Resources, takes place at 10 a.m. in Thompson Hall鈥檚 Tully Auditorium.聽
Part of the university鈥檚 celebration of Earth Month, Klepzig will deliver the public lecture 鈥淩esistant Trees, Resilient Ecosystems and the Long Life of Longleaf Pine,鈥 exploring the ecology and management of longleaf pine ecosystems. 聽
鈥淲e are honored to have Dr. Kier Klepzig present our Carlton Owen Lecture,鈥 said Wes Burger, CFR dean and director of the Forest and Wildlife Research Center. 鈥淎s a conservationist who works to ensure forested landscapes are managed and productive, he has assembled a team of experts who demonstrate and practice natural resources management and conservation.鈥
A Chicago native who earned his bachelor鈥檚, master鈥檚 and doctoral degrees from the University of Wisconsin, Klepzig has spent nearly a decade at the ecosystem research organization in Newton, Georgia.
鈥淔or my lecture, I hope to take people on a journey through the longleaf pine ecosystem that once stretched across 90 million acres from East Texas to Virginia. This fire-adapted, resilient, open-canopy savanna dominated the landscape but has declined to just 4% of its original range, making it a focus of major restoration efforts.鈥
The Jones Center at Ichauway is a nearly 30,000-acre property founded by the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation, and it has grown from a quail hunting preserve into a leading research center for the ecology of longleaf pine ecosystems and associated biodiversity. The privately funded center manages this diverse landscape and partners with universities, including Mississippi State.
鈥淚 think our relationship with Mississippi State grew stronger when Dr. Wes Burger joined and later chaired our advisory committee,鈥 Klepzig said. 鈥淗is invitation to give this lecture is a big honor. He鈥檚 been an influential advisor and a good friend who has had a huge impact on the center over the past five years.鈥
The 国产麻豆AV lecture series was established more than 30 years ago by Greenville, South Carolina, resident and 1974 国产麻豆AV graduate Carlton Owen. The annual lecture focuses on natural resource conservation and leadership.
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