HR job title
- Professor
- Contact Info
- 1 979 862 3677
Lafon, Charles Professor
Positions
- Professor, Geography, College of Arts and Sciences
Spatial and temporal patterns of disturbances, including fires, ice storms, insect outbreaks, hurricanes, and mammalian herbivory
Influences of disturbances and environmental gradients on vegetation patterns
Vegetation history and succession
Eastern North American forests and Scandinavian treeline
Influences of disturbances and environmental gradients on vegetation patterns
Vegetation history and succession
Eastern North American forests and Scandinavian treeline
- Overview
- Publications
- Research
- Teaching
- Works By Students
- Background
- Contact
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Overview
Publications
selected publications
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academic article
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Lafon, C. W., DeWeese, G. G., & Aldrich, S. R.
(2022).
Ericaceous shrub expansion and its relation to fire history in temperate pine-oak (Pinus-Quercus) forests of the eastern USA. 223(5), 569-575.
-
Lafon, C. W., DeWeese, G. G., Flatley, W. T., Aldrich, S. R., & Naito, A. T.
(2022).
Historical Fire Regimes and Stand Dynamics of Xerophytic Pine-Oak Stands in the Southern Appalachian Mountains, Virginia, USA. ANNALS OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF GEOGRAPHERS.
112(2), 387-409.
-
Margolis, E. Q., Guiterman, C. H., Chavardes, R. D., Coop, J. D., Copes-Gerbitz, K., Dawe, D. A., ... Weisberg, P. J.
(2022).
The North American tree-ring fire-scar network. Ecosphere.
13(7),
-
Deshpande, A. G., Boutton, T. W., Hyodo, A., Lafon, C. W., & Moore, G. W.
(2020).
Bottomland hardwood forest growth and stress response to hydroclimatic variation: evidence from dendrochronology and tree ring Delta C-13 values. Biogeosciences.
17(22), 5639-5653.
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Kim, D., Millington, A. C., & Lafon, C. W.
(2020).
Disturbance after Disturbance: Combined Effects of Two Successive Hurricanes on Forest Community Structure. ANNALS OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF GEOGRAPHERS.
110(3), 571-585.
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Thayer, A. W., Vargas, A., Castellanos, A. A., Lafon, C. W., McCarl, B. A., Roelke, D. L., Winemiller, K. O., & Lacher, T. E.
(2020).
Integrating Agriculture and Ecosystems to Find Suitable Adaptations to Climate Change. Climate.
8(1), 10-10.
-
Lafon, C. W., Hanson, A. A., & Dwight, R. A.
(2019).
Geographic variations in fine-scale vegetation patterns: aspect preferences of montane pine stands over Southern Appalachian landscapes. Physical Geography.
40(5), 433-460.
-
Harley, G. L., Baisan, C. H., Brown, P. M., Falk, D. A., Flatley, W. T., Grissino-Mayer, H. D., ... Taylor, A. H.
(2018).
Advancing Dendrochronological Studies of Fire in the United States. Fire.
1(1), 11-11.
-
Johnson, J. S., Gaddis, K. D., Cairns, D. M., Lafon, C. W., & Krutovsky, K. V.
(2016).
Plant responses to global change: next generation biogeography. Physical Geography.
37(2), 93-119.
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Labosier, C. F., Frauenfeld, O. W., Quiring, S. M., & Lafon, C. W.
(2015).
Weather type classification of wildfire ignitions in the central Gulf Coast, United States. International Journal of Climatology.
35(9), 2620-2634.
-
Flatley, W. T., Lafon, C. W., Grissino-Mayer, H. D., & LaForest, L. B.
(2015).
Changing fire regimes and old-growth forest succession along a topographic gradient in the Great Smoky Mountains. Forest Ecology and Management.
350, 96-106.
-
Isaacs, R. E., Stueve, K. M., Lafon, C. W., & Taylor, A. H.
(2014).
Ice storms generate spatially heterogeneous damage patterns at the watershed scale in forested landscapes. Ecosphere.
5(11), 1-14.
-
Young, A. B., Cairns, D. M., Lafon, C. W., & Moen, J.
(2014).
Geometrid moth outbreaks and their climatic relations in northern Sweden. Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research.
46(3), 659-668.
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Birt, A. G., Zeng, Y., Tchakerian, M. D., Coulson, R. N., Lafon, C. W., Cairns, D. M., ... Streett, D
(2014).
Evaluating Southern Appalachian forest dynamics without eastern hemlock: consequences of herbivory by the hemlock wooly adelgid. 4(2), 91-99.
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Aldrich, S. R., Lafon, C. W., Grissino-Mayer, H. D., & DeWeese, G. G.
(2014).
Fire history and its relations with land use and climate over three centuries in the central Appalachian Mountains, USA. Journal of Biogeography.
41(11), 2093-2104.
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Flatley, W. T., Lafon, C. W., Grissino-Mayer, H. D., & LaForest, L. B
(2013).
Fire history, related to climate and land use in three southern Appalachian landscapes in the eastern United States. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS.
23(6), 1250-1266.
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Wonkka, C. L., Lafon, C. W., Hutton, C. M., & Joslin, A. J.
(2013).
A CSR classification of tree life history strategies and implications for ice storm damage. OIKOS.
122(2), 209-222.
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Wang, L., Birt, A. G., Lafon, C. W., Cairns, D. M., Coulson, R. N., Tchakerian, M. D., ... Guldin, J. M.
(2013).
Computer-based synthetic data to assess the tree delineation algorithm from airborne LiDAR survey. Geoinformatica: an international journal on advances of computer science for geographic information systems.
17(1), 35-61.
-
Lafon, C. W., & Quiring, S. M.
(2012).
Relationships of Fire and Precipitation Regimes in Temperate Forests of the Eastern United States. Earth Interactions.
16(11), 1-15.
-
Cairns, D. M., Lafon, C. W., Mouton, M. F., Stuteville, R. L., Young, A. B., & Moen, J.
(2012).
Comparing two methods for aging trees with suppressed, diffuse-porous rings (Betula pubescens ssp czerepanovii). Dendrochronologia.
30(4), 252-256.
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Shankman, D., Lafon, C. W., & Keim, B. D.
(2012).
WESTERN RANGE BOUNDARIES OF FLOODPLAIN TREES IN THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES. Geographical Review.
102(1), 35-52.
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Young, A. B., Cairns, D. M., Lafon, C. W., Moen, J., & Martin, L. E.
(2011).
Dendroclimatic relationships and possible implications for mountain birch and Scots pine at treeline in northern Sweden through the 21st century. Canadian Journal of Forest Research.
41(3), 450-459.
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Flatley, W. T., Lafon, C. W., & Grissino-Mayer, H. D.
(2011).
Climatic and topographic controls on patterns of fire in the southern and central Appalachian Mountains, USA. Landscape Ecology.
26(2), 195-209.
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Aldrich, S. R., Lafon, C. W., Grissino-Mayer, H. D., DeWeese, G. G., & Hoss, J. A.
(2010).
Three centuries of fire in montane pine-oak stands on a temperate forest landscape. Applied Vegetation Science.
13(1), 36-46.
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Birt, A. G., Valdez-Vivas, M. R., Feldman, R. M., Lafon, C. W., Cairns, D., Coulson, R. N., ... Guldin, J. M.
(2010).
A simple stochastic weather generator for ecological modeling. Environmental Modelling & Software.
25(10), 1252-1255.
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DeWeese, G. G., Grissino-Mayer, H. D., Lafon, C. W., & Aldrich, S. R.
(2010).
Evaluating the dendroclimatological potential of central Appalachian Table Mountain pine (Pinus pungens LAMB.). Dendrochronologia.
28(3), 173-186.
-
Lafon, C. W.
(2010).
Fire in the American South: Vegetation Impacts, History, and Climatic Relations. Geography Compass.
4(8), 919-944.
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Xi, W., Waldron, J. D., Lafon, C. W., Cairns, D. M., Birt, A. G., Tchakerian, M. D., Coulson, R. N., & Klepzig, K. D.
(2009).
Modeling Long-Term Effects of Altered Fire Regimes following Southern Pine Beetle Outbreaks (North Carolina). Ecological Restoration North America.
27(1), 24-26.
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Xi, W., Coulson, R. N., Birt, A. G., Shang, Z., Waldron, J. D., Lafon, C. W., ... Klepzig, K. D.
(2009).
Review of forest landscape models: Types, methods, development and applications. Acta Ecologica Sinica.
29(1), 69-78.
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Xi, W., Coulson, R. N., Waldron, J. D., Tchakerian, M. D., Lafon, C. W., Cairns, D. M., Birt, A. G., & Klepzig, K. D.
(2008).
Landscape modeling for forest restoration planning and assessment: Lessons from the southern Appalachian Mountains. JOURNAL OF FORESTRY.
106(4), 191-197.
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Cairns, D. M., Lafon, C. W., Birt, A. G., Waldron, J. D., Tchakerian, M., Coulson, R. N., Xi, W., & Klepzig, K.
(2008).
Simulation Modeling as a Tool for Understanding the Landscape Ecology of Southern Pine Beetle Infestations in Southern Appalachian Forests. Geography Compass.
2(3), 580-599.
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Cairns, D. M., Lafon, C. W., Waldron, J. D., Tchakerian, M., Coulson, R. N., Klepzig, K. D., Birt, A. G., & Xi, W.
(2008).
Simulating the reciprocal interaction of forest landscape structure and southern pine beetle herbivory using LANDIS. Landscape Ecology.
23(4), 403-415.
-
Hoss, J. A., Lafon, C. W., Grissino-Mayer, H. D., Aldrich, S. R., & DeWeese, G. G.
(2008).
FIRE HISTORY OF A TEMPERATE FOREST WITH AN ENDEMIC FIRE-DEPENDENT HERB. Physical Geography.
29(5), 424-441.
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Moen, J., Cairns, D. M., & Lafon, C. W.
(2008).
Factors structuring the treeline ecotone in Fennoscandia. Plant Ecology and Diversity.
1(1), 77-87.
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Lafon, C. W., Waldron, J. D., Cairns, D. M., Tchakerian, M. D., Coulson, R. N., & Klepzig, K. D.
(2007).
Modeling the effects of fire on the long-term dynamics and restoration of yellow pine and oak forests in the southern Appalachian Mountains. RESTORATION ECOLOGY.
15(3), 400-411.
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Waldron, J. D., Lafon, C. W., Coulson, R. N., Cairns, D. M., Tchakerian, M. D., Birt, A., & Klepzig, K. D.
(2007).
Simulating the impacts of southern pine beetle and fire on the dynamics of xerophytic pine landscapes in the southern Appalachians. Applied Vegetation Science.
10(1), 53-64.
-
Stueve, K. M., Lafon, C. W., & Isaacs, R. E.
(2007).
Spatial patterns of ice storm disturbance on a forested landscape in the Appalachian Mountains, Virginia. Area.
39(1), 20-30.
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Cairns, D. M., Lafon, C., Moen, J., & Young, A.
(2007).
Influences of animal activity on treeline position and pattern: Implications for treeline responses to climate change. Physical Geography.
28(5), 419-433.
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Lafon, C. W., & Grissino-Mayer, H. D.
(2007).
Spatial patterns of fire occurrence in the central Appalachian mountains and implications for wildland fire management. Physical Geography.
28(1), 1-20.
-
Lafon, C. W.
(2006).
Forest disturbance by ice storms in Quercus forests of the southern Appalachian Mountains, USA. Ecoscience.
13(1), 30-43.
-
Lafon, C. W.
(2005).
Reconstructing fire history: An exercise in dendrochronology. JOURNAL OF GEOGRAPHY.
104(3), 127-137.
-
Lafon, C. W., Hoss, J. A., & Grissino-Mayer, H. D.
(2005).
The contemporary fire regime of the central Appalachian Mountains and its relation to climate. Physical Geography.
26(2), 126-146.
-
Lafon, C. W.
(2004).
Ice-storm disturbance and long-term forest dynamics in the Adirondack Mountains. 15(2), 267-276.
-
Lafon, C. W., & Kutac, M.
(2003).
Effects of ice storms, southern pine beetle infestation, and fire on table mountain pine forests of southwestern Virginia. Physical Geography.
24(6), 502-519.
-
Lafon, C. W., & Speer, J. H.
(2002).
Using dendrochronology to identify major ice storm events in oak forests of southwestern Virginia. Climate Research.
20(1), 41-54.
-
Lafon, C. W., Huston, M. A., & Horn, S. P
(2000).
Effects of agricultural soil loss on forest succession rates and tree diversity in east Tennessee. OIKOS.
90(3), 431-441.
-
Lafon, C. W., Graybeal, D. Y., & Orvis, K. H.
(1999).
PATTERNS OF ICE ACCUMULATION AND FOREST DISTURBANCE DURING TWO ICE STORMS IN SOUTHWESTERN VIRGINIA. Physical Geography.
20(2), 97-115.
-
Lafon, C. W., DeWeese, G. G., & Aldrich, S. R.
(2022).
Ericaceous shrub expansion and its relation to fire history in temperate pine-oak (Pinus-Quercus) forests of the eastern USA. 223(5), 569-575.
-
chapter
-
Arthur, M. A., Varner, J. M., Lafon, C. W., Alexander, H. D., Dey, D. C., Harper, C. A., ... Schweitzer, C. J.
(2021).
Fire Ecology and Management in Eastern Broadleaf and Appalachian Forests. FIRE ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE OF US FORESTED ECOSYSTEMS.
(pp. 105-147).
Springer Nature.
-
Lafon, C. W.
(2016).
Ice Storms in Central Hardwood Forests: The Disturbance Regime, Spatial Patterns, and Vegetation Influences. Greenberg, C. H., & Collins, B. S. (Eds.),
Natural Disturbances and Historic Range of Variation.
(pp. 147-166).
Springer Nature.
-
Xi, W., Waldron, J. D., Cairns, D. M., Lafon, C. W., Birt, A. G., Tchakerian, M. D., Klepzig, K. D., & Coulson, R. N.
(2012).
Restoration of Southern Pine Forests After the Southern Pine Beetle. Stanturf, J., Madsen, P., & Lamb, D. (Eds.),
A Goal-Oriented Approach to Forest Landscape Restoration.
(pp. 321-354).
Springer Nature.
-
Arthur, M. A., Varner, J. M., Lafon, C. W., Alexander, H. D., Dey, D. C., Harper, C. A., ... Schweitzer, C. J.
(2021).
Fire Ecology and Management in Eastern Broadleaf and Appalachian Forests. FIRE ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE OF US FORESTED ECOSYSTEMS.
(pp. 105-147).
Springer Nature.
-
conference paper
-
Xi, W., Chen, S., Birt, A. G., Waldron, J. D., Lafon, C. W., Cairns, D. M., ... Coulson, R. N.
(2010).
SIMULATING THE INTERACTIONS OF FOREST STRUCTURE, FIRE REGIME, AND PLANT INVASION IN THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS USING LANDIS. 143-143.
-
Lafon, C. W.
(2004).
Stand dynamics of a yellow-poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera L.) forest in the Appalachian Mountains, Virginia, USA. Dendrochronologia.
43-52.
-
Xi, W., Chen, S., Birt, A. G., Waldron, J. D., Lafon, C. W., Cairns, D. M., ... Coulson, R. N.
(2010).
SIMULATING THE INTERACTIONS OF FOREST STRUCTURE, FIRE REGIME, AND PLANT INVASION IN THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS USING LANDIS. 143-143.
Research
principal investigator on
Teaching
teaching activities
- GEOG203 Planet Earth Instructor
- GEOG213 Planet Earth Lab Instructor
- GEOG335 Pattern & Proc Biogeog Instructor
- GEOG435 Plant Geography Instructor
- GEOG450 Field Geography Instructor
- GEOG484 Internship Instructor
- GEOG485 Directed Studies Instructor
- GEOG491 Research Instructor
- GEOG635 Advanced Biogeography Instructor
- GEOG685 Directed Studies Instructor
- GEOG691 Research Instructor
- GEOG691 Research Instructor
- GEOG691 Research Instructor
- GEOS484 Internship Instructor
Works By Students
chaired theses and dissertations
-
Aldrich, Serena Rose (2012-07). Fire Regimes and Successional Dynamics of Pine and Oak Forests in the Central Appalachian Mountains.
-
Denman II, Michael Paul (2016-06). Lightning-Ignited Fires in the Grandfather Ranger District, North Carolina.
-
Flatley, William 1977- (2012-08). Fire Regimes of the Southern Appalachian Mountains: Temporal and Spatial Variability and Implications for Vegetation Dynamics.
-
Gass, Ellen R (2014-05). Simulating Historic Landscape Patterns of Fire in the Southern Appalachian Mountains: Implications for Fire History and Management.
-
Hanson, Alison Anne (2017-05). Distribution Patterns in Appalachian Table Mountain Pine and Pitch Pine Stands.
-
Hoss, Jennifer Ann (2009-05). Rekindling the flame: reconstructing a fire history for Peters Mountain, Giles County, Virginia.
-
Isaacs, Rachel E. (2009-05). Spatial patterns of ice storm disturbance in the forested landscape of Ouachita Mountains, Arkansas and Oklahoma.
-
Krustchinsky, Adam R. (2009-05). Post-fire recovery and successional dynamics of an old growth red spruce forest in the southern Appalachian Mountains.
-
McConaghy, Scott Carlton (2016-05). Influence of Productivity and Disturbance on Plant Species Diversity Across the Grasslands of the Great Plains.
-
Pipkin, Ashley (2012-07). The Influence of Fire and Other Disturbance on Ericaceous Shrubs in Xeric Pine-Oak Forests of the Appalachian Mountains.
-
Vaughan, Matthew Christopher (2017-05). American Chestnut and Fire: Implications for Restoration.
-
Young, Shelby Lynn (2015-06). Dendroclimatic Response along a Moisture Gradient in the Southern Rocky Mountains.
Background
education and training
- Ph.D. in Geography, University of Tennessee at Knoxville - (Knoxville, Tennessee, United States) 2010
- M.S. in Geography, University of Tennessee at Knoxville - (Knoxville, Tennessee, United States) 1995
- B.A. in Geography, Emory and Henry College - (Emory, Virginia, United States) 1992
awards and honors
- Henry C. Cowles Award, conferred by Association of American Geographers - (Washington D.C., District of Columbia, United States), 2014
- Henry C. Cowles Award, conferred by Association of American Geographers - (Washington D.C., District of Columbia, United States), 2009
- Association of Former Students University-Level Distinguished Achievement Award, The, conferred by Texas A&M University - (College Station, Texas, United States), 2008
- Association of Former Students College-Level Teaching Distinguished Achievement Award, The, conferred by Texas A&M University - (College Station, Texas, United States), 2006
- Montague Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) Scholar, conferred by Texas A&M University - (College Station, Texas, United States), 2004
Contact
first name
- Charles
has last name
- Lafon
mailing address
-
Texas A&M University
Geography
3147 TAMU
College Station, TX 77843-3147
USA
Other
- clafon@tamu.edu