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Adrian Ares

Faculty Project Associate

Adrian Ares earned a bachelor's degree in forestry engineering from the Universidad Nacional de La Plata in Argentina and a master’s degree in soil science from the Universidad Nacional del Sur, also in Argentina, his country of birth. He completed his Ph.D. in agronomy and soil science with forestry emphasis and minor in botany from the University of Hawaii.

Adrian has more than 25 years of cross-disciplinary experience in forestry, agriculture, and agroforestry, and has worked for universities, private industry, and federal programs. His research work has yielded more than 90 publications in scholarly journals and proceedings of meetings, as well as numerous technical and outreach presentations.

From 2011 to 2015, Adrian was director of the Feed the Future Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resource Management program, a $15 million venture managed by Virginia Tech’s Office of International Research, Education, and Development. This program encompassed 11 projects which successfully carried out research, education, and outreach activities in 13 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Haiti.

Currently, Adrian’s work is aimed to develop tools to help landholders select suitable habitat and management practices for forest edible and medicinal plants in forest farming systems and to model white oak growth and yield for non-timber forest uses such as basketry.

  • Trentini, C., P.I. Campanello, and A. Ares (2017) Thinning of loblolly plantations in subtropical Argentina: impact on microclimate and understory vegetation. Forest Ecology and Management 384: 236-247.
  • Himmelstein, J., A. Ares, and E.van Houweling (2016) Sustainable intensification: A multifaceted systemic approach to improve food security. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 96: 4833-4839.
  • Himmelstein. J., A. Ares, D. Gallagher, and J. Meyers (2016). A meta-analysis of intercropping in Africa: Impacts on yield, integrated pest management and farm income. In preparation for the International Journal of Agriculture Sustainability (Published online October 20, 2016).
  • Ella, V.B., M.R. Reyes, A. Mercado, A. Ares, and R. Padre (2016) Conservation agriculture increases soil organic carbon and residual water content in upland crop production systems. Eurasian Journal of Soil Science 5: 24-29.
  • Ares, A., C. Thierfelder, M. Reyes, N.S. Eash, and J. Himmelstein (2013) Global Perspectives on Conservation Agriculture. In Conservation Agriculture in Subsistence Farming; C. Chan and J. Fantle-Lepczyk (Eds.), p. 22-54. CABI, Boston, MA, U.S.
  • Burton, J., A. Ares, K.J. Puettmann, and D. Olsen (2013) Ecosystem functioning in managed forests: tradeoffs among carbon storage and plant species richness. Ecological Applications 23:1297-1310.
  • Dodson, E.K, A. Ares, and K.J. Puettmann (2012) Early tree responses to thinning treatments designed to accelerate late successional forest structure in young coniferous stands of western Oregon, USA. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 42: 345-355.
  • Ares, A., Bright, C., and K.J. Puettmann (2012) Mesoscale variation in snag and hardwood densities and sizes in old-growth forests in Western Oregon. Western Journal of Applied Forestry 27:12-17.
  • Gleason, S.M., J. Read, and A. Ares (2011) Biomass partitioning and phosphorus economics of Queensland rainforest tree seedlings grown under different levels of fertilisation and radiation. Journal of Tropical Ecology 27:133-145.
  • Ares, A., A.R. Neill, and K. Puettmann (2010) Understory abundance, species diversity and functional attribute response to stand density management in coniferous stands. Forest Ecology and Management 260: 1104-1113.
  • Brauer, D.K., D.E. Brauer, A. Ares, A. Thomas, and J. Idassi (2010) Effects of seedling type on the establishment of eastern black walnuts (Juglans nigra L.) for nut production. Open Journal of Forest Science 3: 1-8.
  • Gleason, S.M., Read, J., and A. Ares (2010) Species-soil associations, disturbance, and nutrient cycling in Australian rainforests in soils of contrasting fertility. Oecologia 162: 1047-1058.
  • Gleason, S.M., J. Read, A. Ares, and D.J. Metcalfe (2009) Phosphorus economics of tropical rainforest species and stands across soil contrasts in Queensland, Australia: Understanding the effects of soil specialisation and trait plasticity. Functional Ecology 23:1157-1166.
  • Ares, A., S.D. Berryman, and K.J. Puettmann (2009) Understory vegetation response to thinning disturbance of varying intensities in young coniferous stands. Applied Vegetation Science 12: 472-487.
  • Ares, A., D.M. Burner, and D.K. Brauer (2009) Soil phosphorus and water effects on growth, nutrient and carbohydrate concentrations, δ13C, and nodulation of mimosa (Albizia julibrissin Durz.) on a highly-weathered soil. Agroforestry Systems 76: 317-325.
  • Brauer, D., A. Ares, and A. Thomas (2009) Cultivars of eastern black walnut have greater nut yields than native trees at similar trunk cross-sectional area. Journal of the American Pomological Society 63:42-50.
  • Friday, J.B., P.G. Scowcroft, and A. Ares (2008) Responses of native and invasive plant 
species to selective logging in an Acacia koa-Metrosideros polymorpha forest in Hawaii. Applied Vegetation Science 11:471-482.
  • Ares, A., J. Fownes, and P. Simmonds (2008) Wood production and native vegetation conservation in Hawaii’s uplands. Western Journal of Applied Forestry 23:177-182.
  • Burner, D.M., D.J. Carrier, D.P. Belesky, D.H. Pote, A. Ares, and E.C. Clausen (2008) Yield components and nutritive value of Robinia pseudoacacia and Albizia julibrissin in Arkansas, USA. Agroforestry Systems 72:51-62.
  • Leishman, M.R., T. Haslehurst, A. Ares, and Z. Baruch (2007) Leaf trait relationships of native and invasive plants: community and global-scale comparisons. New Phytologist 176:635-643.
  • Campanello, P., M.G. Gatti, A. Ares, L. Montti, and G. Goldstein (2007) Tree regeneration and microclimate in a liana and bamboo-dominated semideciduous Atlantic Forest. Forest Ecology and Management 252: 108-117.
  • Ares, A., T.A. Terry, K. B. Piatek, R.B. Harrison, R.E. Miller, B. Flaming, C. Licata, B. Strahm, C.A. Harrington, R. Meade, H. W. Anderson, L.C. Brodie, and J.M. Kraft (2007) The Fall River long term site productivity study in coastal Washington: site characteristics, experimental design, and biomass, carbon and nitrogen stores before and after harvest. U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service Gen. Tech. Report PNW-GTR-691, Portland, OR, 85 p.
  • Yost, R.S., and A. Ares (2007) Nutrient management decision support systems for tree crops. Journal for Hawaiian and Pacific Agriculture 14: 5-16.
  • Burner, D.M., D.H. Pote, and A. Ares (2006) Foliar and shoot allometry of pollarded black locust, Robinia pseudoacacia L. Agroforestry Systems 68: 37-42.
  • Brauer, D., A. Ares, W. Reid, A. Thomas, and J.P. Slusher (2006) Nut-yield variations and yield-DBH relationships in open-canopy black walnuts in southern USA. Agroforestry Systems 67: 63-72.
  • Ares, A., W. Reid, and D. K. Brauer (2006) Production and economics of native pecan silvopastures. Agroforestry Systems 66: 205-215.
  • Ares, A., T.A. Terry, R.E. Miller, H.W. Anderson, and B.L. Flaming (2005) Forest harvest effects on soil physical properties and Douglas-fir growth. Soil Science Society of America Journal 69:1822-1832.
  • Ares, A. and D. K. Brauer (2005) Biomass partitioning in loblolly pine silvopastoral stands: spatial configuration and pruning effects. Forest Ecology and Management 219: 176-184.
  • Burner, D.M., D.H. Pote, and A. Ares (2005) Management effects on biomass and foliar nutritive value of Robinia pseudoacacia and Gleditsia triacanthos f. inermis in Arkansas, USA.  Agroforestry Systems 65: 207-214.
  • Ares, A. and D.K. Brauer (2005) Growth and nut production of black walnut in relation to site quality, tree type and stand conditions in south-eastern United States. Agroforestry Systems 63: 79-86.
  • Gleason, S.M., and A. Ares (2004) Ecophysiology of native and invasive tree species: growth, photosynthesis, and carbohydrate storage of koa and tropical ash in relation to light and defoliation. Tree Physiology 24: 1087-1097.
  • Ares, A., D. St Louis, and D. Brauer (2003) Trends in tree growth and understory yield in silvopastoral practices with southern pines. Agroforestry Systems 59: 27-33.
  • Burner, D.M. and A. Ares (2003) Ice damage and recovery of loblolly pine in agroforestry plantations. Journal of Sustainable Forestry 17: 21-36.
  • Ares, A., N., Falcao, K. Yuyama, R.S. Yost, and C.R. Clement (2003) Response to fertilization and nutrient deficiency diagnosis in peach palm in Central Amazonia. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems 66: 221-232.
  • Ares, A., J.P. Quesada, J. Boniche, R.S. Yost, E. Molina, and J. Smyth (2002) Allometric relationships in Bactris gasipaes Kunth for heart-of-palm production agroecosystems in Costa Rica. Journal of Agriculture Science (Cambridge) 138: 285-292.
  • Ares, A., J. Boniche, E. Molina, and R.S. Yost (2002) Bactris gasipaes agroecosystems for heart-of-palm production in Costa Rica: Changes in biomass, nutrient and carbon pools with stand age and plant density. Field Crops Research 74: 13-22.
  • Ares, A. and J.H. Fownes (2001) Productivity, resource use and competitive interactions of Fraxinus uhdei in Hawaii uplands. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 31: 1-11.
  • Ares, A. and J.H. Fownes (2000) Productivity, nutrient and water-use efficiency of Eucalyptus saligna and Toona ciliata in Hawaii. Forest Ecology and Management 139: 227-236.
  • Deenik, J., A. Ares, and R.S. Yost (2000) Fertilization response and nutrient diagnosis in peach palm (Bactris gasipaes): a review. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems 56: 195-207.
  • Ares, A. and J.H. Fownes (1999) Water supply regulates structure, productivity and water-use-efficiency of Acacia koa forest in Hawaii. Oecologia 121: 458-466.
  • Pattison, R.R., G. Goldstein, and A. Ares (1998) Growth, biomass allocation and photosynthesis of invasive and native Hawaiian wet rainforest species. Oecologia 117: 449-459.