Barb Thomas, PhD, MSc, BSc (Agr)

Professor, Faculty of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sci - Renewable Resources Dept
Associate Dean, Faculty of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sci - Deans Office

Contact

Professor, Faculty of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sci - Renewable Resources Dept
Email
bthomas@ualberta.ca
Phone
(780) 492-8016
Address
442 Earth Sciences Building
11223 Saskatchewan Drive NW
Edmonton AB
T6G 2E3

Associate Dean, Faculty of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sci - Deans Office
Email
bthomas@ualberta.ca

Overview

Area of Study / Keywords

tree improvement forest genetics ecophysiology climate resilience


About

Job/Research Area: Applied tree improvement and ecophysiology.

Awards/Board Membership:

  • 2014-2024– Associate NSERC Industrial Research Chair in Tree Improvement
  • 2014-present: Member of the Technical Review & Steering Committees for the 5-year review of the Alberta Forest Genetic Resource Management & Conservation Standards.
  • 2012-present: Elected member of the Executive Committee, International Poplar Commission (FAO). Rome, Italy. 
  • 2012-present: Founding Board member of Tree Improvement Alberta.
  • 2009-present: Member & writer of the technical review committee: AB Afforestation Carbon Credit Protocol.
  • 2009-present: Member of the Genetics Working Group, Poplar & Willow Council of Canada.
  • 2010-2014: Communications Chair of the Alberta Forest Genetic Resources Council (AFGRC).
  • 2009-2014: Chair, Poplar & Willow Council of Canada. 
  • 2002-2014: Industrial Sector Member – Alberta Forest Genetics Resources Council. 
  • 2001-2009: Co-Chair of the Genetics Working Group for the Poplar Council of Canada.

Research

Thomas Tree Improvement Lab Website: https://people.ales.ualberta.ca/barbthomas/

Thomas RES-FOR Website: https://resfor.ualberta.ca/


Major Responsibilities/Research Interests: My interests include addressing both basic and applied questions to enhance conifer seed orchard productivity, assess the impact of elite breeding in white spruce on increasing gain, and understanding trade-offs in selection for growth versus wood quality and drought resistance. Additional interests include integrating genetic gain into growth and yield models and if growth increases can be achieved through disparate population breeding in balsam poplar. A more fundamental research interest is to understand mechanisms underlying the distribution of aspen clones in terms of size and gender on the landscape. 

Students will be given exposure to industrial and government challenges and be expected to develop their research projects while considering both policy implications and industrial application. An evaluation of both the genetic value combined with the social and energy sector pressures on the landbase will also be undertaken through development of a model designed to evaluate tree improvement programs across the province. 

Provincial Industrial & Government Partners: Alberta-Pacific Forest Industries Inc., Alberta Newsprint Timber Ltd., Canadian Forest Products Ltd., Millar Western Forest Products Ltd., Huallen Seed Orchard Company Ltd., West Fraser Mills Ltd. including: North Central Woodlands, Blue Ridge Lumber, Hinton Wood Products, Sundre Forest Products, and Weyerhaeuser Company Ltd. including: Grande Prairie Timberlands & Pembina Timberlands and Alberta Agriculture and Forestry. 


Teaching

RenR 368/768 Management and Utilization of Forest Genetic Resources

Announcements

Current positions available for both PhDs and PDFs – Please contact me directly or visithttps://ales-ssl.ales.ualberta.ca/gradpositions 

Courses

REN R 368 - Management and Utilization of Forest Genetic Resources

Basic principles in plant genetics and resource utilization including tree improvement and reclamation will be covered. Regular lectures will be supplemented with guest lectures and one lab exercise or field trip per month, an individual or group term report and a group report presentation/poster will be assigned. Lab exercises may include field trips, with times to be confirmed. Requires payment of additional student instructional support fees. Refer to the Tuition and Fees page in the University Regulations section of the Calendar. Prerequisite: 30 units.


REN R 768 - Management and Utilization of Forest Genetic Resources

Basic principles in plant genetics and resource utilization including tree improvement and reclamation will be covered. Regular lectures will be supplemented with guest lectures and one lab exercise or field trip per month, an individual term report and presentation/discussion lead on a selected paper will be required. Lab exercises may include field trips, with times to be confirmed. Requires payment of additional student instructional support fees. Refer to the Tuition and Fees page in the University Regulations section of the Calendar. Not to be taken if credit received for REN R 368.


Browse more courses taught by Barb Thomas

Featured Publications

Luo, D., and Thomas, B.R.

Forest Ecology and Management. 2021 February; 482


Bockstette, S.W., de la Mata, R., and Thomas, B.R.

Canadian Journal of Forest Research. 2021 January;


Lieffers, V.J., Pinno, B.D., Beverly, J.L., Thomas, B.R., Nock, C.

Canadian Journal of Forest Research. 2020 April;


Niemczyk, M., Thomas, B.R.

Annals of Forest Science. 2020 March; 77 (26):1-14


Klutsch, J., Kee, C., Cappa, E., Ratcliffe, B., Thomas, B.R., & Erbilgin, N.

Tree-Ring Research. 2020 January; 76 (1):54-58


Niemczyk, M., Hu, Y. & Thomas, B.R.

Forests . 2019 November; 10 (11):1041


Bockstette, S. & Thomas, B.R.

New Forests. 2019 August; 51


Arshad, M., Biswas, K., Bisgrove, S., Schroeder, W., Thomas, B.R., Mansfield, S., Mattson, J. & Plant, A.

Trees. 2019 April; 33


Chang, W-Y, Gaston, C., Cool, J., & Thomas, B.R.

Forestry: An International J of For Res.. 2019 March; 92 (3):297-310


Hu, Y. & Thomas, B.R.

Forests. 2019 February; 10 (2):143


Chang, W-Y., Wang, S., Gaston, C., Cool, J., An, H., & Thomas, B.R.

BioProducts Business . 2019 February; 4 (1):1-14


Goehing, J., Henkel-Johnson, D., Macdonald, E.S., Bork, E.W., & Thomas, B.R.

Canadian Journal of Forest Research. 2019 January; 49 (6):595-605


Khan, S., Thomas, B.R., de la Mata, R., Randall, M.J., Zhang, W. & Zwiazek, J.J.

Plants. 2019 January; 8 (13)


Mamashita, T., Larocque, G. R., DesRochers, A., Beaulieu, J., Thomas, B. R., Mosseler, A., Major, J. and Sidders, D.

Écoscience. 2017 August; 24 (1-2):59-73


Schreiber, S. G., & Thomas, B. R.

The Forestry Chronicle. 2017 March; 93 (1):38-43


Goehing, J., Thomas, B.R., Macdonald, and S.E., Bork, E.W.

Forestry. 2017 March; 90 (4): 515-529


Lupi, C., Larocque, G. R., DesRochers, A., Labrecque, M., Mosseler, A., Major, J., Beaulieu, J., Tremblay, F., Gordon, A. M., Thomas, B. R., Vézina, A., Bouafif, H., Cormier, D., Sidders, D., Krygier, R.

Biomass and Bioenergy. 2017 January; 98


Grenke, J. S., Macdonald, S. E., Thomas, B. R., Moore, C. A., & Bork, E. W.

The Forestry Chronicle. 2016 December; 92 (4):469-476


Thomas, B.R., Schreiber S.G., Kamelchuk, D.P.

New Forests. 2016 July; 47


Gray L.K., Hamann A., John S., Rweyongeza D., Barnhardt L., Thomas B.R.

Tree Genetics & Genomes. 2016 March; 12


Henkel-Johnson, D., Macdonald, S. E., Bork, E. W., & Thomas, B. R.

Forest Ecology and Management. 2016 February; 362


Lupi, C., Larocque, G., DesRochers, A., Labrecque, M., Mosseler, A., Major, J., Beaulieu, J., Tremblay, F., Gordon, A.M., Thomas, B.R., Vézina, A., Bouafif, H., Cormier, D., Sidders, D., Krygier, R., Thevathasan, N., Riopel, M., Ferland-Raymond, B.

Biomass and Bioenergy. 2015 December; 83


Mamashita, T., Larocque, G.R., DesRochers, A., Beaulieu, J., Thomas, B.R., Mosseler, A., Major, J., Sidders, D.

Biomass and Bioenergy. 2015 October; 81


Schreiber, S.G., Hacke, U.G., Chamberland, S., Lowe, C.W., Kamelchuk, D., Bräutigam, K., Campbell, M.M., Thomas, B.R.

Plant, Cell and Environment. 2015 July; 39


LeBoldus, J. M., Isabel, N., Floate, K.D., Blenis, P., and Thomas, B.R.

PLOS ONE. 2013 December; 18 (12):e84437


Hart, J.F., deAraujo, F. Thomas, B.R., and Mansfield, S.D.

Forests. 2013 September; 4 (4):786-807


Schreiber, S.G., Ding, C., Hamann, D, Hacke, W.G., Thomas, B.R., and Brouard, J.S.

Journal of Applied Ecology. 2013 May; 50


Larocque, G.R., Desrochers, A., Lacheveque, M., Tremblay, F., Beaulieu, J., Mosseler, A., Major, J., Gaussiran, S., Thomas, B.R., Sidders, D., Perinet, P., Kort, J., Labrecque, M., Savoie, P., Masse, S., Bouman, O.T., Kamelchuk, D., Benomar, L., Mamashita, T., Gagne, P.

Forestry Chronicle. 2013 February; 89 (1):32-41


Rousi, M, Possen, B.J.H.M., Hagqvist, R., & Thomas, B.R.

Silva Fennica. 2012 December; 46 (3):355-364


Gylander, T., Hamann, A., Brouard, J.S., and Thomas, B.R.

PLoSONE. 2012 August; 7 (8):e44303


Schreiber, S.G., Hamann, A., Hacke, U.G., Thomas, B.R.

Plant, Cell and Environment. 2012 August; 36 (2):419-428


Hamanishi, E., Thomas, B.R., & Campbell, M.M.

Journal of Experimental Botany. 2012 July; 63 (13):4959-4971


Raj, S., Bräutigam, K., Hamanishi, E., Wilkins, O., Thomas, B.R., Schroeder, W., Mansfield, S.D., Plant, A.L., & Campbell, M.M.

PNAS. 2011 July; 108 (30):12521-12526


Arango-Velez, A., Zwiazek, J.J., Thomas, B.R., & Tyree, M.T.

Physiologia Plantarum. 2011 May; 143 (2):154-165


Cai, T., Price, D., Orchansky, A., & Thomas, B.R.

Ecosystems. 2011 April; 14


Schreiber, S., Hacke, U., Hamann, A., & Thomas, B.R.

New Phytologist. 2011 January; 190 (1):150-160


LeBoldus, J., Blenis, P. & Thomas, B.R.

Plant Disease. 2010 January; 94 (10):1238-1242


Pinno, B.D., Thomas, B.R. & Bélanger, N.

New Forests. 2010 January; 39


Hamanishi, E., Raj, S., Wilkins, O., Thomas, B.R., Mansfield, S.D., Plant, A.L., & Campbell, M.M.

Plant, Cell & Environment. 2010 January;


LeBoldus, J., Blenis, P., Thomas, B., Feau, N., & Bernier, L.

Plant Disease. 2009 January; 93


Saurette, D.D., Chang, S.X., & Thomas, B.R.

Ecological Research. 2008 January; 23


van den Driessche, R., Thomas, B.R., & Kamelchuk, D

New Forests. 2008 January; 35


LeBoldus, J., Blenis, P. & Thomas, B.R.

Can. J. For. Res.. 2008 January; 38


Saurette, D.D., Chang, S.X., & Thomas, B.R.

CJSS. 2008 January; 88


DesRochers, A., van den Driessche, R., and Thomas, B.R.

Special Issue Can. J. Bot.. 2007 January; 85


Neumann, P., Krogman, N., & Thomas, B.R.

International Journal of Biotechnology. 2007 January; 9


Richardson, J., Cooke, J.E.K., Isebrands, J.G., Thomas, B.R., & Van Rees, K.C.J.

Special Issue Can. J. Bot.. 2007 January; 85


Neumann, P. Krahn, H., Krogman, N., & Thomas, B.R.

Rural Sociology. 2007 January; 72 (1):111-135


Huybregts, A., Thomas, B.R., & Dancik, B.

Forestry Chronicle. 2007 January; 83 (2):239-246


LeBoldus, J., Blenis, P. & Thomas, B.R.

Can. J. Bot.. 2007 January; 85