University of Georgia

Dr. Sheng-I Yang

Dr. Sheng-I Yang
Dr. Sheng-I Yang

Assistant Professor of Forest Biometrics

 

Phone Number

706-542-2686

 

Email

 

Address

Warnell 4-505

Assistant Professor of Forest Biometrics

Dr. Sheng-I Yang’s research focuses on modeling forest growth, diversity, structure, and function for planted and natural forests in order to advance forest science and inform sustainable forest management decisions. He develops and improves quantitative methods at the individual tree, stand, and system levels. He has worked on multiple research projects for a variety of forest types, including southern pine monocultures as well as mixed-species forests in temperate and pantropical regions (e.g., Caribbean). Particularly, he is interested in (1) estimating stand carrying capacity, (2) modeling stem taper and bark thickness, (3) characterizing tree allometric relationships and growth, (4) assessing forest carbon, and (5) improving forest inventory and model projections. In addition to research, he is devoted to forest biometrics, applied statistics, and geospatial education. Dr. Yang is a faculty member in the UGA Plantation Management Research Cooperative (PMRC) and a faculty fellow at the UGA Institute of Artificial Intelligence (IAI). Dr. Yang currently serves as a Coordinator of 4.01.03 Instruments and Methods in Forest Mensuration in the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) and as an Associate Editor for the Journal of Forestry and Forest Ecosystems.

Curriculum Vitae (CV)

Education

Ph.D. Forest Biometrics. Virginia Tech. Blacksburg, VA. 2019
M.S. Statistics. Virginia Tech. Blacksburg, VA. 2019
M.S. Forest Biometrics. Virginia Tech. Blacksburg, VA. 2016
B.S. Forestry. National Taiwan University. Taipei, Taiwan. 2013

Awards & Honors

Nov. 2024: 2024 Early Career Achievement Award, Northeastern and Southern Mensurationists Conference, Vermont, USA.

Aug. 2024: Forests 2023 Early Career Investigator Award, Forests, Basel, Switzerland.

Apr. 2020: Teaching and Learning Innovation Teaching Support Award, University of Tennessee, TN, USA.

Jan. 2020: Spring Semester Research Assistant Award, University of Tennessee, TN, USA.

Areas of Expertise

Areas of Specialty

Research Areas

Current Research Projects

  • Developing quantitative methodology for predicting tree growth and stand carrying capacity for pantropical island forests. Funded by USDA Forest Service, Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA)
  • Evaluating and proposing a site productivity estimation methodology for Caribbean forests. Funded by USDA Forest Service, Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA)
  • Integrating SAE methods with stand-level forest inventory and growth projection for southern pine plantations. Funded by NCASI Foundation, USDA Forest Service and Center for Advanced Forestry Systems
  • Evaluating the differences of growth and yield projections between the Forest Vegetation Simulator (FVS) and commonly-used models for pine plantations in the southeastern U.S. Funded by NCASI Foundation
Publications

Select Peer-Review Articles

  • V´azquez-Veloso A., Yang S., Bullock B. P. and Bravo Oviedo F. (2025) One model to rule them all: A nationwide height diameter model for 91 Spanish forest species . Forest Ecology and Management. 595: 122981.
  • Yang S., Brandeis T.J., and Skiba T. (2025) Comparison of stand-level carbon among national forests and parks in southern Appalachian mountains. Journal of Forestry. 123: 653–674.
  • Yang S., Brandeis T.J., and Helmer H.E., and Marcano-Vega H. (2025) Predicting species-specific diameter growth rate for Caribbean trees using mixed-effects extreme gradient boosting. Forest Ecology and Management. 580: 122520
  • Senevirathne D. M., Yang S., Brandeis C., and Hodges, D.G. (2024) Predicting time-to-harvest in mixed-species forests using a random survival forest algorithm. Forest Ecosystems. 11: 100236.
  • Yang S., and Qiao Y. (2024) Quantifying Bark Thickness and Bark Volume with Alternative Modeling Procedures for Eight Species in the Southeastern US. Forest Ecology and Management. 553(1): 121631.
  • Jha S., Yang S., Brandeis T.J., Kuegler O., and Marcano-Vega H. (2023) Evaluation of Regression Methods and Competition Indices in Characterizing Height-diameter Relationships for Temperate and Pantropical trees. Frontiers in Forests and Global Change. 6: 1282297.
  • Yang S., and Green P.C. (2022) Comparison of Data Grouping Strategies on Prediction Accuracy of Tree-stem Taper for Six Common Species in the Southeastern US. Forests. 13(2) 156.
Teaching
  • FORS 4620/6620 Timber Management
  • FANR 5630/7630 Statistical Software for Natural Resource Management
  • FORS 329 Forest Resource Inventory (University of Tennessee)
  • FWF 313 Measurements and Sampling (University of Tennessee)
  • FORS 593 Forest Biometrics/Inventory (University of Tennessee)
  • FWF 430/530 Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for Natural Resources (University of Tennessee)
Labs, Centers, Committees

Harley Langdale Jr. Center for Forest Business

Plantation Management Research Cooperative (PMRC)

Dr. Sheng-I Yang
Dr. Sheng-I Yang

Assistant Professor of Forest Biometrics

 

Phone Number

706-542-2686

 

Email

 

Address

Warnell 4-505

News & Announcements

03.10.2026

Alumni Spotlight: Nicki Price

Nicki Price has built an impressive career at the intersection of forestry, finance, and long-term land stewardship. After earning her undergraduate degree in Wildlife, she completed her MFR in Forest Business at UGA, where she discovered a passion for timberland investment and the broader strategic side of forest ownership. Although she once envisioned a boots-on-the-ground procurement career, the MFR program and business coursework shifted her path. Nicki credits her time at Warnell and the Terry College of Business with helping her bridge forestry and finance in a way that translated directly to real-world decision-making. Today, Nicki serves as the U.S. Country Portfolio Manager for Ingka Investments, managing timberland assets and supporting a sustainability-focused approach to forest ownership.

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Students Attend FLA Forest Policy Institute in Washington DC

This February, forestry students Emma Dunn and Liam Reid represented UGA at the Forest Landowners Association’s Forest Policy Fly-In in Washington, D.C. The experience provided an inside look at how federal forest policy is shaped and how its outcomes influence private landowners, investors, and the broader forestry sector. The students met with members of Congress, including Representative Buddy Carter, Senator Jon Ossoff, and Representative Bruce Westerman, along with congressional and federal agency staff to discuss forestry’s role in rural economies, supply chain resilience, and long‑term land stewardship.

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Will McCommons, a second-year Master of Forest Resources student from Greensboro, GA, has built his career path on a lifelong connection to the woods, one that began with days spent learning from his grandfather, who worked in the lumber industry. After earning his BSFR at UGA, Will returned to Warnell to earn his MFR in Forest Business to deepen his understanding of the business side of forestry. He credits the program with broadening his perspective on how the industry operates and opening new career opportunities.

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Serving the forest business community

The Center for Forest Business serves the forest business community through education, research and service.

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