Forest Biology and Management

Our Department offers opportunities to interact with well-quallified and enthusiastic faculty sharing related ecological and physiological interests in the area of Forest Biology. Research work is supported by the Department's research and service laboratories, in-house computing resources, and additional facilities in the Departments of Biological Sciences, Earth & Atmospheric Sciences, and Agricultural, Food & Nutritional Science.

We offer programs leading to a MSc or PhD in the areas of forest ecology, silviculture, or physiology. Application forms, scholarship information, and all additional information are available from the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research. Interested applicants should contact the researcher whose closely match theirs.

Current Research

We are currently carrying out research in the general area of 'Forest Biology'. View the list of Professors with related interests in the areas of forest genetics, evolutionary biology, tree improvement, and conservation biology.

Facilities

We have four laboratories devoted to research/teaching in the area of Forest Biology including a well-equipped plant physiology/biochemistry lab. Equipment includes several controlled environment growth chambers and germinators, two gas chromatographs, two portable infrared gas analyzers (Analytical Development Corporation LCA2, LCA3), porometer, pressure bombs, thermocouple psychrometers, a leaf area meter, a spectrophotometer high pressure liquid chromatograph, and ultracentrifuges. We have access to electron microscopes, gas chromatograph mass spectrometer.

In association with the Department of Botany we have a scintillation counter, biological oxidizers, mass spectrometer, and facilities for nutrient analysis of tissue and soils. Additional controlled environment chambers and excellent greenhouse facilities are available in the Faculty of Agriculture, Forestry, and Home Economics Greenhouse complex and the Faculty of Science Phytotron. We are very well equipped for field studies with several remote data loggers and a wide variety of sensors to go with them.

Off-campus Facilities

  • Crossley Forest
  • Rose Creek Forest
  • Woodbend Forest

On-Campus Facilities

  • Ecophysiology Lab