SCIENCE/RECOVERY:
WILLIAM RIPPLE, PH.D.

Dr. Ripple, Professor of Forest Ecosystems at Oregon State University, is a leader in pioneering research on predator, prey and plant relationships. His studies of trophic cascades present a groundbreaking view of the significant interdependence of large predators and the ecosystems in which they live. He has published 75 scientific journal articles, of which 35 are on the topic of large predators and trophic cascades.

Leading a team of collaborators, Dr. Ripple conducted innovative studies of the relationship between aspen growth in Yellowstone National Park and the absence and later reintroduction of wolves to the landscape. Subsequent studies have examined the effects of wolves and cougars in Jasper, Olympic, Wind Cave, Yosemite and Zion National Parks. This research is featured in National Geographic’s Strange Days on Planet Earth, and a documentary film, Lords of Nature: Living in a Land of Great Predators.

Dr. Ripple is continuing the work begun by Aldo Leopold on the intersection of forestry and wildlife science and ecosystems, particularly with regard to predators, ungulates and forests. Bill also serves as the Director of the Trophic Cascades Program, investigating the role of the gray wolf in the structuring of ecological communities. He received his Ph.D. from Oregon State University, his undergraduate degree from South Dakota State University and his master’s degree from the University of Idaho.