UVM taps Tim Rademacher to lead research at Proctor Maple Research Center

(Press-News.org) Tim Rademacher is taking on a sweet new role at the University of Vermont—as the new Scientific Director of UVM’s Proctor Maple Research Center (PMRC). The PMRC is a field research station of the Department of Plant Biology at the University of Vermont, and is the oldest and most renowned maple science research centers in the world. Since 1947 it has produced cutting edge research on maple, supported maple sugar producers, and bolstered maple syrup production in Vermont—and globally.

“I'm very excited to join PMRC with its rich history and its excellent work that has really pushed the industry in the past, says Rademacher, who will start this fall. “I hope to build on that and to continue the wonderful work that has been done by Timothy Perkins, Abby van den Berg, Mark Isselhardt, Timothy Wilmot, Mariafranca Morselli, James Marvin, and all the people that have been doing great work already.”

Born in Germany, Rademacher received undergraduate and doctoral degrees from Cambridge University. His doctoral work focused on global simulations of the carbon cycle, and the interaction between the biosphere and the atmosphere. After completing his degrees, he wanted to pursue more applied scientific questions, which led him to New England to conduct postdoctoral research at Harvard University.

One of Rademacher’s sweet spots is pairing research with technical innovation. His Witness Tree project gained a global audience when it went viral in 2017. The project allowed a century-old red oak in the Harvard Forest in Petersham, MA, to send its own tweets from the account @awitnesstree. Rademacher built an algorithm, hardware and software needed to make the tree’s climate change data accessible to a broad audience. One outcome was the creation of lesson plans for K-12 teachers around the themes of the tree’s tweets. Rademacher hopes to incorporate similar technology in the service of both maple education, as well as to make Proctor’s data more accessible to maple producers.

Since Harvard, Rademacher has been conducting maple research in Canada, first at the University of Quebec, and most recently as a researcher in forest ecophysiology and sustainable development for the Centre ACER, which specializes in experimental development and technology transfer for Quebec’s maple industry producers. 

Rademacher’s work at PMRC will focus on maple production internationally, “Maple forests don’t care about political borders. One of my hopes is that I can leverage my networks in Canada to do cross-border science, to get rigorous answers on how maple forests—that range from Kentucky to Vermont and Quebec—will react in the future.

“Proctor Maple Research Center is an integral part of the Plant Biology research mission, generating new knowledge about maple trees and using this to produce evidence-based guidelines for sustainable maple sugaring,” said UVM Plant Biology Department Chair Jeanne Harris, emphasizing the importance of Rademacher’s new role. “Studying the science of maple has a long history at UVM and we are pleased to welcome Tim Rademacher to move the science forward.”

Rademacher has many ideas of how he plans to do that. “As climate change, invasive species, and biodiversity loss become more and more important, they also need to be reconciled with the economic reality of maple sugaring,” said Rademacher. “How can maple producers benefit from all the other services the maple groves provide? How can we protect this industry? My goal is for PMRC to answer the most important scientific questions facing this sector so that the maple industry continues to thrive.”

 

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