OFRI People

Bell, F. Wayne, forest ecology research scientist
PhD, integrative biology, University of Guelph, in progress
(705)946-7401, wayne.bell@ontario.ca

Studies the effects of human activities and natural disturbance on the ecology, diversity, and succession of forest plants. Current focuses include intensive forest management, biodiversity, biomass harvesting, and vegetation management alternatives.

Website: F. Wayne Bell

• OFRI Researchers Are the First to Test Jack Pine Rooted Cuttings in the Field—With Excellent Results + Facts About Jack Pine
• Tiny Beetle Vanquishes Bellevue Park's Purple Loosestrife—Victory Tempered by Arrival of New Invader
• Lichens and Their Sensitivity to Forest Herbicides + Facts About Lichens
  
• Two Decades of Plant Diversity Research
• What Have We Learned About Releasing Conifers From Competition

Feature publications:

• The effects of triclopyr and glyphosate on lichens (order PDF)
  
• March/April 2011 issue of The Forestry Chronicle (focuses on 20 years of vegetation management research) 
• F. Wayne Bell research publications page

Chen, Jiaxin, impacts and adaptation research scientist
PhD, engineering and information systems, Leeds Metropolitan University, Leeds, England, 2001
(705)946-7486, jiaxin.chen@ontario.ca

Develops/improves models that project how much carbon is stored in Ontario’s forests now and over this century, as well as models that predict how climate change and forest management affect ecosystems.

Web news article:

• Research Snapshot: Balancing Sustainability With Carbon When It Comes to Forests Mitigating Climate Change
• Sink or Source? Modelling Carbon Stocks in Ontario’s Forests

Feature publications:

• Forest Protection and Forest Harvest as Strategies for Ecological Sustainability and Climate Change Mitigation (order PDF)
  
• Forest Bioenergy or Forest Carbon? Assessing Trade-Offs in Greenhouse Gas Mitigation with Wood-Based Fuels
• The Carbon Neutrality Assumption for Forest Bioenergy: A Case Study for Northwestern Ontario
• Carbon Budget of Ontario's Managed Forests and Harvested Wood Products, 2001-2100
   

Colombo, Steve, environmental stress research scientist
PhD, tree stress physiology, University of Toronto, 1996
(705)946-7429, steve.colombo@ontario.ca

Examines the effects of stresses such as freezing, drought, and heat on trees. Leads provincial forest carbon budget modelling research.

• Research Snapshot: Balancing Sustainability With Carbon When It Comes to Forests Mitigating Climate Change
• OFRI Scientists Recognized Nationally and Internationally for Their Expertise
• Assessing the Vulnerability of Ontario’s Clay Belt Area to Climate Change + Facts About the Clay Belt
• Will Polar Bear Provincial Park Be Growing Maple in 2100?
• Sink or Source: Modelling Carbon Stocks in Ontario's Forests
• Climate Envelopes Are Moving—Will Ontario's Trees Be Left Behind?

Feature publications:

• Forest Protection and Forest Harvest as Strategies for Ecological Sustainability and Climate Change Mitigation (order PDF)
• An Assessment of the Vulnerability of Forest Vegetation of Ontario’s Clay Belt (Ecodistrict 3E-1) to Climate Change
• Forest Bioenergy or Forest Carbon? Assessing Trade-Offs in Greenhouse Gas Mitigation with Wood-Based Fuels
• The Carbon Neutrality Assumption for Forest Bioenergy: A Case Study for Northwestern Ontario
• Assessing Assisted Migration as a Climate Change Adaptation Strategy for Ontario’s Forests: Project Overview and Bibliography
• Carbon Budget of Ontario's Managed Forests and Harvested Wood Products, 2001-2100
• Current and Projected Future Climatic Conditions for Ecoregions and Selected Natural Heritage Areas in Ontario
• Ontario's Forests and Forestry in a Changing Climate

Recorded seminar: Extensive Conifer Needle Browning in Northwestern Ontario in Spring 2012 

Dacosta, Jennifer, forest research ecologist
MFC, forest conservation, University of Toronto, 2003
(705)946-7416, jennifer.dacosta@ontario.ca

Coordinates and implements forest ecology research trials, as well as the transfer of results into policy and practice. Works with research scientist Wayne Bell.  

Derbowka, Darren, acting growth facilities leader
BSc, biology, Algoma University, in progress
(705)946-7402, darren.derbowka@ontario.ca

Coordinates the use of OFRI's growth facilities, including greenhouses, growth rooms/chambers, and arboretum. 

Greifenhagen, Sylvia, forest health research forester
BSc, forestry, Lakehead University, 1986
(705)946-7411, sylvia.greifenhagen@ontario.ca

Examines the effects of diseases on forest health and productivity and develops strategies to minimize losses. Works with the provincial forest health monitoring program to diagnose tree diseases. Works with research scientist John McLaughlin.  

Jones, Trevor, hardwood ecosystem research scientist
PhD, forestry, University of Toronto, 2006
(705)946-7487, trevor.jones2@ontario.ca
Studies the effects of human activities and natural disturbance on Great Lakes-St. Lawrence forests; current work includes the effects of biomass harvesting. Other expertise: dendrochronology (tree ring science).

Web news articles:

• OFRI's Growth Facilities: Growing Research Successes for More Than Two Decades
• How a Laser Is Helping Researchers to See Ontario’s Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Forests More Clearly
  
• Ontario's Forest Bioeconomy: Wood Pellets, Biodiesel, Medicines, and More!

Feature publications:

• Comparative Effects of Full-Tree and Tree-Length Shelterwood Harvesting on Residual Tree Damage and Coarse Woody Debris Volume in the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence Forest 
• Opportunities and Challenges for Ontario’s Forest Bioeconomy

Recorded seminar: Taking the Surprise Out of Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Forest Management: Enhancing Inventory to Capture Forest Structure and Volume  

Ravi Kanipayor, research laboratory coordinator
MSc, chemistry, Brock University, 1979
(705)946-7448, ravi.kanipayor@ontario.ca

Oversees the operation of OFRI's geochemical and biochemistry labs, including quality assurance, methods, equipment, and health and safety.  

Lu, Pengxin, forest research and development geneticist
PhD, forest genetics, University of Florida, 1999
(705)946-7415, pengxin.lu@ontario.ca

Studies tree improvement and gene conservation. Current focuses include tree species’ adaptability to climate change, somatic embryogenesis, and blister rust resistant white pine.
 

• Research Snapshot: Dooks Needle Blight on the Rise in White Pine; Macedonian Pine Hit Especially Hard + Facts About White Pine
• Research Snapshot: OFRI Researchers Are the First to Test Jack Pine Rooted Cuttings in the Field—With Excellent Results + Facts About Jack Pine
• OFRI's Growth Facilities: Growing Research Successes for More Than Two Decades
• Can Introducing Genetic Resistance Help Manage Blister Rust in Eastern White Pine?
  
• Climate Envelopes Are Moving—Will Ontario's Trees Be left Behind?

Feature publications:

• Performance of Jack Pine (Pinus banksiana) Rooted Cuttings From Proliferated Dwarf Shoots Versus Seedlings 8 Years After Planting
• Effects of Seedling Age on Blister Rust Resistance Assessments in Eastern White Pine and Its Hybrid Backcrosses (order PDF)
• Assessment of Assisted Migration Effects on Spring Bud Flush in White Spruce (Picea glauca [Moench] Voss) Seedlings (order PDF)
• Effects of Thermal Model and Base Temperature on Estimates of Thermal Time to Bud Break In White Spruce Seedlings
• Breeding Eastern White Pine for Blister Rust Resistance: A Review of Progress in Ontario
• Genetic Parameter Estimates for Growth Traits of Black Spruce in Northwest Ontario (order PDF)
• Cold Hardiness of Interspecific Hybrids Between Pinus strobus and P. wallichiana Measured by Post-Freezing Needle Electrolyte Leakage (order PDF)  

Recorded seminar: Managing White Pine Blister Rust Using Genetic Resistance: Are We Ready for a Compromise? (audio only; view slide deck here)

Man, Rongzhou, boreal mixedwood research scientist
PhD, silviculture, University of Alberta, 1997
(705)946-7484, rongzhou.man@ontario.ca

Studies the effects of human activities and natural disturbance on boreal mixedwood forests. Current focuses include stand level adaptive management of boreal mixedwoods, causes of frost damage in boreal conifers, effects of windthrow/salvage logging on regeneration, and responses of eastern white cedar to harvest.

Web news articles:

• OFRI Scientists Recognized Nationally and Internationally for Their Expertise
• Maintaining Aspen Quality in Boreal Mixedwoods + Facts About Aspen
• Regrowing Boreal Mixedwood Forests After Severe Wind Storms
• Regenerating Boreal Mixedwood Forests Without Losing the Conifers

Feature publications:

• Effects of Soil Moisture and Species Composition on Growth and Productivity of Trembling Aspen and White Spruce in Planted Mixtures: Five-Year Results (order PDF) 
  
• Wind Damage in a Partially Harvested Boreal Mixedwood Stand in Northeastern Ontario
• Effects of Thermal Model and Base Temperature on Estimates of Thermal Time to Bud Break In White Spruce Seedlings
• Response of Aspen Stands to Forest Tent Caterpillar Defoliation and Subsequent Overstory Mortality in Northeastern Ontario, Canada (order PDF)
• Five-Year Light, Vegetation, and Regeneration Dynamics of Boreal Mixedwoods Following Silvicultural Treatments to Establish Productive Aspen-Spruce Mixedwoods in Northeastern Ontario
• Early Effects of Pre- and Post-Harvest Herbicide Application and Partial Cutting in Regenerating Aspen–Jack Pine Mixtures in Northeastern Ontario
• A Case of Severe Frost Damage Prior to Budbreak in Young Conifers in Northeastern Ontario: Consequence of Climate Change?

Recorded seminars:

• Extensive Conifer Needle Browning in Northwestern Ontario in Spring 2012
• Establishing Boreal Mixedwood Forests: Using Pre- and Post-harvest Chemical Spray  

McLaughlin, Jim, forest soils research scientist
PhD, forest soils, Michigan Technological University, 1992
(705)946-7418, jim.mclaughlin@ontario.ca

Investigates how human activities and natural disturbance affect soil nutrient and water cycles, water quality, and productivity. Current focuses include carbon cycling in Far North peatlands and permafrost.
 

Web news articles:

• What Do We Know About Permafrost Peatlands and the Effects of Climate on Peatland Carbon? + Facts About Peat and Peatlands
• Journey of a Peat Core: From a Frozen Peatland in the Far North to a Lab at OFRI
• Far North Peatland Carbon: A Quagmire of Questions
• Assessing the Vulnerability of Ontario’s Clay Belt Area to Climate Change + Facts About the Clay Belt

Feature publications:

• Effects of a Changing Climate on Peatlands in Permafrost Zones: A Literature Review and Application to Ontario’s Far North
• Modelling Carbon Dynamics and Response to Environmental Change Along a Boreal Fen Nutrient Gradient (order PDF)
• Microbial Activity Across a Boreal Peatland Nutrient Gradient: The Role of Fungi and Bacteria (order PDF)
• Methane and Methanogen Community Dynamics Across a Boreal Peatland Nutrient Gradient (order PDF)
• Peatland Microbial Communities and Decomposition Processes in the James Bay Lowlands, Canada (order PDF)
• Peatland Stream Lipid Biogeochemistry Features in an Intermediate Fen Peatland, Ontario Canada (order PDF)
• Alkalinity and Acidity Cycling and Fluxes in an Intermediate Fen Peatland in Northern Ontario (order PDF)
• The Importance of Water Table in Controlling Dissolved Carbon Dynamics Along a Fen Successional Gradient (order PDF)
• Boreal Mixed-Wood Watershed Riparian Zone Cation Cycling during Two Contrasting Climatic Years (order PDF)
• Peat as a Fuel Source in Ontario: A Preliminary Literature Review 

McLaughlin, John, forest research pathologist
PhD, forest pathology, University of Guelph, 2008
(705)946-7419, john.mclaughlin@ontario.ca

Examines the effects of diseases on forest health and productivity. Current focuses include armillaria root rot, butternut canker, and beechbark disease.

Web news articles: 

• Beech Bark Disease Leads to Cutting of Hundreds of Trees at Killbear Provincial Park—and New OFRI Research
• Research Snapshot: Dooks Needle Blight on the Rise in White Pine; Macedonian Pine Hit Especially Hard + Facts About White Pine
• OFRI Scientists Recognized Nationally and Internationally for Their Expertise
  
• Invading Alien Attacking American beech; New Research Note Offers Help + Facts About Beech
• Research Into Saving the Endangered Butternut
• The Amazing Journey of Ontario's Former Blowsand Areas

Feature publications: 

• New Hosts and Differential Susceptibility of Five-Needle Pine Species to Dooks Needle Blight (Lophophacidium dooksii) (order PDF)
• Beech Bark Disease in Ontario: A Primer and Management Recommendations
• The Last Great Forest: A Review of the Status of Invasive Species in the North American Boreal Forest
  
• Abiotic and Biotic Factors Used to Assess Decline Risk in Red Pine (Pinus resinosa Ait.) Plantations
  
• Mortality in Southern Ontario Red Pine Plantations: Causes, Consequences, and Management Options
• Identification Protocol for Six Armillaria Species From Northeastern North America 

Recorded seminar: The Relentless Advance of Beech Bark Disease: What Will It Leave Behind? (watch CTV news interview with John McLaughlin about beech bark disease!)

 Noland, Tom, tree biochemistry research scientist
PhD, plant sciences, University of Arkansas, 1984
(705)946-7421, tom.noland@ontario.ca

Studies biochemical changes in trees in response to stress and oversees the tree biochemistry lab. Current focuses include climate change effects on caribou forage, harvest of Canada yew, use of remote sensing to assess forest condition, and seed germination.

Web news articles:

• How a Seed Cut Can Affect White Pine Seed Production
• Research snapshot: Could Ontario Become a Producer of Value-Added Chemicals From Wood-Based Bio-oil? + Facts About Bio-oil
• OFRI's Growth Facilities: Growing Research Successes for More Than Two Decades
• Ontario's Forest Bioeconomy: Wood Pellets, Biodiesel, Medicines, and More!
• Managing Plants That Compete With Eastern White Cedar + Facts About Cedar
• Canada Yew Sustainable Harvest Guidelines Get the Thumbs Up

Feature publications: 

• A Prototype Portable Biomass Pyrolysis Unit and Its Potential To Produce Value-Added Chemicals and Fuels
• Canada Yew: Developing a Value-Added Crop for Northern Ontario
• Canada Yew in Ontario
• Ice Storm and Fertilization Effects On Root Starch, Sap Productivity and Sweetness, Diameter Growth, and Tap Hole Closure in Sugar Maple Stands of Eastern Ontario

Recorded seminars:

• Cancer Medicine From the Forest: Can Yew Be Harvested Sustainably?
• Bio-oil: Black Gold or Just a Crazy Brown Mix 300? 

Ouellette, Marc, landscape ecology systems analyst
Diploma, computer technology and programming, Sault College, 1996
(705)946-7443, marc.ouellette@ontario.ca

Develops analytical software and decision-support systems to support forest landscape ecology research. Works with research scientist Ajith Perera. 

Packalen, Maara, biochemical lab technologist
MSc, biological sciences, Michigan Technological University, 2008
On education leave

Works with research scientists to conduct field and lab studies on the biochemical effects of stress on trees, forests, and peatlands. Works with research scientists Tom Noland and Jim McLaughlin.  

Parker, Bill, seedling ecophysiology research scientist
PhD, tree physiology, University of Missouri, 1984
(705)946-7424, bill.parker@ontario.ca

Investigates how forest management practices affect the survival, growth, physiology, and environment of planted and naturally regenerated seedlings. Other expertise: climate change.

Web news articles:

• How a Seed Cut Can Affect White Pine Seed Production
• OFRI's Growth Facilities: Growing Research Successes for More Than Two Decades
  
• Assessing the Vulnerability of Ontario’s Clay Belt Area to Climate Change + Facts About the Clay Belt
  
• Climate Envelopes Are Moving - Will Ontario's Trees Be Left Behind?
• The Amazing Journey of Ontario's Former Blowsand Areas
  

Feature publications: 

• An Assessment of the Vulnerability of Forest Vegetation of Ontario’s Clay Belt (Ecodistrict 3E-1) to Climate Change
• Influence of Herbaceous and Woody Vegetation Control on Seedling Microclimate, Leaf Gas Exchange, Water Status, and Nutrient Relations of Pinus strobus L. Seedlings Planted in a Shelterwood (order PDF)
• Ecology and Management of Eastern White Pine in the Lake Abitibi (3E) and Lake Temagami (4E) Ecoregions of Ontario
• Assessing Assisted Migration as a Climate Change Adaptation Strategy for Ontario’s Forests: Project Overview and Bibliography
  
• Influence of Woody and Herbaceous Vegetation Control on Leaf Gas Exchange, Water Status, and Nutrient Relations of Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobus L.) Seedlings Planted in a Central Ontario Clearcut (order PDF)
• Effects of Structural Retention Harvesting on Seed Production and Seed Characteristics of Old Growth Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobus L.) Stands in Northern Ontario

Recorded seminar: How Bright Is the Future, Living in the Shadows? Post-Harvest Residual Stand Structure, Understory Light, and Regeneration Potential in the Boreal Mixedwood Forest 

Perera, Ajith, landscape ecology research scientist
PhD, quantitative forest ecology, Pennsylvania State University, 1986
(705)946-7426, ajith.perera@ontario.ca

Studies broad-scale disturbance patterns in boreal forest landscapes. Develops landscape ecological models and tools to inform forest policy and land use planning.

Website: Forest Landscape Ecology Program 

Web news articles:

• New Report Gives a Bird’s Eye View of One of Ontario’s Largest 2011 Wildfires
  
• Got Uncertainty or Incomplete Data? New Book Tells How Expert Knowledge Could Help

Feature publications:  

• Expert Knowledge and Its Application in Landscape Ecology (book)
• Expert Knowledge as a Basis for Landscape Ecological Predictive Models
• Complete list of publications related to assessing the Effectiveness of the Directions in the Forest Management Guide for Natural Disturbance in Accordance With Environmental Assessment Condition 39c
• Forest Landscape Ecology Program publications page 

Sharma, Mahadev, forest growth and productivity research scientist
PhD, forest biometrics, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1999
(705) 946-7407, mahadev.sharma@ontario.ca

Develops/improves models that predict how forests and trees grow and change over time. Current focuses include factoring climate change into models, modelling taper (shape) of boreal tree species growing in plantations, and developing models to estimate heights of trees by measuring their diameters.

Web news article: Research snapshot: Modelling effects of climate change on diameter growth of jack pine and black spruce + facts about jack pine and black spruce

Feature publications:

• Climate-Diameter Growth Relationships of Black Spruce and Jack Pine Trees in Boreal Ontario, Canada (order PDF)
• An Assessment of the Vulnerability of Forest Vegetation of Ontario’s Clay Belt (Ecodistrict 3E-1) to Climate Change
• Effects of Sample Size and Tree Selection Criteria on the Performance of Taper Equations (order PDF)
• Individual Tree Diameter Growth Models for Black Spruce and Jack Pine Plantations in Northern Ontario (order PDF)
• Seedling Size and Woody Competition Most Important Predictors of Growth Following Free-To-Grow Assessments In Four Boreal Forest Plantations
• Evaluating Height-Age Determination Methods for Jack Pine and Black Spruce Plantations Using Stem Analysis Data (order PDF)
• Modeling Stand Density Effects on Taper for Jack Pine and Black Spruce Plantations Using Dimensional Analysis
• Height–Diameter Equations for Boreal Tree Species in Ontario Using a Mixed-Effects Modeling Approach 

Ter-Mikaelian, Michael, forest modelling research scientist
PhD, ecological modelling, Institute of Global Climate and Ecology, Russia, 1990
(705)946-7432, michael.termikaelian@ontario.ca

Develops and improves models that predict how forests and trees grow and change over time. Current focuses include modelling provincial forest carbon budgets under different climate scenarios and forest management practices. Provides expert advice on estimating provincial carbon stocks.

Web news article:

• Research Snapshot: Balancing Sustainability With Carbon When It Comes to Forests Mitigating Climate Change
• Sink or Source? Modelling Carbon Stocks in Ontario’s Forests 

Feature publications:

• Forest Protection and Forest Harvest as Strategies for Ecological Sustainability and Climate Change Mitigation (order PDF)
• Carbon Budget of Ontario's Managed Forests and Harvested Wood Products, 2001-2100
• Forest Bioenergy or Forest Carbon? Assessing Trade-Offs in Greenhouse Gas Mitigation with Wood-Based Fuels
• Wood Supply in Ontario: The Road to Better Prediction 

Vacant, soil and water project coordinator

Coordinates and implements forest soil and water field studies. Works with research scientist Jim McLaughlin. 

Zakrzewski, Voyteck, provincial forest science modeller
PhD, dendrometry, Warsaw Agricultural University, Poland, 1983
(705)946-7437, voyteck.zakrzewski@ontario.ca

Develops predictive models and forest measurement tools to estimate forest yield. Current focuses: stem taper, wood volume, biomass, and carbon in Great Lakes-St. Lawrence forest trees and stands.

Feature publications: 

• Stem Biomass Model for Jack Pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) in Ontario (order PDF)
  
• Estimating Volume of Undersized Round Wood for Commercial Tree Species in Northwestern Ontario
• Estimating Wood Volume of the Stem and Branches of Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) Using a Stem Profile Model With Implicit Height (order PDF)
• Stem Data Management System for the Great Lakes Stem Profile Modelling Project, Version 2.0
• Tools for Optimizing Timber Product Mix: User’s Guide for Visualizer-Buck  

Fiset, Wayne, manager
(705)946-7482, wayne.fiset@ontario.ca

Leads the Forest Research and Development Section. Works with research, policy, and operations leaders in the federal and provincial governments, at universities, and in industry to plan, develop, integrate, deliver, and review OFRI's research programs. Manages OFRI's technology transfer and administrative staff.

Puddister, Dan, science management coordinator
(705)946-7430, dan.puddister@ontario.ca

Works with research staff, other MNR section leaders, collaborators, and clients to plan, develop, integrate, deliver, and review OFRI's research programs (forest ecology and silviculture, forest health and pathology, climate change, and carbon modelling).  Manages the operations of OFRI's laboratories.

Sandra Wawryszyn, acting science management coordinator
(705)946-7485

Works with research staff, other MNR section leaders, collaborators, and clients to plan, develop, integrate, deliver, and review OFRI's research programs (soil and water, growth and yield modelling, forest landscape ecology, genetics, biochemistry). Manages the operation of OFRI's facilities. 

Buse, Lisa, technology transfer coordinator
(705)946-7405, lisa.buse@ontario.ca

Transfers science to resource managers through publications, workshops, displays, special events, and personal interaction. Coordinates OFRI's technology transfer activities, including production and distribution of OFRI publications and other  transfer tools. Maintains OFRI's research archives. Handles publication and information requests. 

Obenchain, Abby, communications specialist
(705)946-7422, abigail.obenchain@ontario.ca

Provides writing, editing, publication production, web publishing, media relations, and other communications services to staff. Edits Insights, OFRI's research newsletter, and coordinates the OFRI Seminar Series. Handles publication and information requests. 

Contact OFRI: 
Ontario Forest Research Institute ~ Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources
1235 Queen St. E. ~ Sault Ste. Marie, ON ~ P6A 2E5 CANADA
(705)946-2981 ~ Fax: (705)946-2030