Eli Anoszko, Ph.D.

Silviculturist, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources-Division of Forestry

Eli Anoszko is a Wisconsin DNR Forest Ecologist/Silviculturist based out of Rhinelander. Prior to joining the DNR Eli served as Vallier Treehaven Resident Ecologist at UWSP’s Treehaven field station in Tomahawk, WI where he conducted research on prescribed fire, taught courses in plant identification, forest ecology and fire behavior, and managed the forests and trails on the 1200 acre field station. Eli has a Ph.D. in Natural Resources Science and Management from the University of Minnesota. His dissertation research examined the effects of windstorms and wildfires on the forests of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Eli has also worked as a forester for the MN DNR and spent several seasons as a research technician with the USFS in the Sierra Nevada of California working on a variety of fire ecology related research projects. In his spare time Eli enjoys cross country skiing, trail running, cycling and fly fishing.

Matt Dallman

Northwoods Strategy Director, Midwest Division, The Nature Conservancy

Matt Dallman has over 30 years’ experience working on a variety of conservation projects throughout Wisconsin for The Nature Conservancy (TNC). Recently, he has taken on new responsibilities overseeing the Midwest Division’s Northwoods strategy, with a specific focus on working with partners to implement science and projects to develop climate-resilient forests across the Northwoods of Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Since joining TNC, Matt has been involved with projects that have protected more than 110,000 acres of natural areas and working forests. Matt is currently working to expand efforts to protect, manage and connect resilient forest lands, with an eye toward influencing how forests are managed by both public and private owners.

Alex Graeff

Ecologist, USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station

Alex Graeff is an ecologist with the USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station in Rhinelander where he supports various aspects of ecological research including field data collection, greenhouse management, data management and analysis, and many others. His passion lies in plant identification, especially northern Great Lakes flora, and is happy to use his plant ID knowledge whenever possible. Previous roles include botanist for the National Ecological Observatory Network and rare plant technician at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Alex occasionally leads local workshops and presentations about Northwoods ecology and plant identification. He obtained a bachelor’s degree in biology and a master’s degree in plant community ecology studying patterned peatlands in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula – both from Northern Michigan University. For hobby he enjoys exploring the Northwoods, knitting, and identifying mosses, liverworts, and lichens.

Kenneth Hayes

Forester, USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station

Ken Hayes is a forester for with the USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station in Rhinelander. He earned his bachelor’s degree in forest management from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and his master’s in fire ecology from the University of Idaho. He has spent most of his career in various roles of forest management and fire suppression. His current role is leading field operations for various research projects and oversee and manage experimental forests.

Brad Hutnik

Forest Ecologist/Silviculturist, Division of Forestry – Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and Co-Host of SilviCast

Brad Hutnik is a forest ecologist / silviculturist with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Since 2012, Brad has served as a member of the WDNR Silviculture​​ Team. As such, Brad currently works statewide on forest ecology and silviculture issues and has been involved with prescribed fire as a management tool throughout his career. Brad previously served as the Lower Wisconsin State Riverway forester (2002-2012) and worked as a staff forester at Clark Forestry, Inc. (1997-2002). Brad received a bachelor’s degree in forest management at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point in 1997. He is a Certified Silviculturist (USDA-FS) and co-host of UWSP’s SilviCast podcast.​​

mARTHA sAMPLE

Climate Adaptation Specialist, Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

Martha is a Climate Adaptation Specialist with the Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science (NIACS) based at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. Her position focuses on developing tools and resources for forest managers to support adaptation to changing climate and disturbance regimes.​​

Christel Kern, Ph.D.

Project Leader (Acting) & Research Forester, USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station

Dr. Christel Kern is a Research Forester at the U.S. Forest Service, Northern Research Station in Rhinelander.  She received both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point and her Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota. Her work includes leading and developing research-management partnerships to address critical knowledge gaps in sustainable forest management.  Outside of work, she enjoys family life with her husband and two children and outdoor activities.

Elena Razenkova, Ph.D.

Research Scientist, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

Elena Razenkova, Ph.D. was born and raised in the Siberian city of Tomsk, Russia. She received her undergraduate and Master of Science in Physics from Tomsk State University. Then she moved to the USA and collaborated on a project at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. This project was focused on mapping rare and endangered plants of Yakutia, Russia. Elena completed her Master of Science and Ph.D. in Forestry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, under the advisement of Dr. Volker Radeloff and Dr. Anna Pidgeon. During her graduate study, she developed remote sensing indices using Landsat and MODIS data for biodiversity applications.

Now she works as a research scientist at Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. She has been involved in a project developing new silvicultural methods to manage northern forests for greater resilience and has been leading various research projects looking at climate adaptation, invasive species, advancing old growth characteristics and more.