Publications

Listed below are publications from the last 10 years. For a complete list of all publications please visit: Google Scholar ID; ORCID iD

If you need access to one of these articles, please email treelab1@ualberta.ca with your request.

  1. Cappa, E.P., Chen, C., Klutsch, J.G. et al. Revealing stable SNPs and genomic prediction insights across environments enhance breeding strategies of productivity, defense, and climate-adaptability traits in white spruce. Heredity (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41437-025-00747-z
  2. Luo, D., O’Neill, G.A., Thomas, B.R., Ukrainetz, N., and Wang, T. Evaluating the effectiveness of climate-based seed transfer and assisted migration: a case study of lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia Dougl.) and interior spruce (Picea engelmanii x glauca (Moench) Voss and their hybrids) in western Canada. Annals of Forest Science 82, 7 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13595-025-01275-w
  3. Azcona, J., Cappa, E., Da Ros, L., Ratcliffe, B., Chen, C., Wei, X., Liu, Y., Mansfield, S., Hamann, A., El-kassaby, Y., Thomas, B.  2024. Short- and long-term growth response to multiple drought episodes: evidence of genetic adaptation in a conifer species. Authorea. August 27, 2024. DOI: 10.22541/au.172480010.07411169/v1 PREPRINT
  4. Bhandari, S.K., Pinno, B.D., and Thomas, B.R., Tree improvement increases the growth of white spruce (Picea glauca): Evidence from 15-year-old operational plantations in Alberta. 2024.
    Forest Ecology and Management. Vol 561.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2024.121855
  5. Luo, D., O’Neill, G.A., Yang, Y., Galeano, E., Wang, T., and Thomas, B.R. Population-specific climate sensitive top height curves and their applications to assisted migration. Eur J Forest Res (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10342-024-01694-w
  6. Barb R. Thomas, Michael Stoehr, Stefan G. Schreiber, Andy Benowicz, William R. Schroeder, Raju Soolanayakanahally, Chris Stefner, Ken A. Elliott, Newton Philis, Ngaire Rubal, Pierre Périnet, Martin Perron, Dale Simpson, Michele Fullarton, Josh Sherrill, Mary Myers, David Steeves, Simon Bockstette, Basil English, and John Kort. 2024. Tree Improvement in Canada – past, present and future, 2023 and beyond. 2024. The Forestry Chronicle. 100(1): 59-87. https://doi.org/10.5558/tfc2024-004
  7. Bhandari, S.K., Pinno B.D., and Thomas, B.R. Tree Improvement increases the growth of white spruce (Picea glauca): Evidence from 15-year-old operational plantations in Alberta. Forest Ecology and Management.  2024.  Volume 561. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2024.121855
  8. Bhandari, S.K., Pinno B.D., Stadt, K.J., and Thomas, B.R. Growth response to pre-commercial thinning of lodgepole pine is short-term but the effects on size distribution persist for decades. The Forestry Chronicle. e-First  https://doi.org/10.5558/tfc2024-002
  9. Niemczyk, M., Thomas, B.R. & Jastrzębowski, S. Strategies for difficult times: physiological and morphological responses to drought stress in seedlings of Central European tree species. Trees 37, 1657–1669 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-023-02450-0
  10. Dawei Luo, Gregory A. O’Neill, Yuqing Yang et al. Climate-Sensitive Growth and Yield Models and Their Application to Assisted Migration, 21 November 2023, PREPRINT (Version 1) available at Research Square. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-3627309/v1
  11. Galeano E, Cappa EP, Bousquet J, Thomas BR. Optimizing a Regional White Spruce Tree Improvement Program: SNP Genotyping for Enhanced Breeding Values, Genetic Diversity Assessment, and Estimation of Pollen Contamination. Forests. 2023; 14(11):2212. https://doi.org/10.3390/f14112212
  12. Xinli Chen, Barb R. Thomas, Sarah Pattison, Zhengfeng An, Scott X. Chang. 2023. Pulp mill biosolids mitigate soil greenhouse gas emissions from applied urea and improve soil fertility in a hybrid poplar plantation. Journal of Environmental Management, Volume 344, 2023, 118474, ISSN 0301-4797. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.118474
  13. Galeano, E. and Thomas, B.R. 2023. Unraveling genetic variation among white spruce families generated through different breeding strategies: Heritability, growth, physiology, hormones and gene expression. Front. Plant Sci. 14:1052425. doi: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2023.1052425
  14. Esteban Galeano, Simon Bockstette, and Barb R. Thomas. 2023. An economic analysis and seed yield assessment of alternative breeding strategies in a white spruce tree improvement program. The Forestry Chronicle. 99(1): 52-66. https://doi.org/10.5558/tfc2023-001
  15. Stephanie B. Rudnew, Esteban Galeano, and Barb R. Thomas. 2023. Effect of soil warming on growth and physiology of aspen seedlings from Alberta, Canada. The Forestry Chronicle. 99(1): 67-79. https://doi.org/10.5558/tfc2023-002
  16. Yang Liu, Nadir Erbilgin, Eduardo Pablo Cappa, Charles Chen, Blaise Ratcliffe, Xiaojing Wei, Jennifer G Klutsch, Aziz Ullah, Jaime Sebastian Azcona, Barb R Thomas, Yousry A El-Kassaby, Decoupling of height growth and drought or pest resistance tradeoffs is revealed through multiple common-garden experiments of lodgepole pine, Evolution, Volume 77, Issue 3, 1 March 2023, Pages 893–906, https://doi.org/10.1093/evolut/qpad004
  17. Szyp-Borowska I, Ukalska J, Niemczyk M, Wojda T, Thomas BR. Effects of Water Deficit Stress on Growth Parameters of Robinia pseudoacacia L. Selected Clones under In Vitro Conditions. Forests. 2022; 13(12):1979. https://doi.org/10.3390/f13121979
  18. Cappa, E.P., Chen, C., Klutsch, J.G. et al. Multiple-trait analyses improved the accuracy of genomic prediction and the power of genome-wide association of productivity and climate change-adaptive traits in lodgepole pine. BMC Genomics 23, 536 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12864-022-08747-7
  19. Liu, Y., Erbilgin, N., Ratcliffe, B., Klutsch, J. G., Wei, X., Ullah, A., Cappa, E. P., et al. Pest defenses under weak selection exert a limited influence on the evolution of height growth and drought avoidance in marginal pine populations. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2022.1034
  20. Cappa, E.P., Ratcliffe, B., Chen, C., Thomas, B.R., Liu, Y., Klustch, J., Wei, X., Azcona, J. S., Benowicz, A., Sadoway, S., Erbilgin, N., El-Kassaby, Y.A. 2022. Improving lodgepole pine genomic evaluation using spatial correlation structure and SNP selection with single-step GBLUP. Heredity (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41437-022-00508-2  Supplemental data: Heredity paper supplemental data Cappa et al. 2022
  21. Wei, X., Benowicz, A., Sebastian-Azcona, J., & Thomas, B. R. (2022). Genetic variation in leaf traits and gas exchange responses to vapour pressure deficit in contrasting conifer species. Functional Ecology, 00, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.14007
  22. Cappa EP, Klutsch JG, Sebastian-Azcona J, Ratcliffe B, Wei X, Da Ros L, Liu Y, Chen C, Benowicz A, Sadoway S, Mansfield SD, Erbilgin N, Thomas BR, El-Kassaby YA. (2022) Integrating genomic information and productivity and climate-adaptability traits into a regional white spruce breeding program. PLOS ONE 17(3): e0264549. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0264549
  23. Dawei Luo, Phil G. Comeau, and Barb R. Thomas. Effects of interspecific competition on early growth of genetically improved white spruce in mixedwood stands in northeastern Alberta. Canadian Journal of Forest Research. 52(5): 819-833. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfr-2021-0300
  24. Luo, Dawei, and Barb R. Thomas. “An analysis of age-age correlations in white spruce and lodgepole pine and how it applies to the growth and yield projection system (GYPSY) in Alberta (vol 482, pg 1, 2021).” FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT 503 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2020.118865
  25. Pappas, C. et al. (2022). Smartforests Canada: A Network of Monitoring Plots for Forest Management Under Environmental Change. In: Tognetti, R., Smith, M., Panzacchi, P. (eds) Climate-Smart Forestry in Mountain Regions. Managing Forest Ecosystems, vol 40. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-80767-2_16
  26. Niemczyk, M., Chmura, D.J., Socha, J. et al.  How geographic and climatic factors affect the adaptation of Douglas-fir provenances to the temperate continental climate zone in Europe. Eur J Forest Res (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10342-021-01398-5
  27. Letitia M. Da Ros, Barb R. Thomas, Shawn D. Mansfield. Wood quality trait associations with climate: Room for improvement in two northern commercial tree species?. Forest Ecology and Management. Volume 497, 2021, 119492, ISSN 0378-1127, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2021.119492
  28. Wang, S., An, H., Chang, W-Y., Gaston, C., Thomas, B.R. Economic potential of adopting genomic technology in Alberta’s tree improvement sector. The Forestry Chronicle. 97(3): 277-299. https://doi.org/10.5558/tfc2021-032
  29. Pinno, Bradley D., Thomas, Barb R. and Lieffers, Victor J. 2021. Wood supply challenges in Alberta – Growing more timber is the only sustainable solution. The Forestry Chronicle. e-First https://doi.org/10.5558/tfc2021-013
  30. Hu, Y.; Kamelchuk, D., Krygier, R., Thomas, B.R. Field Testing of Selected Salt-Tolerant Screened Balsam Poplar (Populus balsamifera L.) Clones for Use in Reclamation around End-Pit Lakes Associated with Bitumen Extraction in Northern Alberta. Forests 2021, 12, 572. https://doi.org/10.3390/f12050572
  31. Galeano, E., Bousquet, J. & Thomas, B.R. 2021. SNP-based analysis reveals unexpected features of genetic diversity, parental contributions and pollen contamination in a white spruce breeding program. Sci Rep 11, 4990. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-84566-2
  32. Galeano, E., Thomas, B.R. 2020 Effect of elevated gibberellic acid application on growth and gene expression patterns in white spruce families from a tree improvement program in Alberta, Canada. Tree Physiology. https://doi.org/10.1093/treephys/tpaa133
  33. Luo, D., Thomas, B.R. 2021. An analysis of age-age correlations in white spruce and lodgepole pine and how it applies to the growth and yield projection system (GYPSY) in Alberta. Forest Ecology and Management. 482. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2020.118865 
  34. Bockstette, S., de la Mata, R., Thomas, B.R. 2021. Best of both worlds: hybrids of two commercially important pines (Pinus contorta × P. banksiana) combine increased growth potential and high drought tolerance. Canadian Journal of Forest Research. 51 (10) https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfr-2020-0420
  35. Chang, S.X., Zheng, S., Thomas, B.R. 2020 Soil respiration and net ecosystem productivity in a chronosequence of hybrid poplar plantations. Canadian Journal of Soil Science. 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjss-2020-0006
  36. Niemczyk, M., Thomas, B.R. 2020 Growth parameters and resistance to Sphaerulina musiva-induced canker are more important than wood density for increasing genetic gain from selection of Populus spp. hybrids … Annals of Forest Science 77 (2), 1-14 https://doi.org/10.1007/s13595-020-0931-y
  37. Lieffers, V.J., Pinno, B.D., Beverly, J.L., Thomas, B.R., Nock, C. 2020 Reforestation policy has constrained options for managing risks on public forests. Canadian Journal of Forest Research. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfr-2019-0422
  38. Klutsch, J., Kee, C., Cappa, E., Ratcliffe, B., Thomas, B.R., & Erbilgin, N. 2020 Increment coring induced traumatic resin ducts in white spruce but not in lodgepole pine. Tree-Ring Research: January 2020, Vol. 76, No. 1, pp. 54-58. https://doi.org/10.3959/TRR2019-5
  39. Niemczyk, M., Hu, Y. & Thomas, B.R. 2019. Selection of poplar genotypes for adapting to climate change. Forests 10(11), 1041. https://doi.org/10.3390/f10111041
  40. Bockstette, S. & Thomas, B.R. 2019. Impact of genotype and parent origin on the efficacy and optimal timingof GA4/7 stem injections in a lodgepole pine seed orchard. New For. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11056-019-09733-w
  41. Arshad, M., Biswas, K., Bisgrove, S., Schroeder, W., Thomas, B.R., Mansfield, S., Mattson, J. & Plant, A. 2019. Differences in drought tolerance revealed in nine North American hybrid poplars. Trees – Struct. Funct. Pp. 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-019-01846-1
  42. Chang, W-Y, Gaston, C. Cool, J., & Thomas, B.R. A financial analysis of using improved planting stock or white spruce and lodgepole pine in Alberta, Canada: Genomic selection versus traditional breeding. Forestry: An International J of For Res. 92(3), 297-310. 
  43. Hu, Y. & Thomas, B.R. 2019. Hormones and heterosis in hybrid balsam poplar (Populus balsamifera L.). Forests 10(2): 143. https://doi.org/10.3390/f10020143 OA (featured manuscript).
  44. Chang, W-Y., Wang, S., Gaston, C., Cool, J., An, H., & Thomas, B.R. 2019. Economic evaluations of tree improvement for planted forests: a systematic review. BioProducts Business 4(1),  1-14. 
  45. Goehing, J., Henkel-Johnson, D., Macdonald, E.S., Bork, E.W., & Thomas, B.R. 2019. Spatial partitioning of competitive effects from neighbouring herbaceous vegetation on establishing hybrid poplars in plantations. Can J For Res. doi:10.1139/cjfr-2018-0410 OA
  46. Khan, S., Thomas, B.R., de la Mata, R., Randall, M.J., Zhang, W. & Zwiazek, J.J. 2019. Variation in aquaporin and physiological responses among Pinus contorta families under different moisture conditions. Plants 8, 13. doi:10.3390/plants8010013 OA
  47. Mamashita, T., Larocque, G. R., DesRochers, A., Beaulieu, J., Thomas, B. R., Mosseler, A., Major, J. and Sidders, D. 2017. Accelerating the selection process for Populus and Salix clones using short-term photosynthetic acclimation responses under greenhouse conditions. Écoscience, 24(1-2), 59-73. DOI: 10.1080/11956860.2017.1361508
  48. Schreiber, S. G., & Thomas, B. R. 2017. Forest industry investment in tree improvement–a wise business decision or a bottomless pit? Answers from a new tree improvement valuation model for Alberta, Canada. The Forestry Chronicle, 93(1), 38-43. https://doi.org/10.5558/tfc2017-009
  49. Goehing, J., Thomas, B.R., Macdonald, and S.E., Bork, E.W. 2017. Effects of alternative establishment systems on resource availability, understorey, composition, and tree performance in juvenile hybrid poplar plantations. Forestry, 90(4), 515-529. https://doi.org/10.1093/forestry/cpx005
  50. Lupi, C., Larocque, G. R., DesRochers, A., Labrecque, M., Mosseler, A., Major, J., Beaulieu, J., Tremblay, F., Gordon, A. M., Thomas, B. R. 2017. Biomass from young hardwood stands on marginal lands: Allometric equations and sampling methods. Biomass and Bioenergy, 98, 172-181. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2017.01.023
  51. Thomas, B. R., Schreiber, S. G., & Kamelchuk, D. P. 2016. Impact of planting container type on growth and survival of three hybrid poplar clones in central Alberta, Canada. New Forests, 47(6), 815-827. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11056-016-9546-4
  52. Henkel-Johnson, D., Macdonald, S. E., Bork, E. W., & Thomas, B. R. 2016. Influence of weed composition, abundance, and spatial proximity on growth in young hybrid poplar plantations. Forest Ecology and Management, 362, 55-68. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2015.11.010
  53. Grenke, J. S., Macdonald, S. E., Thomas, B. R., Moore, C. A., & Bork, E. W. 2016. Relationships between understory vegetation and hybrid poplar growth and size in an operational plantation. The Forestry Chronicle, 92(4), 469-476. https://doi.org/10.5558/tfc2016-083
  54. Gray, L. K., Rweyongeza, D., Hamann, A., John, S., & Thomas, B. R. 2016. Developing management strategies for tree improvement programs under climate change: Insights gained from long-term field trials with lodgepole pine. Forest Ecology and Management, 377, 128-138. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2016.06.041
  55. Gray, L. K., Hamann, A., John, S., Rweyongeza, D., Barnhardt, L., & Thomas, B. R. 2016. Climate change risk management in tree improvement programs: selection and movement of genotypes. Tree Genetics & Genomes, 12(2), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11295-016-0983-1
  56. Chang, S. X., Shi, Z., & Thomas, B. R. 2016. Soil respiration and its temperature sensitivity in agricultural and afforested poplar plantation systems in northern Alberta. Biology and Fertility of Soils, 52(5), 629-641. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-016-1104-x
  57. Adonsou, K. E., DesRochers, A., Tremblay, F., Thomas, B. R., & Isabel, N. 2016. The clonal root system of balsam poplar in upland sites of Quebec and Alberta. Ecology and Evolution, 6(19), 6846-6854. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.2441
  58. Lupi, C., Larocque, G., DesRochers, A., Labrecque, M., Mosseler, A., Major, J., Beaulieu, J., Tremblay, F., Gordon, A. M., Thomas, B. R. 2015. Evaluating sampling designs and deriving biomass equations for young plantations of poplar and willow clones. Biomass and Bioenergy, 83, 196-205. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2015.09.019
  59. Mamashita, T., Larocque, G. R., DesRochers, A., Beaulieu, J., Thomas, B. R., Mosseler, A., Major, J., Sidders, D. 2015. Short-term growth and morphological responses to nitrogen availability and plant density in hybrid poplars and willows. Biomass and Bioenergy, 81, 88-97. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2015.06.003
  60. Schreiber, S. G., Hacke, U. G., Chamberland, S., Lowe, C. W., Kamelchuk, D., Bräutigam, K., Campbell, M., Thomas, B. R. 2015. Leaf size serves as a proxy for xylem vulnerability to cavitation in plantation trees. Plant, cell & environment, 39(2), 272-281. https://doi.org/10.1111/pce.12611