Southern
Research Station

Education

M.S. in Plant and Soil Science, 1998

Alabama A&M University

B.S. in Environment Science, 1996

Alabama A&M University

Professional Organizations

• Minorities in Agriculture Natural Resources and Related Sciences, (2015—Current)

Awards and Recognition

Research Professional Support Award, 2015

For exceptional professional support in studying the impacts of forest management and climate change on water resources and ecosystem sustainability.

Featured Publications and Products

• Boggs, Johnny L.; Sun, Ge ; Domec, Jean‐Christophe ; McNulty, Steven G. 2021. Variability of tree transpiration across three zones in a southeastern U.S. Piedmont watershed.
• Boggs, Johnny; Sun, Ge; McNulty, Steven. 2015. Effects of timber harvest on water quantity and quality in small watersheds in the Piedmont of North Carolina.
• Boggs, Johnny; Sun, Ge. 2011. Urbanization alters watershed hydrology in the Piedmont of North Carolina.
• Boggs, Johnny; Sun, Ge; McNulty, Steve. 2017. The effects of stream crossings on total suspended sediment in North Carolina Piedmont forests.
• Boggs, Johnny; Sun, Ge; Jones, David; McNulty, Steven G. 2013. Effect of soils on water quantity and quality in Piedmont forested headwater watersheds of North Carolina.
• McNulty, Steven G.; Boggs, Johnny L.; Aber, John D.; Rustad, Lindsey E. 2017. Spruce-fir forest changes during a 30-year nitrogen saturation experiment.
• Boggs, Johnny; Sun, Ge; Domec, Jean-Christophe; McNulty, Steven; Treasure, Emrys. 2015. Clearcutting upland forest alters transpiration of residual trees in the riparian buffer zone.
• Boggs, Johnny; Sun, Ge; McNulty, Steve. 2016. Paired forested watershed experiments in the Piedmont of North Carolina.
• McNulty, Steven G.; Boggs, Johnny L.; Sun, Ge. 2014. The rise of the mediocre forest: why chronically stressed trees may better survive extreme episodic climate variability.
• Boggs, Johnny L.; McNulty, Steven G.; Gavazzi, Michael J.; Myers, Jennifer Moore. 2005. Tree growth, foliar chemistry, and nitrogen cycling across a nitrogen deposition gradient in southern Appalachian deciduous forests.

Publications

• Worley, Elijah ; Liu, Ning ; Sun, Ge ; Norman, Steven P.; Christie, William M.; Gavazzi, Michael ; Boggs, Johnny ; McNulty, Steven G. 2022. Impacts of Hurricane Michael on watershed hydrology: A case study in the Southeastern United States.
• Poyatos, Rafael ; Granda, Victor ; Flo, Victor ; Adams, Mark A.; Adorjan, Balazs ; Aguade, David ; Aidar, Marcos P. M.; Allen, Scott ; Alvarado-Barrientos, M. Susana; Anderson-Teixeira, Kristina J.; Aparecido, Luiza Maria; Arain, M. Altaf; Aranda, ismael ; Asbjornsen, Heidi ; Baxter, Robert ; Beamesderfer, Eric ; Berry, Z. Carter; Berveiller, Daniel ; Blakely, Bethany ; Boggs, Johnny ; Bohrer, Gil ; Bolstad, Paul V; Bonal, Damien ; Bracho, Rosvel ; Brito, Patricia ; Brodeur, Jason ; Casanoves, Fernando ; Chave, Jerome ; Chen, Hui ; Cisneros, Cesar ; Clark, Kenneth ; Cremonese, Edoardo ; Dang, Hongzhong ; David, Jorge S.; David, Teresa S.; Delpierre, Nicolas ; Desai, Ankur R.; Do, Frederic C.; Dohnal, Michal ; Domec, Jean-Christophe ; Dzikiti, Sebinasi ; Edgar, Colin ; Eichstaedt, Rebekka ; El-Madany, Tarek S.; Elbers, Jan ; Eller, Cleiton B.; Euskirchen, Eugenie S.; Ewers, Brent ; Fonti, Patrick ; Forner, Alicia ; et al., ; Oishi, A. Christopher; et, al.; Sun, Ge; et., al. 2021. Global transpiration data from sap flow measurements: the SAPFLUXNET database.
• Caldwell, Peter; Segura, Catalina; Laird, Shelby Gull; Sun, Ge; McNulty, Steven G.; Sandercock, Maria; Boggs, Johnny; Vose, James M. 2015. Short-term stream water temperature observations permit rapid assessment of potential climate change impacts.
• Dreps, C.; Sun, G.; Boggs, J. 2014. Water balances of two Piedmont headwater catchments: implications for regional hydrologic landscape classification.
• Crowley, K.F.; McNeil, B.E.; Lovett, G.M.; Canham, C.D.; Driscoll, C.T.; Rustad, L.E.; Denny, E.; Hallett, R.A.; Arthur, M.A.; Boggs, J.L.; Goodale, C.L.; Kahl, J.S.; McNulty, S.G.; Ollinger, S.V.; Pardo, L.H.; Schaberg, P.G.; Stoddard, J.L.; Weand, M.P.; Weather, K.C. 2012. Do nutrient limitation patterns shift from nitrogen toward phosphorus with increasing nitrogen deposition across the northeastern United States?.
• McNulty, Steven G.; Boggs, Johnny L. 2010. A conceptual framework: redifining forests soil's critical acid loads under a changing climate.
• Boggs, Johnny L.; McNulty, Steven G. 2010. Changes in canopy cover alter surface air and forest floor temperature in a high-elevation red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.) forest.
• Domec, J.-C.; Noormets, A.; Sun, Ge; King, J.; McNulty, Steven; Gavazzi, Michael; Boggs, Johnny; Treasure, Emrys. 2009. Decoupling the influence of leaf and root hydraulic conductances on stomatal conductance and its sensitivity to vapour pressure deficit as soil dries in a drained loblolly pine plantation.
• Sun, Ge; Boggs, Johnny; McNulty, Steven G.; Amatya, Devendra M.; Trettin, Carl C.; Dai, Zhaohua; Vose, James M.; La Torre Torres, Ileana B.; Callahan, Timothy. 2008. Hydrologic processes of forested headwater watersheds across a physiographaic gradient in the southeastern United States.
• Boggs, Johnny L.; McNulty, Steven G.; Pardo, Linda H. 2007. Changes in conifer and deciduous forest foliar and forest floor chemistry and basal area tree growth across a nitrogen (N) deposition gradient in the northeastern US.
• Pardo, Linda H.; McNulty, Steven G.; Boggs, Johnny L.; Duke, Sara. 2007. Regional patterns in foliar ¹⁵N across a gradient of nitrogen deposition in the northeastern US.
• Wallenstein, Matthew D.; McNulty, Steven; Fernandez, Ivan J.; Boggs, Johnny; Schlesinger, William H. 2006. Nitrogen fertilization decreases forest soil fungal and bacterial biomass in three long-term experiments.
• McNulty, Steven G.; Boggs, Johnny; Aber, John D.; Rustad, Lindsey; Magill, Allison. 2005. Red spruce ecosystem level changes following 14 years of chronic N fertilization.
• Boggs, Johnny L.; Tsegaye, T.D.; Coleman, Tamula L.; Reddy, K.C.; Fahsi, Ahmed. 2003. Relationship between hyperspectral reflectance, soil nitrate-nitrogen, cotton leaf chlorophyll, and cotton yield: A step toward precision agriculture.

Research Highlights

Forest Cover Plays a More Critical Role in Regulating Water Resources in the Piedmont than in the Mountains and Coastal Plain (2015)

The mountains, Piedmont, and coastal plain are three distinct land provinces across the southeastern U.S. Population density, topography, and types of forests are unique to each region, resulting in a range of different water resource needs and responses to land cover changes. Understanding how streamflow will respond to land disturbances such as timber harvesting and development planning across these regions can provide useful information to land managers as they set streamflow targets needed to maintain healthy fish habitat and meet human water demand.

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Forest Inventory and Analysis Plots Provide Foundational Data for Experimental Forest Network (2020)

New Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) plots are being installed across the Southern Research Station Experimental Forest Network. The purpose of these plots is to:Generate baseline data about tree attributes and forest health,Create a universal sampling method, andProvide an infrastructure for long-term complementary studies. This work will increase communication across experimental forests and offer foundational data that will be used to maintain and improve the health of our forests and other natural resources.

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Water samples provide further guidance on how best to protect water quality at stream crossings in Piedmont forests (2017)

Sedimentation inputs to streams are some of the biggest current and future challenges for land and water managers. Preventing stream sediment generated from silvicultural activities requires an understanding of local inputs. A recent Forest Service study provides sediment data that resource managers can incorporate into their decision support system to help estimate sediment concentrations and exports from stream crossings, haul roads, and skid trails in Piedmont forests. They can also use the data to further refine statewide Best Management Practice guidelines.

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