As a forest ecologist, he studies how forest management influences the structure, composition, and function of forest ecosystems, as well as interactions between forest ecosystems, the global carbon cycle, and climate. The goal of his research is to understand how the production of wood, fibre and fuel can be balanced with the continued provision of other ecosystem services, including the maintenance of biodiversity, storage of carbon, and mitigation of climate change. Most of his research employs some combination of field work, forest inventory data, remote sensing, modeling, and life cycle analysis.