Biography
Howard M. Hoganson started at NCROC in 1987. He received a B.S.degree in forestry from the U of MN, a M.S degree in forestry from the U of WA, a PhD in forestry from the U of MN and an MS in operations research from the U of MN. Prior to arriving at NCROC Howard had experience as a research scientist for the USDA Forest Service in Duluth MN, and as an assistant professor at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg Virginia.
Hoganson's area of expertise within forestry is management science with emphasis on broad landscape-level analytical methods to support forest-wide planning and sustainable development. His forest harvest scheduling model served as the cornerstone model for Minnesota's first ever generic environmental impact statement which addressed strategies for integrating economic and environmental objectives of forest management. He also helped lead detailed analyses to support the current forest plans for both USDA Forest Service National Forests in Minnesota. Applied studies have also aided forest planning for the Minnesota DNR and county forest lands. Howard has consistently been active with graduate students, their work recognized nationally and internationally. In addition to numerous US students and researchers, graduate students and researchers from China, Portugal, Spain, Norway, Finland, and Brazil have visited NCROC to work with Hoganson. One of his most recent students has accepted a post-doc position at a world renowned forestry university in Sweden.
Hoganson's most recent research for forest planning has involved methods to better address spatial arrangement of the forest for wildlife concerns and uncertainty in future growth and yield estimates associated with uncertainties of climate change. Over his 33+ years at NCROC, Howard visited St Paul campus regularly, teaching classes in forest management and working with graduate students and campus faculty.
Hoganson retired in early 2021. He hopes to spend much of his time in the Grand Rapids area. Howard and his wife have a small 3-season cabin near Marcell which they hope to utilize more in coming years. They have one daughter in the Twin Cities and two daughters and a grandson in Montana.