Replant.ca Environmental

Jonathan Clark, President & CFO, Director of New Brunswick & Nova Scotia Operations

Jonathan Clark is also commonly known just as "Scooter" within the Canadian reforestation community. He has a diverse background ranging from planting and forestry supervision to business management and advisory services for a number of businesses and corporations throughout Canada. Jonathan initially became involved in tree planting while he was completing his undergrad degree at Mount Allison University in southeastern New Brunswick. After obtaining a Bachelor of Commerce degree (pursuing a dual major in marketing and accounting), he went on to complete a Masters in Business Administration degree. During his career to date, he has worked for more than fifteen different forestry and reforestation companies, and has directly supervised the planting of more than 127.3 million trees throughout Canada. In addition, he has personally planted more than 1.2 million trees during his career, and even today continues to enjoy planting for a few months each year. He is also the author of Step By Step, which is the standard textbook used for training tree planters throughout Canada. Although he continues to supervise the planting of large industrial/commercial projects in western Canada, his recent desire to grow Replant.ca Environmental arose from his determination to become involved in reforestation projects that would help with permanent CO2 sequestration, and to help build demonstration forests that will benefit future generations in perpetuity. As of 2023, Jonathan is currently working on his Green Shores certification and furthering his GIS education through BCIT.

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Dee Iscaro, Indigenous Relations & Horticulture

Driven by a profound commitment to ecological harmony and equality, Dee's belief in the correlation between trees and social justice lies in the recognition of the interconnectedness between environmental sustainability, community well-being, and equitable access to resources. For the last two decades, her work with reforestation and community development projects has promoted a greater awareness for the need of biodiversity, specific to native species. She understands that this is crucial not only for the health of our planet, but also for the livelihoods of communities that depend on forests for their sustenance and cultural practices. Drawing from a tapestry of interdisciplinary approaches through her current studies of Indigenous Relations, Food Security, and Policy Analysis, Dee acknowledges the historical and ongoing injustices faced by indigenous communities in relation to land stewardship and resource management. She advocates that trees and forests hold immense cultural significance for many Indigenous peoples, and their protection and management are intertwined with broader struggles for Indigenous rights and sovereignty. By promoting sustainable forestry practices and fostering a deeper connection with nature, Dee endeavors to address these disparities and create more inclusive and resilient communities.

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Laura Monk, Operations & Planning Consultant

Laura Monk studied engineering at Queens University, where she completed her B.A.Sc. degree. While she was completing her degree, Laura spent several seasons doing commercial reforestation work in various provinces. So far during her career, her strong drive and work ethic have helped her to plant more than 749,041 trees for dozens of clients in different provinces across Canada, from the Atlantic provinces to BC's rugged north coast. Her goal of combining her engineering skills with her strong interest in forestry and environmental projects led her to accept a position as our VP of Operations and Planning, and she is a key participant in our planting projects on both sides of Canada. In addition to her tree planting work, she is also involved in stand tending projects and other forest improvement activities, which is a significant asset for our work in developing Demonstration Forests throughout Atlantic Canada.

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Karla Sewell, Vice President, Research

Karla is in her final year of academic studies at the University of Winnipeg, where she is an environmental sciences student completing a double honours degree in biology and forest ecology, with a geography minor. It was only after her first year of tree planting (as a seasonal summer job in western Canada) that she looked into a degree relating to forestry. She was intrigued by the large environmental and economical impact that industry carried, and thoroughly enjoyed working in the field and on recently harvested cut-blocks. She quickly discovered that she could complement her biology degree with a forestry major, thanks to the large amount of crossover studies between the two disciplines. Her current studies allow her to mesh tree planting and the forestry sector with a bioanalytical academic component, which she is very passionate about. Karla has planted more than 238,714 trees so far during her reforestation career.

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Kristin Sewell, Director of Saskatchewan Operations

Kristin, who was born and raised on the prairies, is currently studying for her Honours Bachelor of Science in Forestry at Lakehead University. Her focus in these academic studies is on the study of botany, and she has a keen interest in trees and reforestation. Kristin is a recent addition to our team, although she has planted more than 252,468 trees so far during her reforestation career.

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John Moran, Director of Newfoundland Operations

John is a professional tree planter from St. John's, Newfoundland. He has worked in various locations throughout Canada, from Newfoundland to the prairies to BC's rugged mountains. John has also been involved in silviculture surveying and quality assessment work in the commercial reforestation industry in western Canada. John and his Newfoundland associates are welcome addition as we continue to build Replant.ca Environmental as a truly national organization in scope.

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Shalyn Soames, Director of British Columbia Operations

Shalyn is a professional tree planter from Kamloops, who has planted more than 326,305 trees during her career. She is currently in her fourth year of study at Thompson Rivers University, where she is working on completing her bachelor degree in Natural Resource Science. Although she is interested in all aspects of natural resources within Canada, the main focus of her studies relates to invasive species research and silviculture. After graduating, she intends to continue working towards her registered professional forester certification within British Columbia. Shalyn has been involved in a number of planting projects around central British Columbia and throughout western Canada.

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Jon Phinney, Stand Tending Supervisor, Trail Maintenance

Jon runs all of our stand tending programs, which includes chain saw and brush work. He has accrued a great deal of experience in these areas through his silviculture work in British Columbia, Alberta, and New Brunswick. Stand tending refers to management activities which are designed to increase the long-term growth of any forest area. In dense forest stands, you may be able to find very large numbers of trees, but their growth is often restricted due to competition (with other trees) for the available resources. By reducing the density in such areas, it is possible to ensure that the surviving trees are able to achieve much greater gains in height and diameter, and these gains will more than offset the loss of the competing trees. Stand tending is also useful to eliminate "weed trees" (such as alders), or trees which only live a short life of less than fifty years. Such trees do not add significantly to carbon capture, and often take up valuable space in a forest floor, which prevents more beneficial long-lived species from being able to establish themselves. By applying stand management techniques such as thinning treatments, some of the less valuable trees in a plantion are removed. In the long run, this creates a stronger and healthier mature forest, with more carbon capture and with more aesthetic and recreational value. Most environmentally proactive companies focus solely on planting trees, because that is the glamorous part of afforestation and reforestation. However, at Replant.ca Environmental, we invest resources (sometimes in partnership with our provincial government) to do what is best for the overall health of our forest projects.

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