Scott Nielsen, PhD, MSc, BSc

Professor, Faculty of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sci - Renewable Resources Dept

Personal Website: https://www.ace-lab.ca

Contact Courses Publications Research Students

Contact

Professor, Faculty of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sci - Renewable Resources Dept

Email: scottn@ualberta.ca
Phone: (780) 492-1656
Address: 701 General Services Building
9007 - 116 St NW

Edmonton AB

T6G 2H1

Courses

ENCS 299 - Special Topics in Field Skills and Their Application in the Environmental and Conservation Sciences

Focuses on specialized field skills, their application, and integration in different sub-disciplines of the environmental and conservation sciences. The course involves off-campus field experiences. A student is required to select a topic related to their major, but may take additional sections as part of their electives. Pre- or corequisite: REN R 290.

Summer Term 2026

Browse more courses taught by Scott Nielsen

Featured Publications

Regeneration lags and growth trajectories influence passive seismic line recovery in western North American boreal forests

Colleen M. Sutheimer, Angelo T. Filicetti, Leonardo Viliani, Scott E. Nielsen

Restoration Ecology. 2025 March; 10.1111/rec.14353

Beat the heat: Movements of a cold‐adapted ungulate during a record‐breaking heat wave

Aidan C. Sheppard, Emily Z. Hollik, Lee J. Hecker, Thomas S. Jung, Mark A. Edwards, Scott E. Nielsen

Ecosphere. 2025 February; 10.1002/ecs2.70202

A data compilation and synthesis of the impacts of seismic surveys on surface soil properties in boreal Alberta, Canada

Marissa A. Davies, Scott J. Davidson, Patrick J. Deane, Angelo Filicetti, Scott Ketcheson, Percy Korsah, Kimberly Kleinke, Scott E. Nielsen, Megan A. Schmidt, Nazia Tabassum, James M. Waddington, Lelia Weiland, Sophie Wilkinson, Maria Strack

Canadian Journal of Forest Research. 2025 January; 10.1139/cjfr-2024-0240

Correction: A data compilation and synthesis of the impacts of seismic surveys on surface soil properties in boreal Alberta, Canada

Canadian Journal of Forest Research. 2025 January; 10.1139/cjfr-2025-0108

Migration leads to nursery herd formation: evidence from a wild wood bison (Bison bison athabascae) population

Lee J. Hecker, Scott E. Nielsen, Mark A. Edwards

Mammal Research. 2025 January; 10.1007/s13364-024-00768-9

Presence of trailers reduces culvert‐style trap success in American black bears (Ursus americanus)

Rebecca A. Paton, Paul F. Frame, Scott E. Nielsen, Erin N. Miller, Mark A. Edwards

Wildlife Society Bulletin. 2024 December; 10.1002/wsb.1556

Trade‐Offs Between Forage Availability, Accessibility, and Predation Risk on Winter Foraging Strategies of Wood Bison (Bison bison athabascae)

Garrett J. Rawleigh, Mark A. Edwards, Darren Epperson, Scott E. Nielsen

Ecology and Evolution. 2024 October; 10.1002/ece3.70385

Identifying restoration priorities for habitat defragmentation: a case study in Alberta’s oil sands

Leonardo Viliani, Colleen M. Sutheimer, Scott E. Nielsen

Landscape Ecology. 2024 September; 10.1007/s10980-024-01972-3

Climate refugia along Lake Superior’s shores: disjunct arctic–alpine plants rely on cool shoreline temperatures but are restricted to highly exposed habitat under climate warming

Ashley Hillman, Scott E Nielsen

Journal of Plant Ecology. 2024 August; 10.1093/jpe/rtae050

Edge effects of a linear disturbance on the abundance and reproduction of an annual, Melampyrum lineare, in the boreal forest

Laureen F. I. Echiverri, S. Ellen Macdonald, Scott E. Nielsen

Plant Ecology. 2024 April; 10.1007/s11258-023-01352-y

Lake Superior's summer cooling of shorelines and adjacent inland forests: Implications for refugia of boreal forests and disjunct arctic–alpine plants

Ashley Hillman, Scott E. Nielsen

Ecology and Evolution. 2023 December; 10.1002/ece3.10833

Low-impact line construction retains and speeds recovery of trees on seismic lines in forested peatlands

Angelo T. Filicetti, Jesse Tigner, Scott E. Nielsen, Katherine Wolfenden, Murdoch Taylor, Paula Bentham

Canadian Journal of Forest Research. 2023 November; 10.1139/cjfr-2022-0250

Effects of oil sands disturbances on shrub and tree structure along forest edges in Alberta's boreal forest

R.S. Jackson, J.M. Dennett, S.E. Nielsen

Canadian Journal of Forest Research. 2023 August; 10.1139/cjfr-2023-0005

Behavioral habitat selection of wood bison (Bison bison athabascae) in boreal forests

Lee J. Hecker, Mark A. Edwards, Scott E. Nielsen

Mammal Research. 2023 July; 10.1007/s13364-023-00677-3

Peatlands promote fire refugia in boreal forests of northern Alberta, Canada

Christine E. Kuntzemann, Ellen Whitman, Diana Stralberg, Marc‐André Parisien, Dan K. Thompson, Scott E. Nielsen

Ecosphere. 2023 May; 10.1002/ecs2.4510

The extent and magnitude of edge effects on woody vegetation in road‐bisected treed peatlands in boreal Alberta, Canada

Caitlin N. Willier, Jacqueline M. Dennett, Kevin J. Devito, Christopher W. Bater, Scott E. Nielsen

Ecohydrology. 2022 October; 10.1002/eco.2455

Topographic and vegetation drivers of thermal heterogeneity along the boreal–grassland transition zone in western Canada: Implications for climate change refugia

Cesar A. Estevo, Diana Stralberg, Scott E. Nielsen, Erin Bayne

Ecology and Evolution. 2022 June; 10.1002/ece3.9008

Neighboring edges: Interacting edge effects from linear disturbances in treed fens

Laureen F. I. Echiverri, S. Ellen Macdonald, Scott E. Nielsen

Applied Vegetation Science. 2022 January; 10.1111/avsc.12645

Effects of Fire Severity and Woody Debris on Tree Regeneration for Exploratory Well Pads in Jack Pine (Pinus banksiana) Forests

Angelo T. Filicetti, Ryan A. LaPointe, Scott E. Nielsen

Forests. 2021 September; 10.3390/f12101330

Distinguishing effects of area per se and isolation from the sample‐area effect for true islands and habitat fragments

Zachary G. MacDonald, David C. Deane, Fangliang He, Clayton T. Lamb, Felix A. H. Sperling, John H. Acorn, Scott E. Nielsen

Ecography. 2021 July; 10.1111/ecog.05563

Narrow anthropogenic linear corridors increase the abundance, diversity, and movement of bees in boreal forests

Connor J. Nelson, Carol M. Frost, Scott E. Nielsen

Forest Ecology and Management. 2021 June; 10.1016/j.foreco.2021.119044

A functional perspective on the analysis of land use and land cover data in ecology

Federico Riva, Scott E. Nielsen

Ambio. 2021 May; 10.1007/s13280-020-01434-5

Latitudinal and seasonal plasticity in American bison Bison bison diets

Lee J. Hecker, Sean C. P. Coogan, Scott E. Nielsen, Mark A. Edwards

Mammal Review. 2021 April; 10.1111/mam.12229

Prioritizing human safety and multispecies connectivity across a regional road network

Tracy S. Lee, Tyler G. Creech, Adam Martinson, Scott E. Nielsen, Andrew F. Jakes, Paul F. Jones, Ken Sanderson, Adam T. Ford

Conservation Science and Practice. 2021 February; 10.1111/csp2.327

Avian Response to Wildfire Severity in a Northern Boreal Region

Michelle Knaggs, Samuel Haché, Scott E. Nielsen, Rhiannon F. Pankratz, Erin Bayne

Forests. 2020 December; 10.3390/f11121330

Gene flow and climate‐associated genetic variation in a vagile habitat specialist

Zachary G. MacDonald, Julian R. Dupuis, Corey S. Davis, John H. Acorn, Scott E. Nielsen, Felix A. H. Sperling

Molecular Ecology. 2020 October; 10.1111/mec.15604

The ecology of human–carnivore coexistence

Clayton T. Lamb, Adam T. Ford, Bruce N. McLellan, Michael F. Proctor, Garth Mowat, Lana Ciarniello, Scott E. Nielsen, Stan Boutin

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 2020 July; 10.1073/pnas.1922097117

Predicting Occurrence, Abundance, and Fruiting of a Cultural Keystone Species to Inform Landscape Values and Priority Sites for Habitat Enhancements

Scott E. Nielsen, Jacqueline M. Dennett, Christopher W. Bater

Forests. 2020 July; 10.3390/f11070783

Six key steps for functional landscape analyses of habitat change

Federico Riva, Scott E. Nielsen

Landscape Ecology. 2020 July; 10.1007/s10980-020-01048-y

Toward a climate‐informed North American protected areas network: Incorporating climate‐change refugia and corridors in conservation planning

Diana Stralberg, Carlos Carroll, Scott E. Nielsen

Conservation Letters. 2020 July; 10.1111/conl.12712

Landscape Patterns of Rare Vascular Plants in the Lower Athabasca Region of Alberta, Canada

Scott E. Nielsen, Jacqueline M. Dennett, Christopher W. Bater

Forests. 2020 June; 10.3390/f11060699

Quantification of Lichen Cover and Biomass Using Field Data, Airborne Laser Scanning and High Spatial Resolution Optical Data—A Case Study from a Canadian Boreal Pine Forest

Ashley C. Hillman, Scott E. Nielsen

Forests. 2020 June; 10.3390/f11060682

Composite Effects of Cutlines and Wildfire Result in Fire Refuges for Plants and Butterflies in Boreal Treed Peatlands

Federico Riva, Jaime Pinzon, John H. Acorn, Scott E. Nielsen

Ecosystems. 2020 April; 10.1007/s10021-019-00417-2

Detecting changes in understorey and canopy vegetation cycles in West Central Alberta using a fusion of Landsat and MODIS

Cameron J. R. McClelland, Nicholas C. Coops, Ethan E. Berman, Sean P. Kearney, Scott E. Nielsen, A. Cole Burton, Gordon B. Stenhouse

Applied Vegetation Science. 2020 April; 10.1111/avsc.12466

From human invaders to problem bears: A media content analysis of grizzly bear conservation

Courtney Hughes, Lee Foote, Nicholas T. Yarmey, Christina Hwang, Jessica Thorlakson, Scott Nielsen

Conservation Science and Practice. 2020 April; 10.1111/csp2.176

Of detectability and camouflage: evaluating Pollard Walk rules using a common, cryptic butterfly

Federico Riva, Giorgio Gentile, Simona Bonelli, John H. Acorn, Francisco V. Denes, Andrew D. Crosby, Scott E. Nielsen

Ecosphere. 2020 April; 10.1002/ecs2.3101

Early Regeneration Dynamics of Pure Black Spruce and Aspen Forests after Wildfire in Boreal Alberta, Canada

Stephanie A. Jean, Bradley D. Pinno, Scott E. Nielsen

Forests. 2020 March; 10.3390/f11030333

Species richness is a surrogate for rare plant occurrence, but not conservation value, in boreal plant communities

Varina E. Crisfield, Jacqueline M. Dennett, Catherine K. Denny, Lingfeng Mao, Scott E. Nielsen

Biodiversity and Conservation. 2020 January; 10.1007/s10531-019-01871-z

Direct and Indirect Effects of Overstory Canopy and Sex-Biased Density Dependence on Reproduction in the Dioecious Shrub Shepherdia canadensis (Elaeagnaceae)

Tyler J. Bateman, Scott E. Nielsen

Diversity. 2020 January; 10.3390/d12010037

Modelling Lichen Abundance for Woodland Caribou in a Fire-Driven Boreal Landscape

Joseph Silva, Scott Nielsen, Clayton Lamb, Christine Hague, Stan Boutin

Forests. 2019 November; 10.3390/f10110962

Trembling aspen root suckering and stump sprouting response to above ground disturbance on a reclaimed boreal oil sands site in Alberta, Canada

Stephanie A. Jean, Bradley D. Pinno, Scott E. Nielsen

New Forests. 2019 September; 10.1007/s11056-018-09698-2

Perceptual Range, Targeting Ability, and Visual Habitat Detection by Greater Fritillary Butterflies Speyeria cybele (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) and Speyeria atlantis

Zachary G MacDonald, John H Acorn, Jian Zhang, Scott E Nielsen

Journal of Insect Science. 2019 July; 10.1093/jisesa/iez060

Advances in phenology are conserved across scale in present and future climates

David N. Laskin, Gregory J. McDermid, Scott E. Nielsen, Shawn J. Marshall, David R. Roberts, Alessandro Montaghi

Nature Climate Change. 2019 May; 10.1038/s41558-019-0454-4

High Precision Altimeter Demonstrates Simplification and Depression of Microtopography on Seismic Lines in Treed Peatlands

Cassondra J. Stevenson, Angelo T. Filicetti, Scott E. Nielsen

Forests. 2019 March; 10.3390/f10040295

Boreal Sand Hills are Areas of High Diversity for Boreal Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

James R.N. Glasier, Scott E. Nielsen, John Acorn, Jaime Pinzon

Diversity. 2019 February; 10.3390/d11020022

Caribou Conservation: Restoring Trees on Seismic Lines in Alberta, Canada

Angelo T. Filicetti, Michael Cody, Scott E. Nielsen

Forests. 2019 February; 10.3390/f10020185

Do remnant retention patches and forest edges increase grizzly bear food supply?

Terrence A. Larsen, Scott E. Nielsen, Jerome Cranston, Gordon B. Stenhouse

Forest Ecology and Management. 2019 February; 10.1016/j.foreco.2018.11.031

Grizzly bear response to spatio‐temporal variability in human recreational activity

Andrew Ladle, Tal Avgar, Matthew Wheatley, Gordon B. Stenhouse, Scott E. Nielsen, Mark S. Boyce

Journal of Applied Ecology. 2019 February; 10.1111/1365-2664.13277

Experimental test of assisted migration for conservation of locally range-restricted plants in Alberta, Canada

Yuzhuo Wang, Jennine L.M. Pedersen, S. Ellen Macdonald, Scott E. Nielsen, Jian Zhang

Global Ecology and Conservation. 2019 January; 10.1016/j.gecco.2019.e00572

The theory of island biogeography, the sample‐area effect, and the habitat diversity hypothesis: complementarity in a naturally fragmented landscape of lake islands

Zachary G. MacDonald, Iraleigh D. Anderson, John H. Acorn, Scott E. Nielsen

Journal of Biogeography. 2018 December; 10.1111/jbi.13460

Distribution of Cranberry Blue Butterflies (<em>Agriades optilete</em>) and Their Responses to Forest Disturbance from In Situ Oil Sands and Wildfires

Federico Riva, John H. Acorn, Scott E. Nielsen

Diversity. 2018 October; 10.3390/d10040112

Effects of Narrow Linear Disturbances on Light and Wind Patterns in Fragmented Boreal Forests in Northeastern Alberta

Forests. 2018 August; 10.3390/f9080486

Fire and forest recovery on seismic lines in sandy upland jack pine (Pinus banksiana) forests

Angelo T. Filicetti, Scott E. Nielsen

Forest Ecology and Management. 2018 August; 10.1016/j.foreco.2018.01.027

Trophic interactions among vertebrate guilds and plants shape global patterns in species diversity

Jian Zhang, Hong Qian, Marco Girardello, Vincent Pellissier, Scott E. Nielsen, Jens-Christian Svenning

Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 2018 July; 10.1098/rspb.2018.0949

Macrorefugia for North American trees and songbirds: Climatic limiting factors and multi‐scale topographic influences

Diana Stralberg, Carlos Carroll, John H. Pedlar, Chad B. Wilsey, Daniel W. McKenney, Scott E. Nielsen

Global Ecology and Biogeography. 2018 June; 10.1111/geb.12731

Using spatial mark-recapture for conservation monitoring of grizzly bear populations in Alberta

John Boulanger, Scott E. Nielsen, Gordon B. Stenhouse

Scientific Reports. 2018 March; 10.1038/s41598-018-23502-3

Accelerated seed dispersal along linear disturbances in the Canadian oil sands region

David Roberts, Simone Ciuti, Quinn E. Barber, Caitlin Willier, Scott E. Nielsen

Scientific Reports. 2018 March; 10.1038/s41598-018-22678-y

Survival and growth of residual trees in a variable retention harvest experiment in a boreal mixedwood forest

Dingliang Xing, Scott E. Nielsen, S. Ellen Macdonald, John R. Spence, Fangliang He

Forest Ecology and Management. 2018 March; 10.1016/j.foreco.2018.01.026

Narrow anthropogenic corridors direct the movement of a generalist boreal butterfly

Federico Riva, John H. Acorn, Scott E. Nielsen

Biology Letters. 2018 February; 10.1098/rsbl.2017.0770

Localized disturbances from oil sands developments increase butterfly diversity and abundance in Alberta's boreal forests

Federico Riva, John H. Acorn, Scott E. Nielsen

Biological Conservation. 2018 January; 10.1016/j.biocon.2017.10.022

Spatial Heterogeneity of the Forest Canopy Scales with the Heterogeneity of an Understory Shrub Based on Fractal Analysis

Forests. 2017 April; 10.3390/f8050146

Use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for Monitoring Recovery of Forest Vegetation on Petroleum Well Sites

Remote Sensing. 2017 April; 10.3390/rs9050413

Effects of Lakes on Wildfire Activity in the Boreal Forests of Saskatchewan, Canada

Forests. 2016 November; 10.3390/f7110265

Estimating Understory Temperatures Using MODIS LST in Mixed Cordilleran Forests

Remote Sensing. 2016 August; 10.3390/rs8080658

Assessing the vulnerability of rare plants using climate change velocity, habitat connectivity, and dispersal ability: a case study in Alberta, Canada

Barber, Q.E., Nielsen, S.E. & Hamann, A.

Regional Environmental Change. 2016 January;

Can habitat selection predict abundance?

Boyce, M.S., Johnson, C.J., Merrill, E.H., Nielsen, S.E., Solberg, E.J. & van Moorter, B.

Journal of Animal Ecology. 2016 January; 85

Regional and historical factors supplement current climate in shaping global forest canopy height

Zhang, J., Nielsen, S.E., Mao, L., Chen, S. & Jens-Christian S.

Journal of Ecology. 2016 January; 104

Assessing nutritional parameters of brown bear diets among ecosystems gives insight into differences among populations

López-Alfaroa, C., Coogan, S.C.P., Robbins, C.T., Fortin, J.K. & Nielsen, S.E.

PLoS ONE. 2015 January; 10 (6):e0128088.

Grizzly bear connectivity mapping in the Canada-United States trans-border region

Proctor, M., Nielsen, S.E., Kasworm, W., Servheen, C., Radandt, T., MacHutchon, G. & Boyce, M.S.

Journal of Wildlife Management. 2015 January; 79

Velocity of climate change algorithms for guiding conservation and management

Hamann A., Roberts D.R., Barber Q.E., Carroll C. & Nielsen S.E.

Global Change Biology. 2015 January; 21 (2):997-1004

Habitat selection of a large carnivore along human-wildlife boundaries in a highly modified landscape

akahata C., Nielsen S.E., Takii A. & Izumiyama S.

PLoS ONE. 2014 January; 9 (1):e86181

Linking genotype, ecotype, and phenotype in an intensively managed large carnivore

Shafer A.B.A., Nielsen S.E., Northrup J.M. & Stenhouse G.B.

Evolutionary Applications. 2014 January; 7 (2):301-312

Environmental, biological and anthropogenic effects on grizzly bear body size: temporal and spatial considerations

Nielsen S.E., Cattet M.R.L., Boulanger J., Cranston J., McDermid G.J., Shafer A.B.A., Stenhouse G.B.

BMC Ecology. 2013 January; 13

Trophic cascades: linking ungulates to shrub-dependent birds and butterflies

Teichman K.J., Nielsen S.E. & Roland J

Journal of Animal Ecology. 2013 January; 82

Does Learning or Instinct Shape Habitat Selection?

Plos One. 2013 January; 10.1371/journal.pone.0053721

Landscape-Scale Factors Affecting Feral Horse Habitat Use During Summer Within The Rocky Mountain Foothills

Environmental Management. 2013 January; 10.1007/s00267-012-9987-2

Quantifying grizzly bear selection of natural and anthropogenic edges

Journal of Wildlife Management. 2013 January; 10.1002/jwmg.535

Seasonal Variation in Habitat Selection by Free-Ranging Feral Horses Within Alberta's Forest Reserve

Rangeland Ecology & Management. 2013 January; 10.2111/rem-d-12-00081.1

Vegetation phenology can be captured with digital repeat photography and linked to variability of root nutrition in Hedysarum alpinum

Applied Vegetation Science. 2013 January; 10.1111/avsc.12000

Impact of disturbance characteristics and age on grizzly bear habitat selection

Applied Geography. 2012 January; 10.1016/j.apgeog.2012.03.001

Linking ground-based to satellite-derived phenological metrics in support of habitat assessment

Remote Sensing Letters. 2012 January; 10.1080/01431161.2010.550330

Developing a population target for an overabundant ungulate for ecosystem restoration

Serrouya, R., McLellan, B.N., Boutin, S., Seip, D.R., & Nielsen, S.E.

Journal of Applied Ecology. 2011 January; 48

Relationships between grizzly bear source-sink habitats and prioritized biodiversity sites in Central British Columbia

Nielsen, S.E.

BC Journal of Ecosystems and Management. 2011 January; 12:

Using digital time-lapse cameras to monitor species-specific understorey and overstorey phenology in support of wildlife habitat assessment

Bater, C.W., Coops, N.C., Wulder, M.A., Hilker, T., Nielsen, S.E., McDermid, G., & Stenhouse, G.B.

Environmental Monitoring & Assessment. 2011 January; 180

DESIGN AND INSTALLATION OF A CAMERA NETWORK ACROSS AN ELEVATION GRADIENT FOR HABITAT ASSESSMENT

Instrumentation Science & Technology. 2011 January; 10.1080/10739149.2011.564700

Developing a population target for an overabundant ungulate for ecosystem restoration

Journal of Applied Ecology. 2011 January; 10.1111/j.1365-2664.2011.01998.x

Using digital time-lapse cameras to monitor species-specific understorey and overstorey phenology in support of wildlife habitat assessment

Environmental Monitoring and Assessment. 2011 January; 10.1007/s10661-010-1768-x

A spatially explicit method for evaluating accuracy of species distribution models

Smulders, M., Nelson, T.A., Jelinski, D.E., Nielsen, S.E., & Stenhouse, G.B.

Diversity and Distributions. 2010 January; 16

Dynamic wildlife habitat models: Seasonal foods and mortality risk predict occupancy-abundance and habitat selection in grizzly bears

Nielsen, S.E., McDermid G., Stenhouse, G.B., & Boyce, M.S.

Biological Conservation. 2010 January; 143

A spatially explicit method for evaluating accuracy of species distribution models

Diversity and Distributions. 2010 January; 10.1111/j.1472-4642.2010.00707.x

Dynamic wildlife habitat models: Seasonal foods and mortality risk predict occupancy-abundance and habitat selection in grizzly bears

Biological Conservation. 2010 January; 10.1016/j.biocon.2010.04.007

Development and testing of phenologically driven grizzly bear habitat models

Ecoscience. 2003 January;

Restoration of midwest oak barrens: Structural manipulation or process-only?

Conservation Ecology. 2003 January;

Modeling grizzly bear habitats in the Yellowhead Ecosystem of Alberta: Taking autocorrelation seriously

Ursus. 2002 January;

Gradient responses for understory species in a bracken-grassland and northern-dry forest ecosystem of Northeast Wisconsin

Nielsen, S.E., & Haney, A.

Transactions of the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters. 1998 January; 86

Macrorefugia for North American trees and songbirds: Climatic limiting factors and multi-scale topographic influences.

Stralberg, D., Carroll, C., Pedlar, J.H., Wilsey, C.B., McKenney, D.W. & Nielsen, S.E.

Global Ecology and Biogeography.

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Research Students

Currently accepting undergraduate students for research project supervision.

Please contact me by email for an appointment. In that email, express your interests and provide a CV.