Principal Investigator
Brad Pinno
I received my BSc and MSc in Forestry from the University of Alberta and my PhD in Soil Science from the University of Saskatchewan. I have also held post-doctoral positions at the University of Regina and University of Alberta, worked as a forester with the provincial governments in Alberta and Saskatchewan, taught in the Forestry Technician Program at Northern Lakes College, and was a Research Scientist with the Canadian Forest Service, Northern Forestry Centre. My research interest is in understanding the links between site, silvics and operational treatments to refine silvicultural practices to meet the growing demands on our forests.
Lab Coordinator
Kathryn Knodel
Kathryn is the Western Research Project Coordinator for the DIVERSE project, a Pan-Canadian research initiative dedicated to advancing forest management through an innovative approach emphasizing functional diversity and ecological connectivity. Brad is one of the project co-leads for DIVERSE, and Kathryn coordinates communications, financial management, social media, and reporting for DIVERSE researchers in western Canada. Kathryn holds a BSc in Biology from The King’s University, and before joining the Silviculture Research Group, she worked for Alberta Canola Producers Commission as their Research Coordinator. Outside of work, Kathryn enjoys reading, going for walks, hiking, and camping. kjknodel@ualberta.ca
Current Graduate students and Post-docs:
Aakriti Gautam
Aakriti is an international student from Nepal, currently pursuing a master’s degree in Forest Biology and Management. Her research focuses on evaluating the effects of precommercial thinning in juvenile boreal mixedwoods on the growth response of white spruce in Northern Alberta. She holds a B.S in forestry from the Agriculture and Forestry University and previously worked at the Ministry of Forest and Environment, Nepal as an intern. In her free time, Aakriti enjoys reading novels, watching movies and following football. aakriti2@ualberta.ca
Lisa Naa Okai
Lisa is an international student from Ghana who holds a BSc in Forestry from KNUST, where she gained valuable experience as a teaching and research assistant. She has also interned at two forestry divisions in Ghana, further honing her skills. Currently, she is pursuing an MSc in Forest Biology and Management, focusing her research on the effects of pre-commercial thinning on tree resilience and ecosystem carbon stocks in lodgepole pine. Outside her academic pursuits, Lisa enjoys reading, exploring eco-parks, attending church fellowship, and staying active through soccer and volleyball. lisanaa@ualberta.caMeghan Clayton
Meghan is a student from Manitoba who graduated from The University of Winnipeg with her BSc in Biology. She has worked for the Manitoba Government in the Natural Resources Department for several years as a forestry technician and is now pursuing her MSc in Forest Biology and Management. Her research is focused on the use of remote sensing and LiDAR to study the structural diversity of different intensive silvicultural plots for the suitability of the Woodland Caribou Habitat. Outside of academics, Meghan enjoys traveling, hiking, camping, and snowboarding. mclayton@ualberta.ca
Kyle Dues
Kyle is an international student from the United States pursuing a PhD in renewable resources at the University of Alberta. He earned his BSc in forestry from The Ohio State University and recently completed his MSc in forest resources at Mississippi State University. His research interests focus on silviculture and understanding how stand dynamics can be used to conceptualize how forest systems develop through time to achieve a diverse set of values. In his free time Kyle enjoys cycling, learning obscure trivia, photography, and exploring historical sites. dues@ualberta.ca
Andrew Sperling
Andrew is currently pursuing his MSc in Forest Biology and Management. His research will evaluate the efficacy of pre-commercial thinning operations in boreal mixedwood stands near Slave Lake, Alberta. Andrew is registered as a professional Forester with the AAFMP and works in the Alberta forest products industry, primarily in silviculture. asperlin@ualberta.ca
Benjamin Strelkov
Ben is a local student from Edmonton who graduated from the University of Alberta with a BSc. in Forestry. He is now studying for an MSc. in Forest Biology and Management. His research focus is on mixedwood silviculture in the Western Boreal Forest. Additionally, Ben has worked in BC forestry, at a tree nursery and as an arborist in the Edmonton region. He continues to maintain a personal interest in urban forestry. Outside of academics and work, Ben enjoys the arts, gardening, playing guitar, and spending time outdoors with friends. bstrelko@ualberta.ca
Ethan Ramsfield
Ethan received his BSc in forestry from the University of Alberta and is currently pursuing his MSc in Forestry. His research is focused on Boreal mixedwood silviculture, primarily looking at the effects on productivity between different intensities of silviculture. He has spent his summers during undergrad working for various forestry companies in silviculture and planning. Apart from school, he enjoys hiking, camping, and fishing. eramsfie@ualberta.ca
Past lab members
Surabhi Lukose
Surabhi is an International student from India. She earned her undergraduate degree in Forestry from Kerala Agricultural University and is currently pursuing her Master’s degree in Forestry. Her research emphasizes on studying the potential for density management to moderate drought effects in coastal plantation forests of British Columbia. Moreover, she has professional working experience in the field of Forest Certification and Environment Education from India. She has also shown her interest towards forestry by working in diverse fields like Silviculture, Agroforestry, Forest Management, Urban invasive alien species and Soil Science. Apart from academics she loves travelling, listening to music, photography and meeting new people. slukose@ualberta.ca
Apsana Kafle
Apsana is an International student from Nepal with an undergraduate forestry degree from Tribhuvan University. She is pursuing her Masters degree in Forestry. Her research focuses on density management and commercial thinning in Lodgepole pines of Alberta. Additionally, she has professional working experiences in community forestry management, gender and youth integration in forestry, bamboo management and silviculture in Nepal, South East Asia and Ethiopia. Apart from work and school she is passionate about adventure travelling, learning new skills and doing social work. After finishing her MSc, Apsana began working with the British Columbia Ministry of Forests in Campbell River. apsana@ualberta.ca
Mostarin Ara
Mostarin Ara is a postdoctoral fellow and her research focuses on forest silviculture, growth & yield modeling. She has a background education in forestry, GIS, and remote sensing. She also has a broad working experience in different forest biomes- tropical, temperate, boreal, Hemi-boreal, and mangrove. Click here to know more about her profile. Besides forestry, she loves being in nature, hiking, reading, cooking, traveling, knitting, and many more things. She believes in equal rights and opportunity, diversity, the power of teamwork, and being kind to each other. After leaving the UofA, Dr. Ara began as a Research Scientist with Scion in New Zealand. mostarin@ualberta.ca
Shes Bhandari
Position: Post-doctoral fellow. I completed my undergraduate in Forestry from the Tribhuvan University Nepal, master’s in forestry from Dr. Yashwant Singh Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, India and PhD in Forestry from the University of Western Australia. My research interests are forest growth and yield modeling, forest measurement, and biometrics and silviculture, etc. Currently, I am looking at the short-term and long-term effects of precommercial thinning on Lodgepole pine and the impact of the silvicultural intervention on the genetic gain in White spruce. After leaving UofA, Dr. Bhandari took up an academic position at Tribhuvan University Nepal. sheskant@ualberta.ca
Francis Scaria
Francis graduated from Kerala Agricultural University in India with a BSc Honors in Forestry before pursuing his MSc in Forestry at the University of Alberta. His research focuses on density control and pre-commercial thinning in Lodgepole pines in West central Alberta. He has also specialized in Silviculture, Agroforestry, Forest Nursery Management, Forest and Urban Invasive Plant Species and other fields. Outside of school, he enjoys soccer, travel, and photography. Upon graduating, Francis started working with West Fraser – Hinton Forest Products. fscaria@ualberta.ca
Laura Manchola Rojas
Laura is an international student from Colombia. She has a BSc in Biology from the University of Valle (COL) and MSc in land reclamation from the UofA where her research was about woody debris and its impact on soil nutrients and plant productivity. She also has former experience in entomology, immature morphology and plant ecology. Outside of work she enjoys dancing, cooking and relaxing in nature. After finishing her MSc, Laura began working as an Environmental Scientist at WSP Golder in Edmonton. manchola@ualberta.ca
Kazi Hossain
I completed my BSc in Agriculture and MSc in Agroforestry from Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh. I did my PhD in Forest Biology and Management at the University of Alberta. In my PhD, I investigated mixed species regeneration and species’ growth strategy in a strip-shelterwood. My research primarily focuses on assessing the potential of intensive silviculture in mitigating mid-term timber supply shortages in Alberta. I aim to achieve this through assessing the impact of intensive silviculture on the growth and yield dynamics of pure pine and spruce plantations, and of mixedwoods, and through modeling timber supply simulation and optimization scenarios over the landscape of Alberta. Before completion of my PhD, I also worked as a resource analyst, and gained valuable experience in developing forest management plans for different companies in Alberta. After finishing his time as a post-doctoral researcher, Dr. Hossain began working as a forest analyst with Forsite in Edmonton. kaziliaq@ualberta.ca
Jenn Buss
Jenn studied seed viability in soil stockpiles on reclamation areas across Alberta comparing seed bank and above ground vegetation communities across stockpiles of different ages. She also looked at how the seed bank changes at depth, as well as differences in nutrient levels across stockpiles. In her spare time she enjoys backpacking, climbing and camping with friends. After graduation, Jenn joined the Canadian Forest Service. jbuss@ualberta.ca
Kaitlyn Trepanier
Kaitlyn was a MSc student whose focus of study was looking at vegetation response on the “Island” reclamation technique. This included the optimal size and distance of soil islands on species richness in addition to the rate of species movement along the soil boundary. Kaitlyn has a BSC in Environmental Sciences and Conservation Biology from the University of Alberta as well as a technical diploma in Renewable resources from Northern Alberta Institute of Technology. After graduating, Kaitlyn began working with the Canadian Forest Service in Edmonton. ktrepani@ualberta.ca
Sanatan Das Gupta
Sanatan is a forest ecologist and soil scientist interested in understanding the ecology of forest growth and plant-soil-organismal interactions in disturbed and natural ecosystems. He received his PhD in Soil Science from the University of Alberta, his MSc in Sustainable Forest and Land Management from Georg-August University, Germany and Bangor University, UK, and his BSc in Forestry from Chittagong University, Bangladesh. He is currently working on several projects related to commercial thinning, forest growth, and land reclamation after mining disturbances. When not busy with research, Sanatan enjoys listening to music, photography, playing table tennis, traveling, and spending time with his family. After completing his post-doc, Sanatan took a position with the BC Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resources, and Rural Development in Fort St. John. sanatan@ualberta.ca
Stephanie Jean
Stephanie studied trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides) response to above ground disturbances on reclamation areas in Northern Alberta along with trembling aspen and black spruce (Picea mariana) regeneration after the Fort McMurray fire. Part of this research includes examination of black spruce seedling microsite preferences. Apart from research she enjoys exploring the outdoors with her dog, bird watching, wildlife photography, and travelling. After graduating, Stephanie took a position as a Plant Ecologist at Spencer Environmental Management Services Ltd. sjean@ualberta.ca
Ryan Lalonde
Ryan studied tree growth in oil-sand tailings material, as well as related contaminant transport. Ryan has a BSc in Agricultural and Environmental Sciences from McGill University. He also works for the Canadian Forest Service (Natural Resources Canada), serves as VP Communications for TEDxUAlberta, and is the General Director (South Academic Building) in the Renewable Resources Graduate Students’ Association. When not spending his time in the lab or field, Ryan enjoys being outdoors, gardening, travelling and playing music. After graduating, Ryan began working as a Policy Analyst with Natural Resources Canada in Ottawa. rlalonde@ualberta.ca
Kwadwo Omari
Kwadwo holds a BSc in Natural Resources Management (Major: Silviculture and Forest Management) from K.N.U.S.T., Ghana, MSc in Forest Ecology and Management from University of Freiburg, Germany, and MSc in Agriculture and Forestry from University of Eastern Finland, Finland (both through the Erasmus Mundus European Forestry Program). He completed his PhD (Forest Ecology and Silviculture) at the University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, and afterwards worked as a Postdoctoral Research Scientist in Forest Ecology and Land Reclamation at the Canadian Forest Service, Edmonton and also with the Silviculture Lab. His research interests and expertise are silviculture, forest ecology, ecophysiology, and ecosystem ecology. When not dealing with research, Kwadwo enjoys spending time with family, blogging, playing the piano, socializing with others, and fellowshipping at church. After completing his post-doc, Kwadwo took a position as a Research Silviculturist with the BC Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resources, and Rural Development in Nanaimo. kwadwo.omari@gmail.com