Robert Keefe, PhD
Dr. Keefe is Assistant Professor of Forest Operations and Forest Manager of the University of Idaho Experimental Forest in the College of Natural Resources. He teaches FOR 430 - Forest Operations, FOR 431 - Low Volume Forest Roads, and FOR 436 - Cable Systems and oversees the Forest Operations Minor. His research spans the field of forest operations defined broadly, including applied and basic studies that advance and improve forestry.
Ann Wempe
Ann is doing her master's on our NIOSH project. She is comparing methods to improve the accuracy of real-time GNSS-RF positioning using local triangulation correction and base stations. She is also developing safety recommendations for loggers who use real-time positioning systems.
Eloise Zimbelman
Eloise is on our NIOSH project and is evaluating real-time GNSS-radio and other positioning methods to improve logging safety, and generalizing these techniques for use in a variety of applications. Her field projects are on the University of Idaho Experimental Forest and throughout the Northern Rockies.
Eloise is on our NIOSH project and is evaluating real-time GNSS-radio and other positioning methods to improve logging safety, and generalizing these techniques for use in a variety of applications. Her field projects are on the University of Idaho Experimental Forest and throughout the Northern Rockies.
Ryer Becker
Ryer Becker is a graduate of Paul Smith's and is funded on the BANR project. His research interests in forest operations are many, but he is currently focused on comparing self-leveling shovel harvesters and short-line cable systems for harvesting, processing and transporting feedstock from beetle-killed stands in the Northern Rockies.
Xuexian Qin
Xuexian did her Master's in Forest Operations at Auburn before joining our lab group and is working on her PhD as part of the BANR project. She is evaluating the quality of wood pellets produced with beetle-killed lodgepole pine and developing new methods to quantify stand safety hazards in areas with mountain pine beetle and other insect damage. This is original work that has important implications in the west, especially on the national forest system.
Conor Bell (Alumnus)
Conor came to us from Michigan Tech. For his thesis work, he developed an empirical Forest Operations module linked with FVS and the BioSum 5 models in order to facilitate modeling of the cost-effectiveness of fuel treatments in the northwestern United States. This work was funded through the Joint Fire Sciences Program and is completed. Conor is currently a consulting forester with Bell Environmental Consulting in Denver.
Ryan Jacobson (Alumnus)
For his master's thesis, Ryan developed the Forest Residue Economic Assessment Model, which links geospatial forest residue data with system dynamics modeling (read the BioFPR paper here). This work was funded through USDA AFRI to evaluate the economic impacts of alternative woody biomass development scenarios for the Inland northwest. He compared local and regional biofuels development options to international export of wood pellets. He is now working on his PhD as part of the Biomass and Bioenergy Research Group at UBC.
Jarred Saralecos (Alumnus)
Jarred's MS project involved characterizing the factors affecting variability in sawlog weight to volume relationships in Idaho, including sampling log trucks across a variety of conditions statewide across Idaho Dept. of Lands supervisory areas. Jarred worked previously with Idaho Dept. of Lands, Forest Capital Partners (now Hancock), and Potlatch Corp. He has moved onto do his PhD at the University of Montana. His thesis papers are available here and here.
