Denise Burchsted

I am interested in river management and restoration both as a professional engineer and as a scientist. My research is focused on the structure of rivers without active management by modern humans, and I use this research to help set appropriate targets for river restoration practice. Understanding the presence and impact of natural barriers, such as beaver dams and log jams, is particularly important to this research; current restoration practice primarily emphasizes the removal of human-created barriers rather than restoring the structure—and corresponding functions—of preindustrial rivers.