RESEARCH TEAM
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Todd Morgan, DirectorTodd Morgan is the Bureau's director of Forest Industry Research. He oversees and conducts research related to timber harvesting, logging utilization, and primary wood products manufacturing throughout the Western United States. He is also active in the Missoula and national chapters of the Society of American Foresters. |
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Amy Beagles, Research AssociateAmy Beagles is a Research Associate with BBER’s Forest Industry Research Program. She earned a multi-disciplinary BA in Anthrozoology and Business from Carroll College and an MS. in Wildlife Conservation and Management from Unity Environmental University (formerly Unity College). Her work in South Africa provided her with hands-on experience with African wildlife and insights into forest management practices in the Great Kruger area. Amy currently serves as the lead analyst for forest industry research in Arizona and New Mexico. |
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Erik Berg, Research Forester Erik Berg is a research forester with the BBER Forest Industry Research group. Erik investigates the dynamics of the forest products industry in Montana and the other western U.S. states. |
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Thale Dillon, Research EconomistThale Dillon is an economic researcher with BBER’s Forest Industry Research Program. She holds degrees in both economics and forest economics, earning her master’s degree from the University of Montana in 1999. She was involved in tourism and forestry research until 2006, and served as economic researcher and director for Montana KIDS COUNT from 2006 until 2019, when she rejoined the FIR program. Thale is involved in a multitude of the Program’s projects, providing economic analysis and editorial assistance, as well as managing surveying and data collection efforts for FIRP’s work with the Timber Product Output Program and the Forest Industry Data Collection System. |
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Clayton Dutton, Database Administrator/ProgrammerClayton Dutton is a database administrator with the Forest Industry Research Program at the University of Montana’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research (BBER). He holds his A.A. and B.S. in Computer Science from the University of Montana and an M.S. in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) with an emphasis in Database Administration from the University of Denver. Clayton has spent over 5 years working in enterprise-level ICT environments including healthcare, academia, and industrial. |
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Benjamin Irey, Research Social ScientistBen Irey is a Research Social Scientist with the Forest Industry Research Program. He holds a B.S. in Resource Conservation and an M.S. in Resource Management from the University of Montana’s College of Forestry and Conservation. Previously, Ben was the Conservation Connect Program Manager at the National Forest Foundation and a Social Scientist at Ecosystem Research Group. |
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Luke Koch, Research AssociateLuke Koch worked at BBER as a student then became a full-time employee. Luke has no experience in forestry but learning about the forest products industry is something he is glad to be a part of. Luke's main responsibilities are coding and entering facility data, along with other miscellaneous tasks. |
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Lauren Sampson, Research AssociateLauren Sampson is a 2023 UM graduate and forestry research associate. She joined FIRP in October 2023 and is our cartographer, producing maps and data layers for multiple projects and publications using geographic information systems (GIS). Lauren is our lead analyst for Nevada and Montana, managing quarterly and annual mill surveys of wood products facilities in our home state. |
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Samuel Scott, Forest EconomistSamuel Scott is a Forest Economist with the Forest Industry Research Program at the University of Montana's Bureau of Business and Economic Research (BBER). His work is primarily focused on the structure and bioeconomic impact of the forest products industry across the United States, timber appraisal on public lands, and public outreach. Prior to working at BBER, Sam served as an Economist at the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, and worked in timber and silviculture for both the USDA Forest Service and the US Bureau of Land Management. He earned a BS in Forestry at the University of Montana and an MS in Forest Economics at Virginia Tech. |
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Micah Scudder, Senior Research ForesterMicah Scudder is a Senior Research Forester at the Bureau's Forest Industry Research Program. He holds a PhD in Plantation and Native Forest Research from the University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC) in Queensland, Australia, and an MBA and a M.S. in Forest Management from the University of Montana. Micah's work at the Bureau focuses on timber harvesting, logging utilization, and primary wood products manufacturing of various western states in the U.S. Prior to joining the Bureau, Micah was a Research Forester at the Forest Research Institute in Queensland, Australia, where he conducted forestry research in Papua New Guinea and the Philippines. He has been a Certified Forester with the Society of American Foresters since 2014. |
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Eric Simmons, Senior Research AssociateEric Simmons is a Senior Research Associate with the Bureau of Business and Economic Research (BBER), Forest Industry Research Program at the University of Montana. A Montana native with pioneer roots who is at home in the outdoors. He holds a B.A. in Political Science and History from Whitworth University in Spokane Washington. His background in forestry with the U. S. Forest Service includes work in pre-sale, stand exam, forest inventory, reforestation, fuels management, and fire suppression. Since returning to forestry in 2011 to lead the logging utilization research efforts at the BBER he has expanded into forest products industry research with analyses in Idaho and Oregon as well as assisting with the 4 Corners analysis particularly in Arizona and New Mexico. |
CONTACTTodd Morgan, Director |
