Jeff Dech

Dr. Jeff Dech is a Full-time Faculty Professor at Nipissing University's Faculty of Arts and Science, specializing in Biology and Chemistry. His research focuses on forest ecology, community ecology, dendrochronology, and ecological modeling with applications to boreal and Great Lakes-St. Lawrence forest systems. He holds a BSc from Nipissing University, an MSc from Laurentian University, and a PhD from the University of Western Ontario.

Research interests include growth and yield modeling, predictive habitat modeling for understorey species, forest disturbance dynamics, and ecological land classification. Current projects address site effects in boreal growth models, diversity-stability relationships in dry forests, Canada Yew distribution modeling, and black ash stand dynamics. His work integrates field studies with remote sensing technologies like LiDAR.

Publications span 20+ years, emphasizing fire ecology, dendrochronological reconstructions, and ecological applications of LiDAR. He leads the Forest Resources Laboratory (FRL), focusing on translating ecological knowledge into sustainable forestry practices. The FRL investigates boreal forest resources, including black spruce and Canada yew, using dendrochronology, GIS, and predictive modeling.

Dr. Dech collaborates on projects addressing forest bioeconomy development, wood quality prediction, and ecologically informed forest management strategies. His research bridges academic inquiry with practical forestry challenges, emphasizing biodiversity conservation and climate resilience.