Manisha Parajuli

Dr. Manisha Parajuli is an Assistant Professor of Forestry at Kentucky State University, affiliated with the College of Agriculture, Health, and Natural Resources. Her academic and research work is centered in the Department of Academic Affairs, where she contributes to sustainable forest resource management through innovative research and extension outreach.

Her research interests span a broad range of applied forestry disciplines, including forest management planning, timber harvesting, soil erosion control, and environmental monitoring. She is particularly focused on the implementation and evaluation of Best Management Practices (BMPs) to protect water quality and enhance sustainability. Her work integrates advanced technologies such as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), LiDAR, GIS, and deep learning to improve the efficiency and accuracy of forest operations and monitoring systems.

Dr. Parajuli’s scholarly contributions appear in leading journals such as Forest Ecology and Management, Remote Sensing Applications: Society and Environment, International Journal of Forest Engineering, and Environmental Management, reflecting a strong interdisciplinary focus on forestry, environmental engineering, and remote sensing. Her research trends emphasize data-driven, technology-enhanced solutions for real-world forestry challenges.

She is actively involved in extension education, delivering presentations and publishing outreach materials for forest landowners, loggers, and forestry professionals on topics like biomass utilization for bioenergy and UAV-based BMP monitoring.

• Society of American Foresters (SAF)
• Council on Forest Engineering (COFE)
• Greenhood Nepal

Dr. Parajuli mentors graduate students in the MS in Environmental Studies program, serving as Chair or Committee Member for research projects related to environmental and forestry issues. She is engaged in projects involving soil erosion modeling, logging productivity, and the restoration of degraded ecosystems, particularly abandoned mine lands. Her work often explores the repurposing of invasive plant biomass, logging residues, and agricultural waste as sustainable resource strategies.

She leads applied research initiatives that bridge science and practice, aiming to support informed decision-making among forest stakeholders through practical, science-based tools and outreach.