Dr. James "Jim" Speer
Education
- Ph.D. - Geography, University of Tennessee - 2001
- M.S. - Geosciences, University of Arizona - 1997
- B.S. - Geosciences, University of Arizona - 1994
Professional Webpage
http://dendrolab.indstate.edu/Teaching Interests
- ENVI 110: Intro to Environmental Sciences<br>ENVI 385: Structural Geology<br>ENVI 460: Conservation of Natural Resources<br>ENVI 418/518: Soil Genesis and Classification ENVI 465/565: Fundamentals of Tree Ring Research<br>ENVI 497/597: Quaternary Paleoecology
Research Interests
- Biogeography<br>Disturbance Ecology<br>Dendrochronology
Dr. Speer is a dendrochronologist with experience in reconstructing environmental variables that affect tree growth, such as insect outbreaks, fire, masting, and climate. He is excited about the many uses and more widespread applications of dendrochronology. He is presently developing tree-ring chronologies in the tropics where previously researchers had thought that annual rings did not form. He has developed the first insect outbreak reconstructions on pandora moth, a frequent defoliator of western pine forests and he has developed new methods that enable dendrochronologists to use tree rings to reconstruct past fruiting in oak trees. He has received 5 NSF grants and many other federal grants to fund his work
2001 Ph.D. Department of Geography, University of Tennessee. Dissertation Title: Oak mast history from dendrochronology: A new technique demonstrated in the southern Appalachian region. Advisor: Dr. Kenneth H. Orvis.
1997 M.S. Department of Geosciences and the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research, The University of Arizona, Tucson. Thesis Title: A dendrochronological record of pandora moth (Coloradia pandora, Blake) outbreaks in central Oregon. Advisor: Dr. Thomas W. Swetnam.
1994 B.S. Department of Geosciences, The University of Arizona, Tucson.
Peer-Reviewed Publications (* students)
2014 McAllister, M. and Speer, J.H. The Value of Field Research as an Undergraduate Experience: A Case Study in Structural Geology. Michigan Science Teachers Association 59(1): 1-12.
2014 Morris, A.B., Millsaps, N.K., Mason, K.Q., Howell, J.S., Speer, J.H. Mature Beech (Fagus grandifolia; Fagaceae) are Persistently Clonal in Coves and Beech Gaps in the Great Smoky Mountains. American Journal of Botany, 101(2): 381-388. http://dx.doi.org/10.3732/ajb.1300161
2013 Brice*, B., Lorion*, K.K., Griffin, D., Macalady, A.K., Guiterman, C.H., Speer, J.H., Benakoun*, L.R., Cutter*, A., Hart*, M.E., Murray*, M.P., Nash*, S.E., Shepard*, R., Stewart*, A.K., Wang*, H., 2013. Signal Strength in Sub-Annual Tree-Ring Chronologies from Pinus ponderosa in Northern New Mexico. Tree-Ring Research 69(2):81-86. http://dx.doi.org/10.3959/1536-1098-69.2.81
2013 Silver*, E.J., Speer, J. H., Kaye, M.W., Reo*, N.J., Wood*, S.W., Howard*, L.F., Anning*, A.K., Wilbur*, H.W. Fire History and Age Structure of an Oak-Pine Forest on Price Mountain, Virginia. Natural Areas Journal 33(4): 440-446. http://dx.doi.org/10.3375/043.033.0407
2012 Rosene*, P.J., Alexander*, M.R., and Speer, J.H. Assessment of the SENCER Teaching Model at Indiana State University After Two Years. Science Education and Civic Engagement: An International Journal 4(1): 92-99.
2012 Speer, J.H. Chapter 17 Extramural III: Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grant. In: Jay D. Gatrell, Gregory D. Bierly, Ryan R. Jensen. Research Design and Proposal Writing in Spatial Science pp. 195–204. Reprinted.
2012 Speer, J.H. and Gentry, C.M. Soils. In: Whitaker, J.O., Amlaner, C.J., Jackson, M.T., Parker, G.R., and Scott, P.E. (eds.) Habitats and Ecological Communities of Indiana: Presettlement to Present. Indiana University Press, pp. 12–18.
2011 Greenberg, C.H., Keyser, T.L., and Speer, J.H. Temporal Patterns of Oak Mortality in a Southern Appalachian Forest (1991-2006). Natural Areas Journal 31(2): 131-137. http://dx.doi.org/10.3375/043.031.0205
2011 Beilfuss, M.L. and Speer, J.H. The Connection Between Fieldwork Experiences and Student’s Attitudes Towards the Environment. ISTA Spectrum 37(2): 26-29.
2011 Beilfuss, M.L. and Speer, J.H. Plate Tectonics in the Classroom. ISTA Spectrum 37 (1): 27-30.
2010 Speer, J.H. Fundamentals of Tree-Ring Research. The University of Arizona Press. Hardback. 352pp.
2010 Speer, J.H., Clay, K., Bishop, G., and Creech, M. The Effect of Periodical Cicadas on Growth of Five Tree Species in Midwestern Deciduous Forests. American Midland Naturalist 164: 173-186. http://dx.doi.org/10.1674/0003-0031-164.2.173
2010 Gentry*, C.M., Lewis, D.L., and Speer, J.H. 2010. Dendroecology of Hurricanes and the Potential for Isotopic Reconstructions in Southeastern Texas. In: Stoffel, M., Bollschweiler M., Butler, D.R., and Luckman, B.H. (eds.) Tree Rings and Natural Hazards: A State-of-Art. Springer Publishers. pp. 309–319. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-8736-2_30
2009 Rauchfuss*, J., Ziegler, S.S., Speer, J.H., and Siegert, N.W. Dendroecological Analysis of Spruce Budworm Outbreaks and Their Relation to Climate Near the Prairie-Forest Border in Northwestern Minnesota. Physical Geography 30(3): 185-204. http://dx.doi.org/10.2747/0272-3646.30.3.185
2009 Speer, J.H., Grissino-Mayer, G.H., Orvis, K., and Greenberg, K. Climate Response of Five Oak Species in the Eastern Deciduous Forest of the Southern Appalachian Mountains, U.S.A. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 39: 507-518. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/X08-194
2009 Speer, J.H. The last 1,000 years of Indiana’s Climate. In: Oliver, J.E. (ed.) Indiana’s Weather and Climate. Quarry Books. pp: 134–137.
2008 Arabas, K.B., Black, B., Lentile*, L., Speer, J.H., and Sparks*, J. Disturbance History of a Mixed Conifer Stand in Central Idaho, USA. Tree-Ring Research 64 (2): 67-80. http://dx.doi.org/10.3959/2007-13.1
2007 Speer, J.H. and Hansen-Speer, K.H. Ecological Applications of Dendrochronology in Archaeology. Journal of Ethnobiology 27(1): 88-109. http://dx.doi.org/10.2993/0278-0771(2007)27[88:EAODIA]2.0.CO;2
2007 Fraver, S., Seymour, R.S., Speer, J.H., and White, A.S. Dendrochronological Reconstruction of Spruce Budworm Outbreaks in Northern Maine, USA. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 37: 523-529. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/X06-251
2007 Speer, J.H. Wood Anatomy and Tree Rings - Wood Anatomy Workshop in Tucson Arizona. IAWA Journal 28 (1): 103-104. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/22941932-90001624
2007 Speer, J.H. Vegetation Response to Climate Change. In: Dando, W.A. (ed.) Climate Change and Variation: A Primer for Teachers Volume I. National Council for Geographic Education (NCGE). A Pathways in Geography Resource Publication Number 35: 111–118.
2006 Daniels, L.D., Butler*, S.M., Clinton*, P. P., Ganesh-Babu*, B., Hrinkevich*, K. H., Kanoti*, A. M., Keeling*, E., Powell*, S.R., and Speer, J.H. Whitebark Pine Stand Dynamics at Morell Mountain, Montana. In: Speer, J.H. (ed.) Experiential Learning and Exploratory Research: The 13th Annual North American Dendroecological Fieldweek (NADEF). Indiana State University, Department of Geography, Geology, and Anthropology, Professional Paper Series No. 23: 15-29.
2006 Rauchfuss*, J. and Speer, J.H. Age Dependence of Spiral Grain in White Oaks (Quercus alba L.) in Southwestern Illinois. Tree-Ring Research 62(1):13-24. http://dx.doi.org/10.3959/1536-1098-62.1.13
2006 Speer, J.H. Editor. Experiential Learning and Exploratory Research: The 13th Annual North American Dendroecological Fieldweek (NADEF). Indiana State University, Department of Geography, Geology, and Anthropology, Professional Paper Series No. 23.
2006 Speer, J.H., Brown, P.B., Krusic, P., and Grissino-Mayer, H. Professional Fieldweeks as an Educational Experience and a Venue for Explorative Research: Case study of the North American Dendroecological Fieldweek. In: Speer, J.H. (ed.) Experiential Learning and Exploratory Research: The 13th Annual North American Dendroecological Fieldweek (NADEF). Indiana State University, Department of Geography, Geology, and Anthropology, Professional Paper Series No. 23: 3-14.
2005 Beilfuss, M.L. and Speer, J.H. Achieving Scientific Literacy in the Undergraduate Earth Science Classroom. Journal for the Liberal Arts and Sciences, 9(4): 13-19.
2005 Fritts, H.C. and Speer, J.H. Tree-Ring Analysis. In: Oliver, J. (ed.) Encyclopedia of World Climates, second edition. Kluwer Academic Publishers. pp. 732–742. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-3266-8_211
2005 Speer, J.H. Chapter 17: Extramural III: Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grant. In: Gatrell, J.D., Bierly, G.D., and Jensen, R.R. (Eds.) Research Design and Proposal Writing in Spatial Science. Springer, Berlin. 216pp. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/3-540-27953-9_17
2004 Gagen, M., Daniels, L.D., Kipfmueller, KF., Speer, J.H., and Anchukaitis, K.J. Tree-Ring Presentations at the 2003 Meeting of the Association of American Geographers. Dendrochronologia 22(1): 3-7.
2004 Speer, J.H. Robert Frost and the Road Taken: Reinforcing a Love of Nature Through Literature. Indiana English 27(1): 32–33.
2004 Speer, J.H. and Holmes, Effects of Pandora Moth Outbreaks on Ponderosa Pine Wood Volume. Tree-Ring Research 60(2): 69–76. http://dx.doi.org/10.3959/1536-1098-60.2.69
2004 Speer, J.H., Orvis, K.H., Grissino-Mayer, H.D., Kennedy, L.M., and Horn, S.P. Assessing the Dendrochronological Potential of Pinus occidentalis Swartz in the Cordillera Central of the Dominican Republic. The Holocene 14(4): 563–569. http://dx.doi.org/10.1191/0959683604hl732rp
2004 Speer, J.H., Scott, P., Crites, D.B., and Steeg, R.P. III. Periodical Cicadas: Myths, Mysteries, Facts, and Fallacies. The Hoosier Science Teacher 29(4):107–109.
2003 Speer, J.H., and Jensen R.R. A Hazards Approach Towards Modeling Pandora Moth Risk. Journal of Biogeography 30: 1899–1906. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2699.2003.00951.x
2002 Lafon, C.W. and Speer, J.H. Using Dendrochronology to Identify Major Ice Storm Events in Oak Forests of Southwestern Virginia. Climate Research 20(1): 41–54. http://dx.doi.org/10.3354/cr020041
2001 Speer, J.H., Swetnam, T.W., Wickman, B.E., and Youngblood, A. Changes in Pandora Moth Outbreak Dynamics During the Past 622 years. Ecology 82(3): 679–697. http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/0012-9658(2001)082[0679:CIPMOD]2.0.CO;2
2009–Present Our Green Valley Alliance, Founding Member and Vice President
2009–Present Tree Advisory Board, Indiana State University
2007–Present Terre Foods Cooperative Market, Founding Member and Steering Committee Member
2013–Present Ouabache Land Conservancy, Board Member
2007–2011 Arbor Day, Indiana State Museum, Indianapolis, IN.
2006–2010 Geography Educators Network of Indiana (GENI), President of the Board
2005–2007 Biogeography Specialty Group of the Association of American Geographers (AAG), Board Member
2002–2006 Geography Educators Network of Indiana (GENI), Board Member
Dendrochronology, Biogeography, Quaternary Paleoecology
Disturbance Ecology, Fire History, Insect Outbreaks, Dendroarchaeology