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 is URI’s forestry extension specialist. He works with a range of partners, including the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), 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. He is a Certified Forester and Arborist with a Master of Forestry from the Yale School of the Environment and an M.B.A from URI.

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.