About

Dr. John Munsell is a Professor and Forest Management Extension Specialist at Virginia Tech, affiliated with the Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation within the College of Natural Resources and Environment. His research interests include private forestland stewardship, agroforestry and whole farm planning, bioenergy, family forest sustainability, collaborative conservation, and integrated natural resources problem solving. Dr. Munsell is actively involved in teaching courses such as Practices and Principles of Agroforestry and a graduate seminar on Human Dimensions, and he serves as an associate editor for Agroforestry Systems. His professional activities include serving as President of the Association for Temperate Agroforestry and contributing to various research and extension projects related to forest farming, native fruit and nut trees, riparian buffers, forest certification, bioenergy, and community development. Dr. Munsell has authored numerous publications on topics such as forest management, agroforestry, water quality, and forest products, reflecting his extensive engagement in advancing sustainable forest and natural resource practices.

Research topics

• Geography
• Business
• Economics
• Political Science
• Environmental science
• Ecology
• Agronomy
• Forestry
• Biology
• Agroforestry
• Environmental health
• Economic growth
• Environmental resource management
• Agricultural science
• Marketing
• Environmental planning
• Botany

Selected publications

• Fast-growing broiler chickens range more in a silvopasture than a grass pasture based on live observations

  Frontiers in Animal Science · 2026-01-23

  articleOpen access

  Broiler chickens with free-range access often show low use of the outdoor space and providing access to a silvopasture (intentional integration of vegetation and animal production) may increase range use. The study aim was to evaluate the effect of pasture system (silvopasture; open grass pasture) on range use in fast-growing broiler chickens. Fifty-three or 54 birds per experimental unit in two experiments were provided access to 125m 2 silvopasture plots (x̄ 32% canopy cover) or open grass pasture plots (no canopy cover) from day 24 of age. Plot-level range use (% of the flock outside) was assessed from photographs for 16 days in Experiment 1 and 18 days in Experiment 2. In Experiment 2, live observations of range use were performed on days 29, 30, 34, 35, 40, and 41. We used generalized linear mixed models to predict broiler ranging activity at different times of day (morning, midday, afternoon) as a function of average daily temperature, bird age, and pasture treatment. Younger birds were more likely to range on cold days, while older birds ranged more on warm days, consistent across live observations and photographs. Live observations showed more birds in silvopastures than open pastures, whereas photographs indicated the opposite. Bird counts may be underestimated in the photos, due to visual obstruction by vegetation, especially in the silvopastures. The contrasting outcomes highlight that the choice of sampling method strongly influences conclusions about range use. Consistent across photographs and live observations, range use followed a diurnal rhythm, with highest use in mornings and afternoons. Overall, silvopasture provided age- and temperature-dependent benefits for broiler chickens, highlighting the importance of giving birds the choice to range outdoors or remain indoors.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Tree-based intervention typologies and improvements in refugee displacement regions

  International Journal of Population Studies · 2025-11-10

  articleOpen access

  Concern about deforestation in contexts of refugee displacement is substantial. Tree-based interventions (TBIs) are efforts to plant trees, conserve trees, and/or facilitate tree regrowth. TBIs are implemented by non-governmental organizations in refugee displacement contexts to address landscape-level deforestation, soil erosion, and biodiversity loss while providing livelihood opportunities to participants. Although humanitarian stakeholders recommend TBIs in refugee-hosting regions, the diversity of TBI models and associated strengths and weaknesses are not well understood. This research focuses on five TBIs implemented in a northwest Uganda refugee settlement that include large-acre woodlot planting, household-level planting of trees yielding short-term products, and conservation site establishment to protect indigenous tree species. Interviews and focus-group discussions with TBI staff revealed that each intervention makes trade-offs in navigating five key challenges associated with TBI implementation in a refugee context: Obtaining access to land, providing short-term livelihood benefits to participants, gaining equitable involvement by gender, achieving environmental conservation goals, and successfully engaging community members. Significant differences were found between the strategies of TBIs implemented at home sites when compared to TBIs implemented at community sites. While TBIs implemented at home sites are intended to provide participants long-term access to tree products with clear user rights and enable women to grow trees alongside ongoing domestic activities, TBIs implemented at community sites can achieve large-scale environmental goals and provide cash-based employment opportunities to participants. An applied integrated landscape approach is recommended to maximize inter-program collaboration and collective benefits across programs, while realizing sustainable TBI impacts within complex socioecological refugee displacement contexts.

  PublisherDOI

• Keeping forests on the agroforestry agenda

  Nature Climate Change · 2025-05-28 · 1 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Refugee women grow trees to protect people and forests in northwest Uganda

  Tropical Forest Issues · 2025-05-08

  articleOpen access

  In Uganda, home to over 1.7 million refugees, the rapid depletion of tree cover due to firewood collection and charcoal production poses significant environmental and social challenges. This study explores the impact of deforestation in refugee settlements, particularly on women, who are often the primary collectors of firewood. The research highlights the dual role that women play as both victims of environmental degradation and agents of change. Through the case of Charity, a South Sudanese refugee, the study showcases how refugee women are taking the initiative to address the issue by planting trees and creating sustainable solutions to meet their energy and building material needs. Charity’s efforts reflect a broader movement where women, often marginalized in environmental decision-making, are leading community-based programs to conserve natural resources and protect their welfare.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Predictors of Landowners’ Intention to Manage Emerald Ash Borer in Kentucky

  Forest Science · 2023-02-27 · 3 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Effect of silvopasture system on fearfulness and leg health in fast-growing broiler chickens

  PLoS ONE · 2023-03-23 · 4 citations

  articleOpen access

  A silvopasture system intentionally integrates trees, forages, and livestock, allowing dual land use. These systems can provide high-quality habitat for broiler chickens; however, such systems have not been widely adopted by the broiler industry in the United States. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of silvopasture versus open pasture access on fearfulness and leg health in fast-growing broiler chickens. A total of 886 mixed-sex Ross 708 chicks in Experiment 1 (Exp 1) and 648 chicks in Experiment 2 (Exp 2) were housed in coops and had access to 16 (Exp 1) or 12 (Exp 2) 125m2 silvopasture plots (x̄ = 32% canopy cover) or open pasture plots (no canopy cover) from day 24 of age. Fearfulness was measured using a tonic immobility test (tonic immobility duration), and leg health was assessed by quantifying footpad dermatitis, hock burns, gait, and performing a latency-to-lie test on days 37-39 of age. Birds in the silvopasture treatment were less fearful than birds in the open pasture treatment. Overall, birds in both silvopasture and open pasture systems had excellent leg health. Silvopasture birds had lower footpad dermatitis scores than open pasture birds. Silvopasture birds tended to have worse gait than open pasture birds in Exp 1, but not in Exp 2. Hock burn scores and latency-to-lie did not differ between treatments in Exp 1 or Exp 2. Raising birds in silvopasture reduced fear and improved footpad health compared to birds raised in open pastures, which indicates that silvopasture systems provide some benefits for affective state and leg health in fast-growing broilers.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Understanding Forest Landowner Attitudes, Perceived Risk, and Response to Emerald Ash Borer in Kentucky

  Journal of Forestry · 2022-12-13 · 1 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Nontimber forest products from trees

  2022-01-01

  reportSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Urban Food Forests and Community Agroforestry Systems

  ASSA, CSSA and SSSA · 2021-12-13 · 4 citations

  other1st authorCorresponding

  This chapter focuses on urban and community agroforestry strategies that connect and expand urban food forestry systems. It offers insights into how these systems are designed and scaled to provide food, timber, fiber, and other materials in addition to eco-social benefits. Urban food forests are the cornerstone of agroforestry applications in population centers. Agroforestry is largely seen in terms of rural land use practices that integrate and thereby diversify farm and forest products such as crops, livestock, timber, and non-timber forest products. Residents and governmental and nongovernmental agroforestry allies alike are enacting agroforestry through local food movement initiatives, such as community-supported agriculture, farmers' markets, and community gardens. The features of productive placemaking are best defined by residents who are embedded in their local eco-social system and consequently able to design meaningful systems. Urban food forests are created by planting a variety of annual and perennial plants together to form diverse food-producing agroforestry ecosystems.

  PublisherDOI

• Household Firewood Use in Virginia and North Carolina: A Survey of Consumer Opinions and Activities

  VTechWorks (Virginia Tech) · 2021-10-03

  articleSenior author

  Virginia Department of Forestry

  Publisher

Frequent coauthors

• Shannon Fowler

  43 shared

• Zhu Ning

  42 shared

• Susan E. Moore

  42 shared

• Lee Allen

  Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries

  42 shared

• Douglas Frederick

  42 shared

• Julie Lydick

  Mississippi State University

  42 shared

• James A. Allen

  Northern Arizona University

  42 shared

• Eric B. Sucre

  Weyerhaeuser (United States)

  42 shared

Labs

• Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation Research LabPI

Awards & honors

• Associate Editor - Agroforestry Systems
• President - Association for Temperate Agroforestry