We are honored to celebrate the late Dr. Narinder Dhir, University of Minnesota alum, forest genetics program manager, and scientist, who led the Alberta Forest Service’s forest genetics and tree improvement program for more than 30 years. Dr. Dhir’s impact on the Canadian province’s tree conservation efforts continue to reverberate, as do the gifts he provided to support the Department of Forest Resources programming and operations. Dr. Dhir died in 2014.
Dr. Dhir was born and raised in India but moved to the Midwest in the 1960s to study forestry at the University of Minnesota. His advisor was the late Carl Mohn, who specialized in forestry genetics and tree improvement through selection and breeding. “Narinder was an excellent scholar and worked well in the field,” Mohn shared after Dr. Dhir’s death. “He was a congenial guy who got along well with everyone.”
In 1975, Dr. Dhir was hired by the Alberta Forest Service to develop a province-wide genetics and tree improvement program. At the time, he was the only staff member and had no facilities. During his tenure, the program grew to become well established with hundreds of genetic field trials and dozens of test sites.
“Through all the administrative and scientific challenges over the years, Narinder was always the strongest and most determined advocate for maintaining a viable tree improvement program within the Alberta provincial government,” the Alberta Sustainable Resource Development shared upon his retirement in 2008.
The Department of Forest Resources is honoring him with a plaque that will be hung in Green Hall. Through his generous contributions to our department, we have invested considerably in our programs and community. His philanthropy has helped to foster the next generation of foresters.
The Forest Scene newsletter is published biannually in the spring and fall, featuring stories and updates from the Department of Forest Resources. Readers can download issue 30 of Forest Scene as an interactive PDF that is fully tagged and compatible with most screen readers, or read the individual stories here in a web-based format:
- Department Message from Kristen Nelson
- New Faculty: Alicia Coleman and Irene De Pellegrin Llorente
- Highlights from the 2023 SAF National Convention
- Staff Retirement: Colleen O'Connor
- Graduate Research: Boosting Eastern Hemlock
- New Research: Survivor Elms Key to Revitalizing Minnesota's Elm Population
- New Resource: Creating Climate-Ready Woodlands
- Field Session Snapshots
Image 1 description: At left is an outline of a sprig of white pine. To the right is the name of the article in bold black text ("Donor Alum Recognition: Dr. Narinder Dhir") below the name and date of the publication it's in.
Image 2 description: A close-up photo of stacked timber overlaid with the text "Forest Scene: Issue 30, Fall 2023". The UMN Forest Resources logo is at the bottom. All text is in white and evergreen sprigs provide some green coloring.