Charles ​Ruffner

Charles M. Ruffner is Professor of Forestry at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. He holds a B.S. in Forest Science, and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Forest Resources from the Pennsylvania State University where he studied old-growth forest ecology and fire history. At SIUC he teaches several undergraduate courses including Intro to Forestry, Forest Measurements, Wildland Fire 

Management and Planning, as well as a few graduate courses like ​Historical and Disturbance Ecology. His SIUC Fire Dawg crew works closely with local agencies, landowners, and interest groups to reintroduce prescribed burning to forests and prairies of the Central Hardwoods region. He has recently served on the Governing Board of the Oak Woodlands and Forest Fire Consortium, also as Past-President of the Illinois Prescribed Fire Council, and is on his second term as an Illinois Nature Preserves Commissioner. Over the years, Charles has led numerous study abroad groups to Ireland, Scotland, and Bavaria and has completed two overseas sabbaticals, including in Ireland and Afghanistan. Charles’ involvement with farmers and foresters across the developing world dates from his duties with military and civilian personnel working across Venezuela, Panama, Afghanistan, Dominican Republic, Lithuania, and Morocco. Recently he has been conducting fire history research in collaboration with the Forestry faculty at Vytautas Magnus University, Kaunas and Dzukija National Park, Lithuania.

UPDATED 8/2021