Brief Biography

Dr. Louis received his Ph.D. in Forest Resources from the University of Maine in 2021. His doctoral research focused on the economic constraints of timber harvesting, developing a novel model for the small diameter tree market scenario for the region, and exploring the perspectives of forestry stakeholders in the Northeastern states. Previously, he had been trained as a landscape ecologist, exploring the importance of landscape composition and configuration on biodiversity in agricultural farms as part of his master’s in forestry from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. He has also completed his bachelor’s in forestry from Kerala Agricultural University in Kerala, India.

Published in well-known forestry peer-reviewed journals such as International Journal of Forest Engineering, Forests, and Current Forestry Reports. Dr. Louis has remained at the forefront of research in his field of study. He has presented his research at various regional, national, and international conferences such as Symposium on Forestry Mechanization, Council of Forest Engineers, and International Congress on Conservation Biology. His current research interests are biomass and bioenergy, economics of timber harvesting, and reducing the environmental impacts of forest management in the Northeast United States.

Dr. Louis is a seasoned subject matter expert and presenter. He is proficient in several advanced analysis programs utilized in scientific research as well as in the forest industry. Dr. Louis will be teaching forestry classes such as Introduction to Global Positioning; Forest Ecology; Forest Products, Harvesting, and Transportation; and Forest Mensuration. In his free time, Dr. Louis enjoys outdoor activities such as hiking and photography.

Research Interests

Peer-Reviewed Articles

  1. Louis LT, Kizha AR, Daigneault A, Han SH, Weiskittel AR. 2022. Factors affecting operational cost and productivity of ground-based timber harvesting machines; A meta-analysis. Current Forestry Reports. Jan 21:1-7. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40725-021-00156-5.
  2. Kizha AR, Nahor ER, Coogen N, Louis LT, George AK. 2021. Residual Stand Damage under Different Harvesting Methods and Mitigation Strategies. Sustainability. Jan;13(14):7641. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13147641.
  3. Louis LT and Kizha AR. 2021. Wood biomass recovery cost under different harvesting methods and market conditions. International Journal of Forest Engineering. pp.1-10. https://doi.org/10.1080/14942119.2021.1874206.
  4. Kizha AR, Han HS, Anderson N, Koirala A, Louis LT. 2022. Comparing Hot and Cold Loading in an Integrated Biomass Recovery Operation. Forests. Apr;11(4):385. https://doi.org/10.1080/14942119.2021.1874206.
  5. Alex K. George AK, Kizha AR, Louis LT, Alex A, Perera P. 2022. Soil Erosion Potential of Major Timber Harvesting Methods in the Northeastern United States. Sustainable Horizons. (In preparation).
  6. Louis LT, Daigneault A, Kizha AR. 2022. Biomass harvesting amidst market and policy constraints: perspectives of foresters and loggers in the Northeastern United States. Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews (In preparation).

Conference Proceeding

  1. Louis LT, Kizha AR. 2019. Comparing the cost of harvesting sawlog and small-diameter trees from different silvicultural prescriptions utilizing two harvesting methods. Session: Forest harvesting systems. 42nd Annual Meeting of the Council on Forest Engineering (COFE) and 52nd International Symposium on Forestry Mechanization (FORMEC), 6-9 October 2019, Sopron, Hungary.

Distinctions & Associations

Awards & Scholarships

  • Student Diversity Scholar Society of American Foresters in 2021.
  • Ralph H. Griffin Memorial Scholarship University of Maine for meritorious graduate student in silviculture, forest management or forest soils in 2020. $2,000 USD.
  • Graduate Student Travel Award University of British Columbia in 2017. $500 CAD.
  • Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Scholarship University of British Columbia for Green Leaders in 2015. $55,000 CAD.

Grants & Funding

  • Academic Development Funds. Conference Travel. University of Maine, Fort Kent. 2022.
  • Graduate Student Government. Travel Grant. University of Maine, Orono. 2020.

Membership in Professional Organizations

  • SAF – Society of American Foresters (2019 – Present)
  • COFE – Council of forest Engineers (2019 – Present)
  • SCB – Society of Conservation Biology (2016 – Present)
  • IFSA – International Forestry Students Association (2015 – 2018)

Selected Publications

Invited Lectures/Field Demonstration

  1. Louis LT, Kizha AR. 2022. Pre-commercial and Commercial thinning in the Northeast USA: A summary of seven years of research. Forest Growth Organization of Western Canada (FGrOW). February 18th. (Webinar Invited Speaker).
  2. Louis LT. 2022. Timber harvesting in Northern Maine. Forest Operations Winter Camp (SFR 213). University of Maine, Orono. (Panel Discussion).
  3. George AK, Louis LT, Alex A, Kizha AR. 2021. Cost of Logging and Residual Stand Damage: Insights from the MASN Study. Field Tour. Cooperative Forestry Research Unit. October 21st. Ashland, ME. (Field demonstration).
  4. Louis LT. 2020. Statistics in timber harvesting. SFR401/502. Timber harvesting. University of Maine, Orono. (Invited lecture).
  5. George AK, Kizha AR, Kenefic L, Louis LT. 2019. Comparison of Timber Harvesting Costs across Wet and Sturdy Grounds. High Resolution Wet Areas Mapping Workshop. Cooperative Forestry Research Unit. June 11. Orono, ME. (Field demonstration).
  6. Louis LT. 2017. Landscape composition and configuration of Organic Vs conventional wetlands in Kerala, India. University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. (Invited lecture).

Abstracts & Other Publications

  1. Louis, LT. (2021). Economics and Operational Decision Constraints of Small-Diameter Tree Harvesting (Doctoral Dissertation). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 3509. https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/etd/3509.
  2. Louis LT, Daigneault A, Kizha AR. 2021. Biomass harvesting amidst market and policy constraints: perspectives of foresters and loggers in the Northeastern United States. Council on Forest Engineering and International Symposium on Forestry Mechanization (COFE-FORMEC). Sep 27-30. Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR.
  3. Louis LT, Kizha AR, Daigneault A. 2020. Uncertainty in Timber Harvesting Cost and Productivity: A Review. Society of American Foresters National Conference. Providence, RI. Oct 18-Nov 1.
  4. Kizha AR, Alex A, George AK, Louis LT. 2020. Cost of Harvesting Small-diameter Trees: Comparing Semi-Mechanized and Mechanized Harvesting Operation. Society of American Foresters National Conference. Providence, RI. Oct 18-Nov 1.
  5. Louis TL, Kizha AR. 2020. Woody Biomass Harvest: Comparing Conventional with Exclusive Cost Apportioning Methods. University of Maine 2020 Student Symposium. Bangor, ME. Oct 2nd.
  6. Louis LT, Kizha AR, Daigneault A. 2019. Global sensitivity analysis of integrated harvesting cost under various stand conditions and machine attributes. 42nd Annual Meeting of the Council on Forest Engineering and 52nd International Symposium on Forestry Mechanization (FORMEC), 6-9 October 2019, Sopron, Hungary. Page 245. https://www.formec.org/images/proceedings/2019/FORMEC2019_PROCEEDINGS.pdf.
  7. Kizha AR, Nahor E, Coogen N, Louis LT, George AK. 2019. Residual stand damage under different silvicultural prescriptions. Session: Environmental impacts of forest operations. 42nd Annual Meeting of the Council on Forest Engineering and 52nd International Symposium on Forestry Mechanization (FORMEC), 6-9 October 2019, Sopron, Hungary.
  8. George AK, Kizha AR, Kenefic L, Louis LT. 2019. Comparison of Timber Harvesting Costs across Wet and Sturdy Grounds. High Resolution Wet Areas Mapping Workshop. Cooperative Forestry Research Unit. June 11. Orono, ME.
  9. George AK, Kizha AR, Kenefic L, Louis LT. 2019. Northern white cedar: Harvesting cost and productivity. Northern White-Cedar: Linking Research and Management Meeting. Cedar club. April 24. Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.
  10. Louis, LT. (2018). Biodiversity, agricultural productivity, and landscape context in organic vs conventional rice paddy wetlands in Kerala, India (Masters Thesis). University of British Columbia. Retrieved from https://open.library.ubc.ca/collections/ubctheses/24/items/1.0363920.
  11. Louis LT, Rhemtulla J. 2017. Conserving wetland biodiversity landscape context for reducing biodiversity-productivity trade-off. International Congress on Conservation Biology. 2017 Book of Abstracts, Cartagena, Colombia, 23-27 July 2017, Page 312. https://conbio.org/images/content_conferences/ICCB2017_Abstract_Book_web_w_doi.pdf

Educational Background

  • Ph.D. Forest Resources, (2019 – 2021)
    School of Forest Resources, University of Maine, Orono, United States (UMaine)
    “Economics and operational decision constraints of small-diameter tree harvesting”
    Advisors: Dr. Anil Raj Kizha & Dr. Adam Daigneault
  • M.Sc. Forestry, (2015 – 2018)
    Forest & Conservation Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada (UBC)
    “Biodiversity, agricultural productivity, and landscape context in organic vs conventional rice paddy wetlands in Kerala, India” Advisor: Dr. Jeanine Rhemtulla
  • B.Sc. Forestry, (2010 – 2014)
    College of Forestry, Kerala Agricultural University, Kerala, India (KAU)
    “Diversity and Abundance of Reptiles in Peechi and Vaazhani Wildlife Sanctuary, Kerala”
    Advisor: Dr. Nameer P. O