Nita Dyola
Postdoctoral researcher
PhD in Ecology (2023, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, China)
MSc in Ecology (2019, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, China)
MSc in Environmental Science (2016, Tribhuvan University, Nepal)
As a forest ecologist, my research focuses on plant functional traits, biodiversity, invasive species, and their role in ecosystem functioning. I conducted fieldwork across diverse biomes in the Nepal Himalayas to better understand how plants interact with biotic and abiotic gradients and govern ecosystem functioning from tropical forests to alpine treelines. My actual research focuses on maple sap production in gravity and vacuum systems under changing environmental conditions. I also plan and manage field activities for the projects in assisted migration of forest species.
Debora Coelho Da Silva
Postdoctoral researcher
Phd in Science Forest (2025, São Paulo State University, Brazil)
Master in Forest and Environmental Sciences (2020, Federal University of Amazonas, Brazil)
My research interests focus on xylem anatomy, tree physiology and plant hydraulics. I have an expertise in wood anatomy techniques and experience in planning and carrying out field activities in different biomes, such as the Amazon and Cerrado. I am investigating how the xylem anatomy of maple can explain sap yield.
Sara Yumi Sassamoto Kurokawa
PhD student
MSc Agronomy-Plant Protection (2020, São Paulo State University, Brazil)
My research interest is related to plant biology and tree physiology. I work with sugar maple trees, assessing sap flow and maple syrup production, and their potential changes under climate warming. My aim is describing the phenology of sap production at the Northern boundary of sugar maple range, quantify the relationships with climate, and build forecasting models of changes in maple syrup production based on regional warming scenarios
Claudio Mura
PhD student
MSc Forest Science (2020, University of Padova, Italy)
I have broad research interests ranging from plant physiology to forest ecology and stand dynamics. I’m currently working on sugar maple, analyzing intra-species variations in phenology and frost resistance through common garden observations and frost damage experiments. The final goal is to quantify the adaptive potential of different provenances for assisted migration projects
Roberto Silvestro
PhD student
MSc in Forestry and Environmental Sciences (2019, Università di Napoli “Federico II”, Italy)
My research interest is at the frontier between biological and environmental sciences. I study the relationships among different scales and processes in forest ecosystems to support a better understanding of past and future forest communities’ dynamics and their roles in driving ecosystem functioning in the context of a changing climate. My research ranges between the forest dynamics related to carbon cycle to the modelling of the response of boreal forest community to multiple environmental factors, specifically, those affecting the process of tree-ring formation
Aya Garfa
PhD student in Environmental Sciences
MSc degree in Chemistry and Bio-industries
My research focuses on the quality of maple sap, with an emphasis on the characterization of its chemical composition. My work includes the differences in sap between red maple and sugar maple, a microbiological study of tubing systems, the metabolomic identification using NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance)
Dipesh Karki
PhD student
MSc in Forestry (2023, Agriculture and Forestry University, Nepal)
My research interests range from tree physiology to forest ecology. I am working on a common garden experiment of black spruce, analyzing intra-species variations in morphology, and frost resistance to understand performance and resilience of spruce across varying environmental conditions. The aim is to quantify the adaptive potential of different provenances for plantations, ensuring productive and resilient spruce stands
Papa Moussa Faye
PhD student in Applied Human Sciences
My study focuses on Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) in Senegal. My academic background combines expertise in sustainable agriculture, public health and food security and the integration of digital technologies to address environmental and economic challenges. I work on the intersection of traditional farming practices and innovative technologies to improve ecological and economic sustainability. The goal is to assess how digital innovations can be adapted and scaled to improve climate resilience and food security in low-rainfall regions like Senegal. By combining traditional ecological knowledge with modern technological approaches, I aim to contribute to the development of sustainable and multifunctional agricultural systems
Chunsong Wang
PhD student
Fujian Normal University (FJNU), China
MSc in Physical Geography
My research centers on cambial dynamics and xylem anatomy in humid subtropical regions of China. Long-term field work on primary and secondary growth monitoring of trees has been carried out in Fujian and Jiangxi Provinces, China. Currently, I am focusing on understanding the impact of tropical cyclone activity in Southeastern China on the dynamics and structural development of xylem. This involves extracting regional tropical cyclone signals from tree-ring data and reconstructing the historical record of tropical cyclone activity in Southeastern China over the past centuries
David Almagro
PhD student (INIA-ICIFOR, CSIC, Spain)
MSc in Biodiversity and Conservation Biology (2020, UPO, Spain)
Research interests: xylogenesis, plant phenology, wood anatomy. I study the wood formation process and cambial phenology in mixed stands of two of the most important Mediterranean species (P. sylvestris and Q. pyrenaica) at their ecotone in central Spain. I investigate the intra-annual growth dynamics of the two species during the last decade, especially the extreme years, and assess the future vulnerability to global change
Rachana Bhandari
MSc student in Renewable Resources
BSc in Forestry (Agriculture & Forestry University, Nepal)
My research interest ranges from forest ecology and climate change to tree physiology. I did my undergraduate thesis on impact of climate change on the growth of Pinus roxburghi using tree ring in Nepal. My current project includes the study of sugar maple phenology and analyzing the interannual variability in phenological timing in the context of climate change. I also work with remote sensing vegetation indices and near ground remote-sensing data (phenocams) to study the timings of phenological events of sugar maple
Malek Ouichka
MSc student in Renewable Resources
Engineering in biology (2020, ULT, Tunisia)
BSc in biotechnology (2017, ISSBAT, Tunisia)
My research project focuses on developing a method to repurpose bauxite residues by utilizing regional waste materials, with the objective of ecologically restoring a disposal site at Rio Tinto
Benjamin Guillon
MSc student in Renewable Resources
BSc in Social and Cultural Anthropology (University of Bordeaux, France)
BSc in Management and Conservation of Ecosystems (EGPN Montpellier, France)
My research takes place in the ancestral territory of Pessamit Innu, in the Côte-Nord (QC). I am interested in the effects of disturbances (drought, and spruce budworm) on the understory vegetation diversity and the establishment of tree’s regeneration in black spruce stands
Trishna Bhattarai
MSc student in Renewable Resources
BSc in Forestry (2022, Agriculture and Forestry University, Nepal)
I am interested in climate change and how it affects forest ecology and plant phenology. I am working with maple, by assessing the influence of climatic factors on tree physiology and the production of sap in the context of changing climate
Denise Alano Bonacini
MSc student in Renewable Resources
bachelor degree in Biology
My research centers on the frost resistance of sugar maple and red maple, aiming to enhance their resilience through assisted migration strategies. By investigating the physiological and genetic mechanisms underpinning frost resistance, my work contributes valuable insights into the adaptive capacities of maple species, which are crucial for their potential migration in response to climate change. My research has the potential to support sustainable forestry practices and improve ecosystem stability under changing climates
Samuel Robin
Master student (Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue)
B.Sc Agronomy (Université Laval)
My research interests are in forestry, ecophysiology, and agronomy. I evaluate the impact of different temperature scenarios representing climate change over the next century on the germination and establishment of boreal species. The results will define the limits of species in the context of climate change. My project improves the strategies of forest management and seedling production for seedlings better adapted to future climate scenarios
Nicole Marques
Research intern
MSc student in Statistics and Agronomic Experimentation (USP)
Bachelor degree in Statistics (UFPR)
My research aims to use a diversity of statistical tools in forestry research data. I work with statistical models applied to analyse relations between climatic variables and maple sap production and to predict impact of climate change on the maple yield. As a side project, I also aid in the use of statistical modeling for experiments of frost resistance in conifers
Mauricio Andres Mercado Imitola
Research intern
BSc Civil Engineering (2025, Universidad de Cartagena, Colombia)
My research interests are related to climate change and environmental modeling using tools such as remote sensing, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Artificial Intelligence. In Colombia, I have worked with different spectral, spatial, and temporal resolutions to estimate water quality parameters such as Turbidity and Chlorophyll-a in Cartagena Bay and to classify land cover/land use in the Arroyo Grande Basin. During these projects, I have employed various Machine Learning methods, spectral bands and indices (for vegetation, water, or soil).
François Gionest
Research assistant
MSc in Ressources Renouvelables (1999, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi)
I am involved in planning and building permanent plots, experimental designs in the field, data collection from remote stands, installation, programming, and maintenance of weather stations and automatic sensors for ecophysiological investigations. I have a licence as a pilot of drones.
Catherine Tremblay
Research technician
MSc in Ressources Renouvelables (2017, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi)
My role is to support, guide and introduce the students to the best procedures in the lab and in the field. I make sure that the students have the equipment suitable to carry out succesfully their projects. I collaborate with several research teams of the Department for collecting data from experimental designs in agriculture and forestry
