Osvaldo Valeria

Osvaldo Valeria is a Professor at the University of Quebec in Abitibi-Témiscamingue (UQAT) and co-holder of the UQAT-UQAM Chair in Sustainable Forest Management. He serves as Director of the Masters in Sustainable Management of Forest Ecosystems and Co-Director of the Lac Duparquet Teaching and Research Forest. His work focuses on forestry operations, geomatics and remote sensing within the field of sustainable forest management.

Dr. Valeria earned his Ph.D. in Forest Sciences from Laval University in 2004, following an M.Sc. in Forest Sciences from the same institution in 1999. He completed his undergraduate education with a BSc in Forest Engineering from Universidad de Concepcion, Chile in 1991.

Professor Valeria specializes in spatial analyses using geographic information systems and remote sensing systems, with additional expertise in database design. His research laboratory conducts studies focused on forest soil mapping, wetland mapping, monitoring forest dynamics following natural disturbances, bryophyte species diversity, and the automatic identification of forest roads and their closure. His work represents the cutting edge of knowledge on geospatial data, specialized software applications, remote sensing data sources, and statistical processing of spatial data in forestry contexts. He actively participates in and leads numerous research projects in sustainable forest management, with particular emphasis on the ecological, economic and social feasibility of sustainable forest management strategies in the boreal forest.

An analysis of Professor Valeria's recent publications reveals a strong emphasis on sustainable forest management in the boreal region, with particular attention to carbon dynamics, climate change impacts, and the use of advanced remote sensing technologies like LiDAR. His work bridges ecological, economic, and social considerations in developing sustainable forestry practices, with increasing focus on climate adaptation strategies and carbon sequestration potential in forest ecosystems.

Professor Valeria has advised numerous graduate students throughout his career, including over a dozen doctoral candidates and more than twenty master's students. His research is supported by multiple funding agencies including the UQAT-UQAM Chair in Sustainable Forest Management, the FQRNT Forest Fund, Géoïde, the CRSNG, the MRNF, DEC, MDEIE and the RGDF – Center of Excellence. His laboratory represents a significant hub for research and training in forest geomatics and sustainable management practices.

Dr. Valeria's laboratory is at the forefront of applying geospatial technologies to forest management challenges. His team works extensively with LiDAR data, satellite imagery, and advanced spatial analysis techniques to address critical questions in sustainable forestry. The lab maintains strong collaborations with other researchers across Canada and internationally, contributing to a robust research environment for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.