David Weinstein has been a forest ecologist at Cornell University for over 30 years, currently with the Department of Natural Resources.  His work focuses on identifying ways to manage forests to improve the adaptability of these ecosystems and the plants they contain to climate change, disease, invasives and other threats.  In this work, he has constructed computer models to predict the growth of forests under a wide variety of conditions and in locations all over the United States.  Along with a group of dedicated volunteers at the Cornell Botanic Garden, he has been analyzing long term records of plant flowering to detect whether climate change has been altering their behavior, and consequently, their ability to sustain themselves.  From his early days researching long-term dynamics of old growth forests in the Great Smoky Mountains to his recent work on the plants of central New York, he has sought practical evidence and understanding about what makes plant communities tick.  He spends his days joyfully walking (or skiing through) our woods with his lovely wife, Christina, and serving on public boards fighting for the protections that our natural communities need to survive and thrive.