School of Forestry ranks high in faculty productivity

Northern Arizona University’s School of Forestry is ranked No. 10 among forestry programs nationally in an index measuring faculty scholarly output.

The Faculty Scholarly Productivity Index ranked programs offering doctoral degrees at more than 350 universities and in 173 academic disciplines, based on the number of books and journal articles they published, journal citations, awards, honors and grants received.

“NAU’s School of Forestry has many truly outstanding researchers—people who are among the best scientists in their respective fields,” said Jim Allen, the school’s interim executive director. “These faculty all publish regularly in the top journals in their field and have had their research widely cited by others.”

In turn, Allen added, the school attracts outstanding graduate students, many of whom publish papers with their professors even before graduating, helping to boost the overall productivity of the school.

Allen also pointed to several campuswide collaborations that help enhance faculty productivity. The Forest Service’s Rocky Mountain Research Station has a unit co-located in the Southwest Forest Science Complex, and the Ecological Restoration Institute is also housed in the complex. Both help supply funding for research and frequently co-author papers with forestry faculty. Collaborations with faculty colleagues in academic departments across campus also contribute to the school’s scholarly output.

The Faculty Scholarly Productivity Index is funded, in part, by the State University of New York at Stony Brook and produced by the for-profit Academic Analytics.