Resource Sciences Program Staff

Chuck Bulmer, PhD, PAg

Soil Restoration Ecologist
Vernon

Chuck is a soil scientist who has spent the past 25 years carrying out research in all areas of the province. He has evaluated soil disturbance and the success of rehabilitation efforts on sites disturbed by forestry and oil and gas development. His work on soil physical properties led to improved methods for evaluating soil compaction status, and implications for site productivity. Recent interests include using high resolution air photos to support soil conservation and monitoring, as well as improving BC's digital soil inventories using GIS technology, and modeling to enhance the use of digital soil datasets in resource planning and operations.

Consulting areas: Soil assessment and mapping; soil disturbance monitoring; soil rehabilitation techniques and effectiveness; soil physical properties as they affect forest operations.

Kevin Buxton, BSc, RFT

Forest Health Specialist
Kamloops

Kevin's forest health specialties include aerial overview surveys, aerial sketch mapping surveys, and GIS spatial data analyses. He coordinates and maintains digital capture of operational and research related forest health spatial datasets which he uses for analyses along with data auditing to produce reports and summaries of regional forest health conditions.

Consulting areas: Provide forest health related advice and assist with various extension activities, support forest health related research and selection of field sites, treatment efficacy trials and setup of experiments.

Tim Giles, MSc, PGeo

Geomorphologist
Kamloops

Tim has a B.Sc. in Geology and a M.Sc. in Quaternary Geology, with an emphasis on sedimentology and stratigraphy. Tim has been the Research Geomorphologist in the Kamloops Forest Region since 1995. His interests include research on the effects of forest development on water quality, sediment production and transfer processes in small drainage basins in the Upper Penticton Creek Experimental Watershed; stream channel forms and processes in a wide range of biogeoclimatic environments; hillslope processes, mass wasting and slope stability; and the relationships between hydrological and ecological processes in floodplain environments.

Consulting areas: Operational consulting and technical advice on landslide and debris flow investigations, terrain stability mapping, terrain stability field investigations for cutblocks and roads, stream channel processes, channel and watershed assessments.

Walt Klenner, PhD, PAg

Wildlife Habitat Ecologist
Kamloops

Walt has worked on wildlife habitat ecology research in Kamloops since 1991. His primary research focus has been to: (1) monitor the consequences of forest harvesting and site preparation on several indicators of biodiversity at the Opax Mt., Sicamous Ck. and Isobel Lake Silvicultural Systems trials, and (2) to develop stand structure and landscape modelling tools that help identify operational approaches to maintaining diverse habitat conditions at the stand and landscape level. A recent initiative, the review and analysis of historic managed and natural disturbances in NDT4 forests, is an example of applying a science-based approach to extension and the development of management recommendations.

Consulting areas: Forest management effects on stand structure and landscape pattern, habitat supply modelling at the stand and landscape level, indicator species and species at risk habitat supply models.

Lorraine Maclauchlan, PhD, RPF, RPBio

Entomologist
Kamloops

Forest Health contact for the Districts with expertise in forest entomology. Lorraine provides technical and professional advice on entomological issues to all levels of government and licensees. She develops and reviews strategic plans and provincial level strategies, conducts research, writes scientific and technical articles, and provides training. Lorraine also plans, organizes and conducts the annual defoliator spray program for the southern portion of the province.

Consulting areas: Insect population dynamics and insect ecology, assessment and analysis of insect impacts on trees/stands/ecosystems, insects affecting young stands, bark beetle ecology and management, defoliator ecology and management, aerial spray operations, education, research on insect impacts on forest resource.

Reg Newman, PhD, RPF

Research Range Ecologist
Kamloops

Reg is a Research Range Ecologist with 25 years of experience in range-related research in the grasslands and forests of the province. Reg primarily conducts research on: adapting range management to climate change, forest-grazing integration, the effects of post-wildfire and cutblock domestic seeding , and the effects of grazing on plant communities. Reg is an Adjunct Professor at Thompson Rivers University and the University of British Columbia.

Consulting areas: Insect population dynamics and insect ecology, assessment and analysis of insect impacts on trees/stands/ecosystems, insects affecting young stands, bark beetle ecology and management, defoliator ecology and management, aerial spray operations, education, research on insect impacts on forest resource.

Mike Ryan, MSc, RPBio

Research Ecologist
Kamloops

Mike is the research ecologist responsible for BEC classification, interpretation and training and Biogeoclimatic and ecosystem mapping. Research activities also include impacts of logging and site preparation on bryophytes, predictive ecosystem mapping and reliability assessments, terrestrial ecosystem mapping, photographic manuals for the identification of bryophyes, identification, distribution and autecology of bryophytes and vascular plants, and the identification and description of rare ecosystems.

Ken Soneff, PEng

Team Leader - Resource Sciences
Kamloops

As the section head Ken manages the resource science program, including finances, staffing, program planning, and co-ordination of responsibilities. Ken is a Civil Engineer with experience in water resources and roads. He has been with FLNRO as Research Manager in Williams Lake since 1996. Before joining the FLNRO he worked in the Water Management Program of BC Environment for 14 years. Previous experience includes project management, statutory decisions, conflict resolution and program management. In addition to the section head function, Ken helps the principal researchers with research extension functions.

Consulting areas: General program enquiries, requests for forest science information, research and extension co-ordination.

Rita Winkler, PhD, RPF

Hydrologist
Kamloops

Rita is the Research Hydrologist with over 30 years of experience in forestry, applied hydrology, and water-related research. Rita coordinates the Upper Penticton Creek Watershed Experiment and the Mayson Lake Hydrologic Processes Study. Her research focuses on forest-snow interactions and the effects of forestry practices on water supplies. In addition to research, she also provides technical and professional advice on hydrologic and watershed management issues and is actively involved in operational and academic extension. Rita is an Adjunct Professor at Thompson Rivers University and the University of British Columbia.

Consulting areas: Forest hydrology, forest-snow interactions, forest management effects on streamflow and water quality, watershed management, hydrologic process research design, extension and education.