Joel Hartter is associate professor in the Environmental Studies Program and the faculty director for the Masters of the Environment professional graduate degree program at the University of Colorado Boulder. His research broadly focuses on human-environment interactions working landscapes and public lands of the American West, as well as protected area landscapes in Africa. Joel directs the Communities and Forests in Oregon (CAFOR) project which examines how small communities cope with drier conditions, longer fire seasons, and increased wildfire, as well as a downturn in the forest products industry. He is also interested in how communities leverage natural resources and scenic places to re-envision and revitalize their economies and position them to consider new opportunities.
Joel received his BS (German) and BSE (mechanical engineering) from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, his MS (forestry) from Oregon State University, and his PhD (geography) from the University of Florida.