Lab Members

Dr. Adam Daigneault

Adam is the EL Giddings Associate Professor of Forest Policy and Economics in the University of Maine’s School of Forest Resources and Associate Director of UMaine’s Center for Research on Sustainable Forests. He received his Ph.D. in Environmental and Natural Resource Economics from The Ohio State University in 2006, and has spent the past decade developing quantitative models to assess the socioeconomic impacts of environmental policy on the natural resource sectors. His research has focused on a wide range of issues, including freshwater management, climate change mitigation, and adaptation, invasive species control, and valuing ecosystem services. Prior to UMaine, Adam was a Senior Economist at Landcare Research, New Zealand’s leading institute on terrestrial ecosystems and biodiversity research, and an Economist for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. While in both roles, he worked extensively on policy analysis relating to climate change, biofuels, and land-use change. Adam a native Mainer who grew up on the Midcoast and returned home after 18 years living and working in Ohio, Oregon, Washington DC, India, and New Zealand. He’s also an avid triathlete and runner who makes the best of Maine’s winters by cross country skiing the university’s abundant trail network.

To see his faculty page click here. Adam’s CV can be found here..

Dr. Jianheng Zhao

Jianheng is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the lab. Her academic interests include timber supply and demand, conservation, climate change, ecosystem services valuation, and social and community forestry. Drawing on economic and socio-political frameworks, she strives to investigate the intricate relationships between society, the environment, and natural resources. Her dedication lies in producing valuable insights that can guide policy and management decisions toward sustainable development and improved ecosystem health. She joined the lab in Fall 2017, dedicating her efforts to modeling the impacts of climate and socioeconomic factors on Maine’s forests, considering various future scenarios. She also worked on the “Valuing the Economic Benefits of Maine’s Great Ponds in the 21st Century” project within the lab. She is currently working with Dr. Adam Daigneault on the NSF DISES project, which models socio-environmental dynamics of financialized forestlands and explores alternative future scenarios and the Promoting Economic Resilience and Sustainability of the Eastern US Forests (PERSEUS) project, funded by USDA NIFA. When she’s not immersed in her research, she enjoys traveling, gardening, fishing, and watercolor. Jianheng received her Ph.D. in Forest Policy and Economics from UMaine in December 2020..

Abby Bennett

Abby grew up in and has lived most of her life in the Oxford Hills region of Western Maine. She graduated from UMaine in 2018 with a degree in financial economics. In the three years that followed, she worked at an investment consulting firm in Boston as a fund manager research analyst and then at a local bank in Portland as a credit analyst. During this time, she volunteered at her local land trust, Western Foothills Land Trust, identifying and successfully applying for a grant that helped the land trust develop a “farm to town” trail to connect Norway’s main street directly to recreational trails. This work inspired her to return to graduate school to pursue a master’s degree in ecology so that she can pivot her career into the conservation space. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in ecology and environmental science and working with Dr. Adam Daigneault on the Municipal Budgets and Conservation research project, funded by the National Science Foundation funded Research Traineeship (NRT) program. Abby grew up canoeing, nordic skiing, and hiking in the Maine woods and waters, with regular trips to the Allagash Wilderness Waterway. This love for the outdoors never left her, and in her free time she can be found trail running in the White Mountains or skiing at Roberts Farm in Norway.

Allie Foster

Allie is currently pursuing her master’s degree in forest resources, with a concentration in human dimensions. Her current project focuses on spruce budworm management, using remote sensing data and the value of information approach to determine how forest managers in Maine can best detect and manage outbreaks. She is part of the Enhancing Conservation Science NSF Research Traineeship and is interested in working with local people to develop sustainable policies for natural resource management. She received her B.Sc in wildlife ecology and management from Auburn University. She has worked on research related to the economic impact of invasive species management and collaborated with researchers at Stanford looking at how Alabama’s outdoor recreation infrastructure can play a role in attracting human capital. In her free time, she loves to read, hike, and bake. Originally from Florida, she’s excited to explore all the wilderness that Maine has to offer and looks forward to skiing in the winters.

Christy Carovillano

Christy is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Ecology and Environmental Sciences, working with Dr. Adam Daigneault and Dr. Sabrina Morano on research that aims to develop a more integrated approach to jointly managing Maine’s forests and wildlife habitat. She is also participating in the Enhancing Conservation Science NSF Research Traineeship. From the Philadelphia area, but having spent time in Oregon, Utah, and a nomadic year traveling from California across the southern US and up the east coast to Maine, she is interested in developing effective strategies for advancing conservation and climate resiliency. Along with over ten years of professional experience working in the operations and administrative space for conservation-focused nonprofit and government teams, Christy has a BA in General Science with a concentration in Biology from Rutgers University and an Ecosystem Measurements and Data Analysis graduate certificate from Penn State. She loves getting out into nature to hike and paddle and lives for good food and following women’s soccer and professional surfing..

Bobby Thapa

Bobby is currently pursuing a Ph.D. degree if Forest Policy and Economics. He obtained his B.S. in Forestry from Agriculture and Forestry University, Nepal, and an M.S. in Forest and Natural Resource Sciences from the University of Kentucky (UKY), USA. His comprehensive approach has allowed him to acquire both practical and theoretical knowledge in research and fieldwork. In Nepal, he’s held diverse roles such as forest ranger, forest technician, and technical and social facilitator, spanning various disciplines. Additionally, he worked as a graduate research assistant at UKY, focusing on forest and natural resource economics. His interests revolve around using economic models to evaluate forest ecosystem services, making use of GIS/spatial analysis, and employing statistical tools for sustainable forest management. Apart from academics, he finds joy in playing soccer and volleyball, traveling, and watching movies.

Dr. Sonja Birthisel

Dr. Sonja Birthisel is a lab Research Associate and the Director of the Wilson Center. After completing her PhD in Sustainable Agriculture at the University of Maine in 2018, Sonja joined the Forest Policy and Economics Lab to work on several collaborative projects aimed at improving climate resilience on Maine farms. Sonja’s current research falls at the nexus of applied agroecology, human decision-making, and global change. Her teaching responsibilities for the 2019-2020 academic year included Introduction to Ecology and Environmental Sciences (EES 117), Senior Capstone (EES 489), Human Populations and the Global Environment (EES 100), and student advising.

To visit her website click here.

Recent Alums

Logan Woodyard

Logan received a M.S. in Forest Resources in Summer 2022. Coming from a line of family of Appalachian loggers and hardwood mill owners, she is interested in understanding how regional economic environments and policies affect timber supply and demand. Logan has provided research for Maine’s Forest Carbon Task Force which seeks to enhance carbon sequestration through forest management as a part of Maine’s goal to be carbon neutral by 2045. Currently, she is doing work within the lab to model the integration between Maine’s forest ecosystem and economic environment under a variety of scenarios. Logan earned her undergraduate degree in Agriculture Business and Economics from The Ohio State University in 2020. Logan currently works as a timberland acquisition and carbon analyst at Green Diamond Resource Company in Seattle, Washington.

Gabby Sherman

Gabby graduated with a Ph.D. in Forest Resources in Summer 2022, and was affiliated with the NSF NRT program in Conservation Science. Her research focused on analyzing indicators of socio-economic resilience within the rural communities of Maine. This project aimed to evaluate the ability of communities to respond to shocks and stressors relative to other townships within the state. Furthermore, she engaged with community residents across the state to determine perceptions surrounding resilience, capital access, and natural resource industries, and how these views may differ by region or demographics. Gabby previously earned her BS in wildlife and fisheries science from Penn State University, and her MS in forest resources from the University of Arkansas at Monticello. She currently works for the US Forest Service in California.

Joey Reed

Joey received his M.S. in Resource Economics and Policy in Spring 2022. Also earned his B.S. in Ecology and Environmental Sciences and Economics from the University of Maine in 2020. Joey has been a research assistant in the lab for the past 3 years and continues to help Adam, other faculty, and students with their research tasks varying from the Natural Climate Solutions project to the Katahdin Resilience project. Joey’s thesis project serves to understand how natural resource-dependent communities respond to economic shocks. When not studying Joey enjoys tennis, hiking, skiing, and mountain biking but will rarely turn down an opportunity for any outdoor adventure. He currently works as an economic analysts for the Volpe National Transportation Center in Cambridge, MA.

Libin T. Louis

Libin earned his Ph.D. in Fall 2021, studying forest operations and forest economics under the supervision of Dr. Anil Raj Kizha and Dr. Adam Daigneault. Libin’s research interests are timber harvesting, product allocation, and market evaluation. He joined the lab in the spring of 2019 and works in estimating the cost and productivity of harvesting small-diameter trees (SDT) in Maine under various market scenarios. His thesis also evaluates the forester’s and landowner’s incentives and constraints to harvest SDT in Maine. With the goal to analyze the likely policy options for developing robust and consistent harvest, and processing of SDT in Maine under a range of socio-economic and market conditions. Libin completed his M.S. in forestry from the University of British Columbia, Canada in 2018, and his B.S. in Forestry from Kerala Agriculture University, India in 2014. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Forestry at the University of Maine Fort Kent.

Mary Ignatiadis

Mary received a M.S. in Forest Economics and Policy from UMaine in December 2020. Mary believes that more efficient land use is key to improving rural and urban livelihoods and lessening the impacts of climate change. Within the Forest Policy and Economics Lab, she worked on characterizing the regulatory and socioeconomic systems driving land use change in Maine. Her thesis work evaluated the land use impacts and economic viability of scaling up new, wood-based technologies in the state in an alternative futures framework. Outside of the Lab, Mary is active in UMaine Supporting Women in Forestry Today (SWIFT) and explores Maine’s working landscapes on skis. Mary earned her B.S. in geosciences from Williams College in 2016. She plans to combine her experiences in economics research and stakeholder engagement to facilitate sustainable infrastructure development and natural resources management in the future. Mary currently works as a sustainability analyst for the Hancock Natural Resources Group..

Ruthie Clements

Ruthie received a M.S. in Ecology and Environmental Sciences from UMaine in May 2021, and was co-advised Dr. Adam Daigneault and Dr. Eric Gallandt. Ruthie believes in improving the climate resiliency of communities through stakeholder engagement and transdisciplinary research efforts. Her thesis focused on understanding farmers’ climate change perspectives, resource needs, and farm priorities in order to improve climate change communication by outreach professionals. Ruthie earned her B.A. in biology and global studies from Concordia College in Moorhead, MN. In her free time, Ruthie enjoys gardening, traveling off the beaten path, and any excuse to explore the outdoors. Ruthie is currently a research technician in UMaine’s Weed Ecology lab.