NEWS

Dr. Michael Crosby, Louisiana Tech Assistant Professor in the Department of Agricultural Sciences and Forestry, has co-authored Geographic Information System Skills for Foresters and Natural Resource Managers, a 414-page paperback textbook published by Elsevier.

The publisher describes the textbook as one that will “help readers understand how geographic information systems (GIS) can effectively be used by professional foresters and land managers to conduct spatial analyses or address management decisions. … This book will be of great benefit to GIS users looking to directly apply techniques to real-world data or foresters and natural resource scientists who use GIS in their research.”

Crosby co-wrote a lab manual after receiving an Open Educational Resource grant through the Louisiana Library System during the pandemic, “but as far as being in a contract to write a book, this was a first,” he said.

His colleagues and co-authors are Dr. Pete Bettinger, a professor of forestry at the University of Georgia, Dr. Krista Merry, an editor and author with two decades of experience in using GIS, satellite imagery, and aerial photography, and Dr. Kevin Boston, who has worked for the forest industry in the United States, Europe, and New Zealand, and has published more than 100 peer-reviewed journal articles and co-authored four books on forestry management, planning, and management.

“Krista and Pete got in touch and asked if I was interested,” Crosby said.

“The experience was honestly nice — hectic at times with quick turnarounds and my not knowing what the heck I was doing. But Krista, Pete, and Kevin are pros and made this a fun process overall.”