Staff Bios

Lead Scientists

Miles Hemstrom, Research Ecologist

Melinda Moeur

Janet L. Ohmann, Research Forest Ecologist

Location: PNW Research Station
US Forest Service
Email: [email protected]
Voice: 541.750.7487
Janet Ohmann is a Research Forest Ecologist with the PNW Research Station, US Forest Service, in Corvallis, Oregon. Her research focuses on understanding and mapping broad-scale patterns and dynamics of plant communities and species in western forests, and applying this information to conservation and natural resource planning and policy issues. She leads the LEMMA (Landscape Ecology, Modeling, Mapping, and Analysis) team, who provides the existing vegetation data layers for IMLP. These spatial data are developed using nearest neighbors imputation, primarily the gradient nearest neighbor method (GNN).

Joshua Halofsky, Landscape Ecologist

Location: Washington State
Department of Natural Resources
Email: [email protected]
Voice: 360.902.1755
Josh Halofsky currently works with ILAP members and other collaborators in building VDDT models for Washington State and in incorporating climate change information into VDDT models. As a scientist with the Washington Department of Natural Resources, he works at the interface between science and management. He is generally interested in the use of science to help inform natural resource management decisions. Other interests include remote sensing, connectivity, and trophic cascades research.

Gary Lettman, Principal Forest Economist

David Morman

Theresa Burcsu, Research Ecologist

Location: US Forest Service
Email: [email protected]
Voice: 503.729.4652
Theresa Burcsu is a Post-Doctoral Research Ecologist with the Pacific Northwest Research Station, US Forest Service, in Portland, Oregon. Theresa is currently working with the ILAP team doing dynamic landscape simulations using the Vegetation Dynamics and Development Tool (VDDT) and the Tool for Exploratory Landscape Scenario Analyses (TELSA). Theresa’s other interests include forest edge effects, land use conversion, and impacts of landscape fragmentation.

Tom DeMeo

Eric Henderson, Analyst

US Forest Service
[email protected]
906.789.3332
Eric Henderson will be involved in forest planning and VDDT modeling for Fremont-Winema National Forest plan revision. His past work includes evaluating a management strategy to restore forest conditions to within the Historical Range of Variation on the Chippewa National Forest in Minnesota. He has also developed Spectrum models and implementation strategies for both the Hiawatha and Tongass National Forests. His current projects include planning habitat for the endangered Kirtland’s Warbler (Michigan), road planning for harvest unit access (Tongass NF), and integrating carbon accounting into forest plans (Hiawatha NF).

Andy Herstrom

Jim Merzenich

Allison Reger

Location: US Forest Service
Email: [email protected]
Voice: 541.225.6444
Allison Reger is a planning analyst with the Willamette National Forest in Springfield, OR. Allison is currently working with the ILAP team doing dynamic landscape simulations using the Vegetation Dynamics and Development Tool (VDDT) and the Tool for Exploratory Landscape Scenario Analyses (TELSA). Allison’s other interests include landscape modeling using various tools including simulation, state transition models and linear programming models. She looks for ways to join the time element into the power of GIS.

Mike Simpson