Eliza Maher Hasselquist

I’m an ecologist who has a background in natural resource management, and use tools from community ecology, stream ecology, biogeochemistry, and hydrology to test hypotheses about ecosystem functioning and biological communities in applied systems. I study the effects of ecosystem management on waterways and wetlands in a number of ways including: 1)  instream management actions like restoration of geomorphic complexity or simplification with forest drainage ditch maintenance; 2)  different land management practices adjacent to waterways in terms of why and how to leave riparian buffers; and 3) how forestry practices in peatlands, typically associated with forest drainage, can be improved to meet water quality and quantity goals. 

Course-leader for "Silviculture: the science of stand management" (SG0272), a  15 hp MS-level course. I have been co-leading the course since 2022 (first year as an ‘understudy’) and since have been the lead. 

I also have co-lead a ‘Water Week’ since 2017 focused on how forestry practices affect water quality, focusing on riparian buffers and ditch network maintenance in the MS level course "Sustainable Management of Boreal Forests" (SG0245).

I also teach some lectures within Forest Ecology and Conservation Biology (BI1434). 

Previously at Umeå University, I was a teaching assistant for plant inventory techniques in Ecological Field Methods (Ekologisk Fältmetodik), mushroom keying in Mushroom Identification (Svampkunskap), and plant anatomy and keying in first-year basic courses (Naturens mångfald och Basåret). I also supervised small research projects in Forest Ecology and Management as well as Ecology; which included supervising project development, field work, statistics and report writing. 

Current projects:

(affiliation of other researchers noted if not from my department)

Blue Leads Green: Using blue infrastructure to lead the way to a better forested green infrastructure. Swedish Research Council FORMAS special call: New forest management practices for multiple societal goals. 2023-2026. Main applicant: Eliza Maher Hasselquist, coapplicants: Francisco Aguilar (Dept of Forest Economics, SLU), Luis Andrés Guillén Alm (Forest Policy and Planning Group, SLU, Alnarp), Lenka Kuglerová, Hjalmar Laudon, Therese Löfroth (Community Ecologist specializing in insects, VFM), Irina Mancheva (Political Science, Umeå University), Robert Spitzer (Wildlife Biologist, VFM), Anneli Ågren

AquaBioEx: How to protect what we do not know we have: Identifying, understanding and managing aquatic biodiversity in intensively managed forests and under an increasingly extreme climate. Swedish Research Council FORMAS special call: Links between climate, water and biodiversity. 2023-2027. Main applicant: Lenka Kuglerová, coapplicants: Eliza Maher Hasselquist, Jose Gutierrez Lopez, Maria Kahlert (SLU, Ultuna), Brendan McKie (SLU, Ultuna), Kaisa-Riika Mustonen (U of Oulu, Finland)

Biodiverse Buffers: Follow-up of the ‘Målbilder’ after 10 years. Stora Enso – SLU Long-term Research Collaboration Grant. 2023-2025. Main applicant: Eliza Maher Hasselquist, coapplicant: Lenka Kuglerová

MUST DEFINE: Using a MUltiple STakeholder Dialog and Experiments to reFINE the Swedish Strategic Management Objectives for forest buffers along streams. Swedish Research Council Formas special call: From research to implementation for a sustainable society, 2022-2024.  Main applicant: Lenka Kuglerová, coapplicants: Eliza Maher Hasselquist, Eva Ring (Skogforsk), Elisabet Andersson (Swedish Forest Agency), Andreas Renöfält (SCA)

Barriers and Opportunities to Managing forest ditches for climate – Research, Up-scaling, & Legislation (BOM). Swedish Research Council Formas special call: Swedish Forests Roll in Climate Change, 2022-2026. Main applicant: Hjalmar Laudon, coapplicants: Eliza Maher Hasselquist, Järvi Järveoja, Matthias Peichl, Camilla Sandström (Political Scientist, Umeå University), Ryan Sponseller (Freshwater Ecologist, Umeå University), Anneli Ågren 

The spruce-buffer syndrome: should we prioritize deciduous trees in riparian buffer zones of boreal streams? Swedish Research Council Formas. 2022-2024. Main applicant: Ryan Sponseller (Freshwater Ecologist, Umeå University), coapplicants: Eliza Maher Hasselquist, Lenka Kuglerová, Hjalmar Laudon

Past projects:

Skogssällskapet (the Swedish Forest Society Foundation), 2021-2022: "BIO-REACT: Biochar reactors to purify forest runoff water in managed peatland forests - efficiency of novel biochar feedstocks" Link to project page here. 

Swedish Research Council Formas Mobility Grant, 2019-2023: "Optimizing digital tools for balancing forest productivity and water quality when managing drained boreal forests" - research exchange with Natural Resources Institute of Finland (Luke, Helsinki, Finland), with home university at SLU in Umeå

Water Joint Programming Initiative (JPI) 2018 JOINT CALL, 2019-2023:“REFORM WATER: Reducing the Effects of FORest Management to inland WATERs” - Consortium of five countries working on questions related to peatland forestry and effects of forest drainage.

Skogssällskapet (the Swedish Forest Society Foundation), 2017-2018: "When do we ditch the ditch? – A field test of the “DitchFlowTracker” to prioritize forest drainage ditch maintenance for sustainable forest management" link to the project at Skogssällskapet's website

I work as the Umeå Campus Representative for the Future Forests platform. 

I'm actively participating in the GRIP on LIFE Integrated project in collaboration with The Swedish Forest Agency (Skogsstyrelsen) and the County Administrative Board (Länsstyrelsen) of Västerbotten County.

I am a former representative for the Forest Faculty (S-fak) on the Steering Committee for the SLU Future Faculty, an organisation with the aim to promote the career of early career researchers at SLU. 

Researcher, Department of Forest Ecology and Management, 2020 - onwards, SLU, Umeå, Sweden

Postdoc, Water Quality Impacts Unit, 2019-2020, Natural Resources Institute Finland, Helsinki, Supervisor: Mika Nieminen

Postdoc, Department of Forest Ecology and Management, 2015-2019, SLU, Umeå, Sweden, Supervisor: Hjalmar Laudon

Ph.D., Ecology, 2010 - 2015 (25 Sept 2015), Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden , Main Advisor: Christer Nilsson

Nature Preserve Manager  (2004 – 2009), Center for Natural Lands Management, Riverside, CA, USA

M.S., Biology, 2002 - 2004, Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID, USA, Main advisor:  Matthew J. Germino

B.S., Biology, 1999, Keene State College, Keene, NH, USA

Supervision of Postdocs

Peta Zivec, topic: "Ditches as novel ecosystems: Patterns and drivers of ditch biodiversity in boreal landscapes" Kempe postdoc scholarship, Main supervisor: Eliza Maher Hasselquist, Co-supervisors: Hjalmar Laudon, Ryan Sponseller, Lenka Kuglerová, 2023-2025

Marija Cosovic, topic: "Biodiverse Buffers: Follow-up of the ‘Målbilder’ after 10 years." Stora Enso – SLU Long-term Research Collaboration Grant. Main supervisor: Eliza Maher Hasselquist, Co-supervisors: Lenka Kuglerová, 2023-2025

Supervision of students (PhD level)

Virginia (Vicky) Mosquera, Co-supervisor, Preliminary PhD Thesis title, “Side by side comparison of the impact of old forest harvest and drainage ditches on water quality,” Forest Ecology & Management, SLU, Sweden, Expected defense Fall 2024, Co-supervised with Hjalmar Laudon (main) & Ryan Sponseller

Shirin Karimi, Co-supervisor, Preliminary PhD Thesis title, “Using wetland restoration as a tool to mitigate runoff extremes,” Forest Ecology & Management, SLU, Sweden, Expected defense February 2024, Co-supervised with Hjalmar Laudon (main), Jan Seibert, and Kevin Bishop

Olivia Anderson, Main supervisor, Preliminary PhD Thesis title, “Interdisciplinary decision support for drained wetlands” Forest Ecology & Management, SLU, Sweden, Expected defense Fall 2026, Co-supervised with Anneli Ågren and William Lidberg

Malgorzata Winkowska, Co- supervisor, Preliminary PhD Thesis title, “Nitrogen cycling in spruce and birch dominated riparian zones” Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden, Expected defense Fall 2026, Co-supervised with Ryan Sponseller (main) 

Supervision of students (Masters level)

Elijah Ourth, M.S., Thesis. “Consequences of Alternative Forest Management in Riparian Buffer Zones: A GIS Analysis” Co-supervised with Anneli Ågren. Forest Ecology & Management, SLU, Sweden, June 2023

Eric Lundström. M.S. Thesis. “Major forest companies and owner associations interpretation of policies and certification programs regarding riparian buffer zones” Forest Ecology & Management, SLU, Sweden, June 2023

Jessica Åström, M.S., Thesis. “Evaluating abundance of deciduous trees in production forests along small streams: can Sweden meet current policy goals without intensive management?” Forest Ecology & Management, SLU, Sweden, March 2020

Hanna Glöd, M.S., Thesis: “Forest drainage effects on tree growth in northern Sweden - developing guidelines for Ditch Network Maintenance” Forest Ecology & Management, SLU, Sweden, Feb 2018

Lisa Sandberg, M.S., Thesis: “Effects of restoration on instream bryophyte communities: monitoring of two different restoration techniques in the Vindel River system,” Ecology and Environmental Science, Umeå University, Sweden, January 2015

Supervision of students (Bachelors level)

Rasmus Staaf, BS. Thesis. “Sediment transport in small streams is related to riparian buffer width: A comparison between wide and narrow riparian buffers” Forest Ecology & Management, SLU, Sweden, June 2022

Julia Nygårdh & Linnea Larsson, B.S. Thesis: “Riparian buffers and their management through time: Has the composition in riparian zones been affected by previous management since 1963?” Forest Ecology & Management, SLU, Sweden, May 2020

Fanny Everheim, B.S., Thesis: “Effects of stream restoration on riparian bryophytes” Ecology and Environmental Science, Umeå University, Sweden, June 2016

Publications from SLUPub

Google scholar

Restoration, Riparian Buffer, Ditch cleaning, water quality, wetlands, stream

Restaurering, återställande, dikesrensning, skyddzoner, vattenkvalitet, våtmark, bäck