She is professor emeritus at Oregon State University known for her research on forest ecosystems, especially with respect to carbon cycling, fire, and how human actions impact future climate.
Law was born in St. Paul, Minnesota and grew up on a lake where her grandfather taught her about the woods; she describes herself as someone who loved birds, forests, and being outdoors.
Her Ph.D. research established the metrics needed to estimate aerial coverage of different types of vegetation from space[9] and then used that information to assess net primary production in Oregon.
[11] While building the equipment needed to measure photosynthesis in this project she realized that the spikes in carbon dioxide were caused by cars waiting at a nearby traffic light which she described as an "ah-ha" moment that expanded her interest in global change research.
[14] A 2020 investigation by ProPublica revealed that the Oregon Forest Resources Institute, a state-funded agency, was acting as a lobbying arm for the timber industry while discrediting this research[15] despite the fact that the paper passed peer review.