Gaetan Pelletier

Executive Director

At NHRI, Gaetan manages the team and all the in and outs associated with running an applied research center. On top of reporting to the board of directors, constantly identifying new funding opportunities and developing promising partnerships; Gaetan is also a hands-on director who likes to get involved with partners, clients and supporting the team in delivering results and products.

Gaetan is a forester and forest operations manager with over 30 years experience. He spent most of his career with the forest industry where he successively held various positions related to forest operations and management. He is a technical expert in forest management, silviculture and ecology and, over the years, has developed leading edge, large-scale practices and management strategies for planted stands, natural mixed woods and hardwoods.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in management studies from University of Waterloo, a college diploma, Forest Technology, specializing in Forest Management, CEGEP de Rimouski and started a Master of Science in forestry at Université de Moncton.

Jennifer Saunders

Branding & Communications Manager

Jennifer joined NHRI in 2021, initially supporting The Leaflet publication and graphic design projects. Since then, her role has grown to include overseeing NHRI’s branding and communications strategy. As Branding & Communications Manager, she plays a crucial role in advancing NHRI’s knowledge mobilization efforts by creating clear, engaging content that makes complex research accessible to diverse audiences.

Jennifer led the redesign of NHRI’s website and continues to manage the Institute’s digital presence, ensuring consistency across all communication channels. Passionate about NHRI’s mission, she is dedicated to effectively communicating the Institute’s work to stakeholders and the public, bridging the gap between scientific research and practical solutions for the forestry sector.

Storm Robinson

Manager of Knowledge Mobilization | Research and Development Forester

Storm manages our team’s knowledge mobilization efforts. She is responsible for making sure the research produced at NHRI is useful, and used, by forestry professionals. Her efforts are focused on continuously improving our knowledge transfer processes with the objective of ensuring we mobilized knowledge efficiently and that our tools are effective for our clients. Her over 10 years of experience in various communications and event planning roles assist her in understanding the needs of clients.

Storm started with us as a research and development forester, and as such Storm is still responsible for leading applied research projects in collaboration with a variety of partners and clients. Storm’s current research at NHRI focuses on artificial regeneration of maple and adaptive silviculture.

Storm holds a Master of Science in Forestry, University of New Brunswick, Bachelor of Science in Forestry, University of New Brunswick, and diplomas in GIS Cartographic Specialist and Forestry Technician from Fleming College. She currently sits on the Canadian Institute of Forestry Maritimes Section board as the Communications and Events Specialist.

Jeneya Smith

Research Forester

Jeneya Smith is a graduate student of forestry and a new part-time employee of NHRI. He is currently working on phenology modelling as part of our precision forestry and remote sensing species identification efforts.

Jeneya holds a Bachelor of Science in Environment and Natural Resources from the University of New Brunswick, where he is currently pursuing his master’s degree. His graduate thesis research centers on climate change and its impact on seasonal phenology. Particularly, his work investigated the role of spring-frost events in controlling the northern distribution limits of temperate tree species. Jeneya is very excited to be transitioning into a research forester role and to be a part of the NHRI team.

Elizabeth White

Graduate student

Elizabeth White is one of NHRI’s latest additions to the long list of young minds who have chosen to work on research projects related to our mission. She is currently working on mapping and modelling tolerant hardwood species regime preferences across New Brunswick. The ultimate objective is to develop a geospatial tool that can predict high quality hardwood potential sites across New Brunswick.

Originally from Moncton New Brunswick, Elizabeth completed a bachelor’s degree in environment and natural resources from the University of New Brunswick and she is currently enrolled in the Master of Science in forestry, also at UNB. She is part of the Forest Watershed Research Center at UNB, and her research work is being completed under the supervision of Dr. Paul Arp.

Sophie Cation

Research Forester

Sophie Cation works for NHRI part-time while completing her post-secondary studies in forestry. In the coming months she will be working on various projects and deliverables related to Sugar Maple site characteristics. Sophie is proficient in GIS and LiDAR applications and knowledgeable in forest soil health, including soil degradation and recovery strategies.

Sophie’s appreciation for forests started from a young age in the expansive boreal forests surrounding her hometown of Thunder Bay, Ontario. She completed an HBSc from the University of Toronto with a major in Forest Conservation Science and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and a minor in French studies. Sophie is currently a Master of Forestry student at the University of New Brunswick.

Marie-Pascale Keyanfe

Manager of Administrative Services

Marie-Pascale is excited to join the NHRI team as Mobilization and Administration Support. Originally from Cameroon and a newcomer to both Canada and the forestry industry, Marie-Pascale brings over eight years of experience from a French multinational company, including its subsidiary in Cameroon. Throughout her career, she has consistently contributed to the management team by ensuring efficient resource utilization through cost control and optimization.

At NHRI, Marie-Pascale is eager to apply her expertise in analysis, administrative management, budgetary control, and financial information processing to help elevate NHRI as one of the top applied forest research centers in North America. She hold a bachelor’s degree in business management from the Graduate School of Economics and Business at the University of Douala, Cameroon.

Dr. Jiban Chandra Deb

Researcher

At NHRI, Jiban works on Research and Development activities. He is carrying out spatial and statistical analyses with the data generated to inform sustainable forest management. He is responsible to supervise teams of forestry professionals to conduct R&D activities and contributing to the NHRI mobilization activities. 

Jiban holds a Bachelor (Honors) and a Master’s degree in Forestry from Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (Bangladesh) and a PhD degree in Forest Science from University of Queensland (Australia). He is a forest scientist with over fourteen years’ research experience in the fields of Forest Ecology, Biodiversity Conservation and Global Climate Change. He has applied his expertise in academia, and worked in close collaboration with Government and NGOs. His job responsibilities during his previous and current employments have helped him acquire adequate knowledge and technical skills to establish professional excellence in the field of natural resource management.

Dr. Rakesh Mishra

Senior Research Scientist – Remote Sensing & AI

At NHRI, Rakesh leads the Precision Forest Inventory Services (PFIS) initiative. He focuses on cutting-edge research to improve PFIS using remote sensing and advanced AI technologies. His responsibilities include innovation and product development, managing projects, and fostering collaborations related to PFIS.

Rakesh is a leading expert in spectral science, advanced AI, multi-sensor data fusion, and computer vision. He has over 15 years of experience managing teams of scientists and engineers to create innovative AI-based geospatial products using remote sensing data. Rakesh is also an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Geodesy and Geomatics Engineering at the University of New Brunswick. He supervises graduate students and guides their research in remote sensing and advanced AI.

Rakesh holds a B.Sc. degree in Physics and Mathematics from the University of Allahabad, India, an M.S. degree in Computer Science from U.P. Technical University, India, and a Ph.D. in Remote Sensing from the Department of Geodesy and Geomatics Engineering at the University of New Brunswick, Canada.

Vicky Boucher

Project Management Specialist

Vicky brings over 20 years of experience in managing teams within the retail and manufacturing industries. She has refined her skills in management, lumber retail, customer service, interpersonal relations, and safety while working for Kent Building Supplies (J.D. Irving Ltd) and Pattison Sign Group. As the latest addition to the NHRI team, Vicky will collaborate with all teams to streamline project management processes.

A passionate nature, forest, and horse lover, Vicky grew up in a family dedicated to sustainable land and forest management for future generations. Surrounded by land purchasing, logging, and silviculture, she developed a keen awareness of the ecological and economic impacts of human activities. These experiences will be invaluable in her role with the NHRI team.

Elena Abboud

Part-time Forest Technician | Translation Services

Elena Abboud, having recently become a part-time forest technician at NHRI, is engaged in diverse translation and mobilization responsibilities within the team. Originally from Gatineau, Québec, she pursued her forestry education at La Cité collégiale, obtaining her college degree. Currently, she has relocated to Edmundston, New Brunswick, to pursue her bachelor’s degree in forest management at Université de Moncton.

Evan St-Hilaire

Part-time Forest Technician | Translation Services

Evan works part-time for NHRI as a forestry technician, with his main task being knowledge mobilisation.

Evan St-Hilaire, originally from the Eastern Township Quebec, is passionate about nature and forestry. A graduate in forestry technology from Collège La Cité, he is currently pursuing his studies to obtain a bachelor’s degree in forest management at the University of Moncton. His fascination with nature, coupled with his passion for hunting, fishing, and outdoor activities, guides his academic and professional journey. His commitment to ecosystem preservation and his desire to understand the subtleties of nature make him a determined individual dedicated to contributing to the sustainable management of forest resources.  

Levi Shaw

Graduate Student

Levi Shaw is a newly enrolled graduate student at the University of New Brunswick, working in collaboration with NHRI. He is working with the Flat Top Spacing Trial, which is a 45-year-old research project established by CFS outside of Nackawic. Its purpose is to assess the impacts on the growth and health of several hardwood species in response to different thinning treatments. It is being adapted to modern demands by considering climate extremes and using LiDAR to assess the effect of early stand density management on tree quality, forest structure, regeneration composition and carbon stocks using mobile LiDAR and to compare LiDAR measurements with plot measurements.

Levi is originally from Woodstock, NB and began a path in forestry at the Maritime College of Forest Technology in Fredericton in 2019. After graduating with a diploma in forest technology, he transferred to UNB to achieve a bachelor’s in science in forestry. This project is the next step.

Haley Magee

Graduate Student

Haley Magee is a graduate student, pursuing a Master of Science in Forestry, from the University of New Brunswick (UNB). She is a new addition to the NHRI team and will be working as an intern, through the Mitacs Accelerate Program, throughout her Master’s and is very excited to be a part of the team.

Haley holds a Bachelor of Science in Forestry with Honours, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Management and Natural Resources from UNB. Her Master’s project surrounds the effects of thinning on hardwood-dominated stands, focusing on identifying the correlation between climate and competition using dendrochronology.

Rafaella Mayrinck

Assistant Professor

Rafaella is an Assistant Professor of Silviculture at the University of New Brunswick. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Forest Engineering from the Federal University of Lavras, with part of her studies completed at Lakehead University. She also holds a Master’s in Forest Engineering and a Ph.D. in Sustainability.

Prior to joining UNB, she worked in the pine resin and pulp and paper industries, overseeing silviculture, forest planning, and outreach. Her research focuses on applying adaptive silviculture techniques to promote forest productivity, resistance, and resilience in a changing climate.