Jay Sullivan

Jay Sullivan is professor and head of the Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation at Virginia Tech. He received his bachelor's degree in forest management and a master's degree in forest economics from Colorado State University. His doctoral work at the University of California, Berkeley focused on the economic impacts of forest and natural resources management on local forest-dependent communities. He has been a faculty member at Virginia Tech for more than 27 years. Sullivan currently teaches a forest resource economics and management course, a senior capstone course, leads forest carbon inventory field labs, and teaches economics to agroforestry students. He has been involved in curriculum development for more than 20 years, at the department, college, and university levels. His research and professional interests include the economics of forest conservation and restoration, forest landowner incentives, forest management, bioenergy, southern pine beetle treatment, mined lands, and sustainable carbon management.

• FOR 3434 Forest Management Field Lab
• FOR 4424 Forest Resources Economics and Management
• FOR 4444 Integrated Forest Management Practicum
• FOR 5415-5416: Advanced Forest Resource Management and Economics

• Financial Viability of Southern Pine Beetle Prevention Measures in an Emerging Bio-energy Market (Virginia Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation)-Examines the role of existing and potential bioenergy/biofuels markets in the economics of southern pine beetle treatment options.  The ability to profitably harvest small diameter timber may provide incentives to improve pine beetle prevention efforts, although limited options for harvesting systems may constrain the potential gains.
• Restoring Sustainable Forests on Appalachian Mined Lands for Wood Products, Renewable Energy, Carbon Sequestration, and Other Ecosystem Services (U.S. Department of Energy)—Examines the financial feasibility of converting previously reclaimed mined lands into productive forests for financial and carbon sequestration purposes.  Incentive differences between mine operators and landowners are considered, and social costs of the current policies are being explored.
• The Forest Bank: Concept to Reality (USDA Fund for Rural America)—Examines the landowner incentives and barriers for enrollment in the Nature Conservancy Forest Bank in Southwest Virginia. The regional economic impacts of the Forest Bank, and the self-financing potential of incentive programs to encourage landowner adoption, also are explored.

• Watson, A., J. Sullivan, G. Amacher and C. Asaro. 2013. Cost Sharing for Pre-commercial Thinning in Southern Pine Plantations: Willingness to Participate in Virginia's Pine Bark Beetle Prevention Program. Forest Policy and Economics. 34(September):65-72.
• Sullivan, J. and G.S. Amacher. 2013. Optimal Hardwood Tree Planting and Forest Reclamation Policy on Reclaimed Surface Mine Lands in the Appalachian Coal Region. Resources Policy. 38:1-7.
• Sullivan, J. and G.S. Amacher. 2010. Private and Social Costs of Surface Mine Reforestation Performance Criteria. Environmental Management. 45(2):311-319.
• Sullivan, J. and G.S. Amacher. 2009. Social Costs of Mine-land Reclamation. Land Economics. 85(4): 712-726.
• Goodnow, R., J. Sullivan and G.S. Amacher. 2008. Ice Damage and Forest Stand Management.  Journal of Forest Economics. 14(4):268-288.
• Sullivan, J., J. Aggett, G. Amacher and J. Burger. 2006. Financial Viability of Reforesting Reclaimed Surface Mined Lands, the Burden of Site Conversion Costs, and Carbon Payments as Reforestation Incentives. Resources Policy.  30(2006):247-258.
• Sullivan, J., G.S. Amacher, and S. Chapman. 2005. Forest Banking and Forest Landowners: Forgoing Management Rights for Guaranteed Financial Returns. Forest Policy and Economics. 7(2005):381-392.
• Aggett, J., J. Sullivan, G. Amacher and J. Burger. 2004. Financial Cost to Landowners Associated with Forestland Conversion to Non-Productive Uses in the Process of Surface Mining. Proceedings of a Joint Conference of American Society of Mining and Reclamation, 21st Annual National Conference, and 25th West Virginia Surface Mine Drainage Task Force Symposium, April 18-22, 2004, Morgantown, West Virginia. pp. 9-19.

• Gamma Sigma Delta Faculty Teaching Award, Virginia Tech, 2005
• Certificate of Teaching Excellence, College of Natural Resources and Environment, Virginia Tech, 2001
• Associate Editor, Forest Science, 2001-2004
• Associate Editor, Journal of Forestry, 1997-2001