The University of Maine at Fort Kent (UMFK) is pleased to welcome Dr. Libin Thaikkattil Louis as a new assistant professor of forestry.

“We are very excited to have Dr. Louis join us as an assistant professor of forestry,” said UMFK President Deb Hedeen. “His research will benefit our students greatly.”

Dr. Louis received his Ph.D. in Forest Resources from the University of Maine in 2021 and 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.

“I am very excited to be part of UMFK,” said Dr. Louis. “This opportunity helps me to work closely with my research collaborators on the UMaine campus as well as to continue to pursue my research interests in the forests of Maine. Moreover, teaching has always been a passion of mine and I cherish continuing to provide quality forestry field experiences as part of the courses.”

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.

“When I moved to Maine in January 2019, Fort Kent was one of the first places I visited as part of a course field tour,” said Dr. Louis. “I instantly fell in love with the incredible Northern Maine woods. It is my great pleasure to be living in Northern Maine because I have worked with various forestry professionals in the region as one of the study areas in my doctoral thesis was near Eagle Lake.”

Dr. Louis is a seasoned subject matter expert and presenter. He is proficient in several advanced analysis software 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, Transportation, and Forest Mensuration. In his free time, Dr. Louis enjoys outdoor activities such as hiking and photography.

For more information, please go to www.umfk.edu or call (207) 834-7500.