Please join us on Friday at 1 PM via ZOOM to hear Dr. Kelly Buch speak on...
A Recipe for Tree Disease: Mathematical Insights into Forest Management
To gain access to the zoom session, please contact the colloquium coordinators via email (RolandKE or NadunKul).
Abstract: The establishment of a non-native, vector-borne tree disease and its ability to spread spatially depend on the individual characteristics of the host and pest populations as well as characteristics of the interactions between them. Some introduced tree diseases fail to establish or establish but cannot spread to new regions, while others lead to endemic or epidemic disease with spatial spread. We develop a mathematical model to better understand characteristics that lead to successful introduction leading to devastating disease. In this talk, we’ll introduce an SIR-type mathematical model for a vector-borne disease vectored by an introduced pest and extend the model over linearly interconnected patches with movement of the pest between patches. We’ll then analyze the mathematical model to determine characteristics that lead to different disease outcomes following introduction and discuss results useful for management implications for management and mitigation of future tree diseases.
Dr. Buch is an assistant professor at Austin Peay State University. As a mathematics professor, she is passionate about humanizing mathematics and increasing equity in mathematics classrooms. In 2022, she received my PhD in Mathematics with a concentration in Mathematical Ecology from University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Dr. Buch received two bachelor’s degrees (Mathematics and Spanish) from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, which is where she took an ecology class that ignited my passion for trees.