Research Group - Forest Measurement and Assessment/GIS

Facilities - Spatial Data Analysis Lab

Dr. John W. Moser, Jr., Emeritus Professor of forest biometry at Purdue University, is a nationally recognized leader in the forestry profession. Following undergraduate education at West Virginia Univer­sity, John served as a field operations supervisor with Nelson Tree Service of Dayton, Ohio. After subsequent military service and graduate school at Penn State, he was a timber management forester on the Monongahela National Forest; a research forester with the Northeast Forest Ex­periment Station and the State Extension Forester for West Virginia University. In 1964, he began doctoral study at Purdue University where he subsequently ad­vanced from graduate instructor to Assistant Department Head. Dr. Moser retired in 2008 as Professor Emeritus.

While at Purdue University, he has taught in both the Departments of Forestry & Natural Resources and Computer Science. Dr. Moser's research has concentrated on the ap­plication of quantitative sciences to forest resource management. He developed the first compatible growth and yield equations for uneven-aged stands and demonstrated the generalization between methods used for even-aged and uneven-aged yield estimation. He developed the inventory processing software for Indiana's CFM Program; it has been widely utilized as the model for many other inventory processors, such as the Tennessee Valley Authority's Forest Inventory Program. His copyrighted Timber Inven­tory and Management Planning Information System software has been used by both private and public forestry agencies. He has authored over 100 publications and invited presenta­tions and taught numerous short courses through the country. 

Dr. Moser is a strong advocate for and a national leader in the Society of American Foresters (SAF). He has assumed in­creasing responsibilities from chapter to national levels. His duties have included: Chair, Indiana Society; Chair, Inven­tory Working Group; 2-terms as Measurements Subject Area Representative on the Forest Science and Technology Board and 2-terms as Chair of the Board; Associate Editor of Forest Science; and served as Council Representative for District IX that includes ten states from Ohio to Ok­lahoma. In addition, he has organized several SAF workshops and con­ferences, was the program chair for the 1993 Indianapolis National Convention, and served on numerous national and local com­mittees. In 1993, he was SAF Vice Presi­dent and became President on January 1, 1994; in 1995, he served as the Immediate Past President. In 1996, he served as the National Program Chair for the Seventh American Forest Congress. He was elected a SAF Fellow in 1987. In 1994, he received the Tree of Life Award from the Canadian Institute of Forestry in recognition of notable contributions to sustainable forest management. He received the 1997 John A. Beale Memorial Award for exemplary service to SAF.

Awards & Honors

Selected Publications