Brian C. McCarthy
Professor of Environmental & Plant Biology
Brian C. McCarthy is a Professor of Forest Ecology in the Department of Environmental and Plant Biology at Ohio University, where he has been a faculty member since 1992. After more than a decade of distinguished administrative service — most recently as Senior Associate Dean in the College of Arts and Sciences — he is returning full-time to his research, teaching, and mentoring responsibilities in the summer of 2026.
McCarthy’s research focuses on forest ecology, with particular emphasis on oak, hickory, and chestnut reproductive biology, masting, regeneration ecology, and the response of forest communities to disturbance. His work has produced more than 124 peer-reviewed publications, accumulated over 6,500 citations, and earned an h-index of 44 — placing him among the most highly cited researchers in his field. Recent publications have examined individual-level variation in reproductive effort in oak species and the interacting roles of weather and resource availability in masting behavior.
His research has been supported by external funding from a variety of agencies including NSF, USDA, and the U.S. Forest Service. Over the course of his career he has secured 53 external grants at Ohio University, totaling over $1M. Along with his collaborators, McCarthy has presented his work at international, national, and regional scientific meetings, in botany, ecology, and forest science.
McCarthy has taught a range of courses including forest science, vegetation analysis, plant community ecology, and biostatistics, specifically PBIO 3150/5150 Statistical Methods in Plant Biology, PBIO 4360/5360 Plant Community Ecology, and PBIO 8700 Biostatistics II: Multivariate Methods.
His administrative service to Ohio University has been extensive, including multiple terms as department chair and over a decade as associate and senior associate dean. He has served on a broad array of department, college, and university committees. He has been an active member of the Ohio University Graduate Council since 2008. A dedicated mentor, McCarthy has guided more than 40 graduate students to M.S. and Ph.D. completion across a wide range of topics in forest and plant ecology. He served as Director of the Dysart Woods Research Facility, one of Ohio’s premier old-growth forest research sites, a position he held from 1999-2020.
Beyond the university, McCarthy has provided significant national leadership through The American Chestnut Foundation, serving in successive roles as Chair of the Science Cabinet, Vice-Chair, Chair, and Past-Chair of the organization’s board. He reviews manuscripts for more than 30 scientific journals spanning ecology, forestry, and plant science. He served as the Editor-in-Chief for the Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society, the world's oldest botanical journal, from 2002-2013. He has served as a grant reviewer for various USDA and NSF programs.
Education
B.S., Saint Peter's College (1982), Biology
M.S., Ohio University (1984), Botany
Ph.D., Rutgers—The State University of New Jersey (1989), Ecology
Research
McCarthy's lab employs a combination of experimental and observational studies to understand the population dynamics and community ecology of eastern hardwood forests. Most broadly, his interests could be described as forest ecology.
Areas of interest include: ecological life history attributes associated with hardwood regeneration, ecology and restoration of the American chestnut, dendrochronology, forest herb community structure and diversity, ecology of non-native invasive plant species, forest restoration and mineland reclamation.
Other Websites
Courses Taught
- PBIO 3150/5150 Statistical Methods in Plant Biology
- PBIO 4360/5360 Plant Community Ecology
- PBIO 8700 Biostatistics-II, Multivariate Methods
Professional Service
- Editor-in-Chief, Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society (2002-2013)
- Editorial Board, International Journal of Forestry Research (2008-2014)
- Editorial Board, Forests (2009-2014)
- President, Ohio Chapter of the American Chestnut Foundation (2009-2014)
- Board of Directors, The American Chestnut Foundation (2004-2015)
- Program Chair, Annual ESA Meeting (2012)
Selected References
Last 5 years only:
Rudolph, A.J. B.C. McCarthy, T.F. Hutchinson, R.S. Snell. 2025.Positive regeneration responses of oak, hickory, and American chestnut to repeated prescribed fires and mechanical thinning 22 years after study initiation. Forest Ecology and Management 585, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2025.122656
Rudolph, A.J., R.S. Snell, E. Delach, B.C.McCarthy. 2024.Interspecific, conspecific, and ontogenetic responses of tree rings to climate: A case study utilizing Carya glabra, Carya ovata, Carya tomentosa, and Quercus montana from an Oak-Hickory Forest in Southeastern Ohio, Dendrochronologia, Volume 87, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dendro.2024.126254
Rudolph, A.J., R.S. Snell, B.C.McCarthy. 2024. A decades-long case study: Understanding the effects of mesophication on the forest community with emphasis on Carya spp. Dynamics. Journal of the Tori botanical Society 152: 10–22. https://doi.org/10.3159/TORREY-D-24-00017
Smith, S. J., B. C. McCarthy, T. F. Hutchinson, and R. S. Snell. 2022. Individual level variation and reproductive effort in chestnut Oak (Quercus montana Willd.) And black oak (Q. velutina Lam.). Forest Ecology and Management. hțtps://doi.org/10.1016/J.FORECO.2022.120029
Smith, S. J., B. C. McCarthy, T.F. Hutchinson, and R. S. Snell. 2021. Both weather and resources influencing masting in chestnut oak (Quercus montana Willd.) and black oak (Q. velutina Lam.). Plant Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-021-01115-7
Additional Information
Top five most highly cited publications:
Albrecht, M. A., & McCarthy, B. C. (2006). Effects of prescribed fire and thinning on tree recruitment patterns in central hardwood forests. Forest Ecology and Management, 226(1–3), 88–103. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2005.12.061
Meekins, J. F., & McCarthy, B. C. (2001). Effect of environmental variation on the invasive success of a nonindigenous forest herb. Ecological Applications, 11(5), 1336–1348. https://doi.org/10.1890/1051-0761(2001)011[1336:EOEVOT]2.0.CO;2
Meekins, J. F., & McCarthy, B. C. (1999). Competitive ability of Alliaria petiolata (garlic mustard, Brassicaceae), an invasive, nonindigenous forest herb. International Journal of Plant Sciences, 160(4), 743–752. https://doi.org/10.1086/314156
Peterson, C. J., Carson, W. P., McCarthy, B. C., & Pickett, S. T. A. (1990). Microsite variation and soil dynamics within newly created treefall pits and mounds. Oikos, 58(1), 39–46. https://doi.org/10.2307/3565563
Hartman, K. M., & McCarthy, B. C. (2004). Restoration of a forest understory after the removal of an invasive shrub, Amur honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii). Restoration Ecology, 12(2), 154–165. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1061-2971.2004.00278.x