• Publications

Submitted and forthcoming

  • Worden S., Bauters M., Bloom A.A., Boeckx P., Fatoyinbo T., Fu R., Hubau W., Koutika L., Kengdo S.K., Maes S.L., Medjibe V., Russo N., Saatchi S., Sagang L., Smith T.B., Sonwa D., Verbeeck H., Ordway E.M. (under revision) African tropical carbon cycle responses to global change. Global Change Biology.
  • Fofrich R., Chiu A., Ordway E.M. (under revision) Climate constraints and ecological tradeoffs of cultivating bioenergy crops in the tropics. PNAS Nexus. 
  • Schneider F.D., Dean M., Ordway E.M., Libalah M., Ferraz A. (under revision) Mapping the structural diversity of Central African and Western US forests using GEDI. Remote Sensing of the Environment.
  • Dutko K., Williams P., Ordway E.M., Shin M., Gillespie T. (under revision) End of Century Climate Predictions and Vulnerability Assessments of Native Vegetation in the Hawaiian Islands. Applied Vegetation Science.
  • Tekam S.A., Russo N.J., Sonké B., Deblauwe V., Nshom D.L., Barbier N., Ferraz A., Saatchi S., Wikelski M., Ordway E.M., Smith T.B. (under revision) Habitat selection and seed dispersal by the great blue turaco (Corythaeola cristata) in the rainforests of southern Cameroon. Biotropica.
  • Epie W., Stouter H., Lenhardt J., Ayompe M.L., Ordway E.M., Crook E.D., Egoh B.N. (under revision) Evolving approaches and data availability for understanding the impact of land-use change on ecosystem services. Science of the Total Environment.
  • Sagang L., Dalagnol R., Georges S., Favrichon S., Li S., Wagner F., Liu Z., Zhang D., Ngomanda A., Medjibe V., Sonke B., Barbier N., Ordway E.M., White L., Saatchi S. (under revision) Managed forests support higher carbon density and sequestration in the Congo Basin rainforest. Nature Communications
  • Dean M., Ferraz A., Schneider F.S., Ordway E.M. (under review) Systematic evaluation of GEDI-derived forest structure mapping in the tropics. Remote Sensing of Environment.
  • Negron-Juarez R., Feng Y., Urquiza Muñoz J.D., Marra D.M., Keller M., Ordway E.M., Sheil D. (under review) Forest disturbance from windthrow events in Africa’s tropical forests.
  • Saide P.E., Wu Y., Arnold M., Thapa L.H., Soja A., Gargulinski E., Li F., Wiedinmyer C., Emmons L.K., Tang W., Westerling A.L., Xu Q., Ordway E.M., Queally N., Kueppers L. (under review) Assessing Consistency in Fuel Consumed between Bottom-Up and Top-Down Wildfire Emission Estimates. Geophysical Research Letters.
  • Von Essen M., Ordway E.M., Carlson K., Boyd W. (submitted) Remote sensing for improved forest governance: challenges and opportunities at the subnational scale.

Peer-reviewed publications

Bold indicates Forests Ecosystems & Global Change Lab Member

2025

  • Biswas S., Dutko K., Ordway E.M., (accepted) Increasing forest disturbance in the Congo Basin is driven by an emerging frontier in Cameroon. Earth’s Future.
  • Parazoo N, Carroll D, Bar-On Y, Birdsey R, Bloom A, Bowman K, Braghiere R.K., Bruhwiler L, Byrne B, Chatterjee A, Crisp D, Duncanson L, Fox A, Frankenberg C, Gay B.A., Hopkins F, Hoffman F, Holmquist J, Karion A, Keller M, Koven C, Laughner J.L., Liu J, Lovenduski N.S., McKinley G.A., McNicol G, Michalak A.M., Miller C.E., Nesser H, Oda T, Ordway E.M., Ott L, Paustian K, Poulter B, Randerson J.T., Reed S, Schimel D, Serbin S, Saatchi S, Suto H, Windham-Myers L. (accepted) A scientific community vision for sustained Earth observations of greenhouse gases to support local to global action. AGU Advances. 
  • Brando, P.M., Barlow, J., Macedo, M.N., Silvério, D., Ferreira, J., Maracahipes, L., Anderson, L., Morton, D., Alencar, A., Paolucci, Ls., Jacobs, S., Stouter, H., Randerson, J., Flores, B., Starinchak, B., Pires, M.M., Rattis, L., Armenteras, D., Artaxo, P., Ordway, E.M., Trumbore, S., Staver, C., Beringuer, E., Menor, I. O., Maracahipes-Santos, L., Potter, N., Uribe, M. 2025. Tipping points of Amazonian forests: beyond myths and toward solutions. Annual Reviews. DOI 10.1146/annurev-environ-111522-112804
  • Sanders-DeMott R., Hutyra L.R., Hurteau M.D., Keeton W.S., Fallon K., Anderegg W.R.L., Hollinger D.Y., Kuebbing S.E., Lucash M.S., Ordway E.M., Vargas R., Walker W.S. 2025 Ground-Truth: Can Forest Carbon Protocols Ensure High-Quality Credits? Earth’s Future. DOI 10.1029/2024EF005414
  • Russo N.J., Takuo J.M., Tegebong V., LeBreton M., Dean M., Ferraz A, Barbier N., Wikelski M., Ordway E.M., Saatchi S., Smith T.B. 2025. Spaceborne LiDAR reveals hammer-headed bat (Hypsignathus monstrosus) preference for intermediate canopy height and diverse structure in a Central African rainforest. Movement Ecology. DOI 10.1186/s40462-025-00552-7
  • Longo M., Keller M., Kueppers L., Bowman K., Csillik O., Ferraz A., Moorcroft P.R., Ometto J., Soares-Filho B., Xu X., Assis M., Görgens E.B., Larson E.J.L., Needham J.F., Ordway E.M., Pereira F., Pinagé E.R., Sato L., Xu L., Saatchi S. 2025. Degradation and deforestation increase the sensitivity of the Amazon forests to droughts. Environmental Research Letters. DOI 10.1088/1748-9326/adc58c
  • Chadwick K.D., …, Ongjoco A.J., Ordway E.M., …, Vinod N., et al. 2025. Unlocking ecological insights from subseasonal visible-to-shortwave infrared imaging spectroscopy: the SBG High Frequency Timeseries (SHIFT) campaign. Ecosphere. DOI 10.1002/ecs2.70194
  • Liu S., Csilik O., Ordway E.M., Chang L., Longo M., Keller M., Moorcroft P.M. 2025. Environmental drivers of spatial variation in tropical forest canopy height: insights from NASA’s GEDI spaceborne LiDAR. PNAS. DOI 10.1073/pnas.2401755122

2024

  • Russo N.J., Nshom D.L., Ferraz A, Barbier N., Wikelski M., Noonan M., Ordway E.M., Saatchi S., Smith T.B. 2024. Three-dimensional vegetation structure drives patterns of seed dispersal by African hornbills. Journal of Animal Ecology. DOI 10.1111/1365-2656.14202
  • Dehaudt B., Bruce T., Russo N.J., Takuo J.M., Tegebong V., LeBreton M., Dean M.*, Ferraz A, Barbier N., Wikelski M., Ordway E.M., Saatchi S., Smith T.B. (2025) Spaceborne LiDAR reveals hammer-headed bat (Hypsignathus monstrosus) preference for intermediate canopy height and diverse structure in a Central African rainforest. Movement Ecology. Deblauwe V., Gardner B., Bibila T.G.B., LeBreton M., Mempong G., Njabo K., Nkemnyi S., Ordway E.M., Pavan L., Smith T.B., Luskin M.S. 2024. Seed traits interact with ruminant digestion and forest structure to create divergent seed dispersal outcomes. DOI 10.1002/ecy.4409
  • Sagang L.B.T., Favrichon S., Dalagnol R., Wagner F., George S., Silva Junior C.H.L., Medjibe V., Moussavou G., Ordway E.M., White L., Saatchi S. 2024. Unveiling Spatial Variations of High-forest Carbon Stocks of Gabon Using Advanced Remote Sensing Techniques. DOI 10.1088/1748-9326/ad5572.

2023

  • ​​Russo N., Blakey R.V., Ordway E.M., Davies A.B., Smith T.B. 2023. Feedback loops between animal movement and 3D vegetation structure. Ecology Letters. DOI 10.1111/ele.14272​

2022

  • ​Vinod N., Slot M.J., McGregor I., Ordway E.M., Smith M.N., Taylor T., Sack L., Buckley T., Anderson-Teixeira K.J. 2022. Thermal sensitivity across vertical profiles: patterns, mechanisms, and ecological implications. New Phytologist Tansley Review. DOI 10.1111/nph.18539
  • Ordway E.M., Asner G.P., Burslem D., Lewis S., Martin R., Nilus R., O’Brien M.J., Phillips O., Qie L., Vaughn N.R., Moorcroft P.R. 2022. Toward spaceborne mapping of functional variation in diverse tropical forests. Communications Earth & Environment. DOI https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-022-00564-w
  • Fagan M.E., Do-Hyung K., Settle W., Ferry L., Drew J., Carlson H., Slaughter J., Schaferbien J., Tyukavina A., Harris N., Goldman E., Ordway E.M. 2022. The expansion of tree plantations across tropical biomes. Nature Sustainability. DOI 10.1038/s41893-022-00904-w
  • Tabe-Ojong M.P, Ordway E.M., Nkongho R.N., Molua E.L. 2022. Oil palm expansion among non-industrial producers in Cameroon: Potentials for synergy between agro-economic gains and ecological safeguards. Forest Policy and Economics. DOI 10.1016/j.forpol.2021.102645

2021

  • Ordway E.M., Elmore A.J., Kolstoe S., Quinn J.E., Swanwick R., Cattau M., Taillie D., Guinn, S.M., Chadwick K.D., Atkins J.W., Blake R.E., Chapman M., Cobourn K., Goulden T., Helmus M.R., Hondula K., Hritz C., Jensen J., Julian J.P., Kuwayama Y., Lulla V., O’Leary D., Nelson D.R., Ocón J.P., Pau S., Pau S., Ponce-Campos G.E., Portillo-Quintero C., Pricope N.G., Rivero R.G., Schneider L., Steele M., Tulbure M.G., Williamson M.A., Wilson C., 2021. Leveraging the NEON Airborne Observation Platform for interdisciplinary socio-environmental research. Ecosphere. DOI 10.1002/ecs2.3640

2020

  • Ordway E.M., Asner G.P. 2020 Carbon declines along tropical forest edges correspond to heterogeneous effects on canopy structure and function. PNAS. DOI 10.1073/pnas.1914420117

2019

  • Ordway E.M., Naylor R.L., Nkongho R.N., Lambin E.F. 2019. Oil palm expansion at the expense of forests in Southwest Cameroon associated with proliferation of informal mills. Nature Communications. DOI 10.1038/s41467-018-07915-2
  • Bradford M.A., Carey C., Atwood L., Bossio D., Fenichel E., Gennet S., Fargione J., Fisher J.R.B., Fuller E., Kane D.A., Lehmann J., Oldfield E.E., Ordway E.M., Rudek J., Sanderman J., Wood S.A. 2019. Soil carbon science for policy and practice. Nature Sustainability. DOI 10.1038/s41893-019-0431-y
  • Brando P.M., Paolucci L., Ummenhofer C.C., Ordway E.M., Hartmann H., Cattau M.E., Rattis L., Medjibe V., Coe M.T., Balch J. 2019. Droughts, wildfires, and forest carbon stocks: a pantropical synthesis. Annual Reviews. DOI 10.1146/annurev-earth-082517-010235

2011-2018

  • Ordway E.M., Naylor R.L., Nkongho R.N., Lambin E.F. 2017. Emerging oil palm expansion in Africa: insights into sustainability opportunities and challenges from Cameroon. Global Environmental Change. DOI 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2017.10.009
  • Ordway E.M., Asner G.P., Lambin E.F. 2017. Deforestation risk due to commodity crop expansion in sub-Saharan Africa. Environmental Research Letters. DOI 10.1088/1748-9326/aa6509
    • Highlighted in Nature research highlights section
  • Ordway E.M., 2015. Political Shifts and Changing Forests: The Implications of Warfare for Forest Conservation in Rwanda. Global Ecology and Conservation. DOI 10.1016/j.gecco.2015.01.013
  • Marlier M.E., DeFries R., Pennington D. Nelson E., Ordway E.M., Lewis J., Koplitz S.N., Mickley L.J. 2014. Future fire emissions associated with projected land use change in Sumatra. Global Change Biology. DOI 10.1111/gcb.12691
  • Fitzgerald D.B., Ordway E., Honarvar S., Hearn G.W. 2011. Challenges confronting sea turtle conservation on Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea. Conservation and Biology. DOI 10.2744/CCAB-0889.1

Other writing

  • Ordway E.M., Sonwa D.J., Levang P., Mboringong F., Miaro III L., Naylor R.L., Nkongho R.N. 2019. Sustainable development of the palm oil sector in the Congo Basin: The need for a regional strategy involving smallholders and informal markets. Info Brief, No. 255. Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), Bogor, Indonesia. DOI 10.17528/cifor/006xxx
  • Ordway E.M., 2017. Africa’s tropical forests could be next in line as global food demand grows. The Conversation. (https://theconversation.com/africas-tropical-forests-could-be-next-in-line-as-global-food-demand-grows-80401)