Christopher Riely

Christopher Riely, wearing a light brown sports jacket and light blue collared shirt, smiling, with a yellow bush in the background.
  • Research Associate IV, Forestry Specialist
  • Department of Natural Resources Science
  • Phone: 401.225.6135
  • Email: criely@uri.edu
  • Office Location: Coastal Institute, Office #13

Biography

Christopher works with a range of partners in serving those who own or care for Rhode Island’s forests, associated ecosystems, and the wildlife populations they support. For more than 10 years, he has been involved with research and practice in the emerging field of climate-adaptive forest management. Before coming to URI, Christopher worked for Providence Water managing the public drinking supply
watershed lands surrounding the Scituate Reservoir, following early career roles in other forested regions of the U.S. He is a Certified Forester and Arborist.

Research

Christopher is a member of the URI Cooperative Extension staff. He works in partnership with the state field office of the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), providing forestry technical assistance to NRCS staff and landowners. He is a participant in the Adaptive Silviculture for Climate Change (ASCC) Network, with research focused on climate-smart forestry practices. Christopher also serves as Co-Coordinator of the Rhode Island Woodland Partnership and maintains the Rhode Island Woods website hosted by URI.

Education

M.B.A, University of Rhode Island
Master of Forestry, Yale University, School of the Environment
B.A, Tufts University (American Studies, with a concentration in Environmental History)