Dr. Walker uses satellite, aircraft, and field data to map and monitor forest characteristics at local to global scales. He has been a major contributor to seminal studies assessing the climate change mitigation potential of natural climate solutions, including through strategies designed to restore, better manage, and protect the planet’s forest ecosystems.
Dr. Walker’s work has drawn attention to forest degradation and disturbance as under-recognized drivers of carbon loss, and highlighted the success and vulnerability of Indigenous land stewardship and protected areas in limiting those impacts. He is committed to building institutional capacity among partners in the tools and techniques used to measure and monitor forests, working in collaboration with governments, NGOs, and Indigenous communities across the tropics. He is motivated to put forest carbon monitoring systems to work to increase participation and improve outcomes of carbon markets globally.
While Dr. Walker’s work draws heavily on remote sensing, he has worked in forests around the world and counts the Sierra Nevada among his favorite field sites. He loves hiking among big, old trees, and is a fan of gardening, kayaking, dachshunds, and Big Ten football.
