ABOUT
Dendron was founded in 2016 and is now a leading forestry consulting firm in Eastern Ontario.
Fueled by a belief in the vital importance of trees to life inside and outside cities, we are passionate about practicing responsible, sustainable forest management.
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As professional foresters we specialize in life-cycle forest management: whether it’s balancing the preservation and replanting of trees on a single construction site, identifying strategies for a provincial park in the wake of exotic species invasion, or helping a municipality review and update its bylaws, Dendron maintains a holistic focus on the best outcomes for the long-term benefit of society.
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We pride ourselves on our integrity and strong client relations: we take the time to understand your needs and what is required for a successful project. Dendron is uniquely positioned to work with Ottawa’s development community to find solutions to the challenges between increasing density and preserving the urban forest.
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Whether a simple tree risk assessment, a large-scale construction project or forest management plan, Dendron staff have the expertise to ensure the timely delivery of a high quality product guaranteed to meet your requirements.
OUR TEAM
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Astrid Nielsen - Principal
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Astrid Nielsen is an ISA Certified Arborist® and a Registered Professional Forester licensed in Ontario with over 25 years of experience working in traditional and urban forestry. Although an Ottawa native, she began her career in British Columbia and has been back home since 1998. She has an in-depth knowledge of tree by-laws and planning policies around tree protection and has consulted on many projects in this area and across Ontario.
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Astrid is an Adjunct Professor in Forestry at the University of Toronto's John H. Daniel's Faculty Architecture, Landscape and Design, a past president of the Ontario Professional Foresters Association, was the General Manager of the Eastern Ontario Model Forest for 5 years (2016-2021), and also worked at the City of Ottawa in various forestry positions. She has extensive experience ranging from invasive species outbreaks, forest inventory, carbon offsets and forest certification.
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A strong belief in the importance of education has led Astrid to present at multiple conferences across Canada, and to teach at the University of Toronto where she has been a Sessional Lecturer since 2017. Astrid has operated Dendron Forestry Services since 2016.
Mario Vasconcellos - Admin support
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Mario Vasconcellos is a bookkeeping and data analytics professional supporting Dendron Forestry Services with invoicing, payroll, reconciliations, and management reporting. He brings over a decade of financial leadership—spanning CFO and senior analyst roles—along with recent experience in office operations and database reporting (QuickBooks, FileMaker, advanced Excel).
Mario’s strengths include budgeting and forecasting, dashboard creation, and process improvements that enhance accuracy and decision-making. He is currently completing a Business Management Diploma at Algonquin College (2023–2025). Earlier in his career, Mario spent more than a decade in Quito, Ecuador, serving as CFO for CONSUMA (2013–2023) and previously as Senior Financial Analyst at COREPTEC (2010–2013), leading budgeting, cash-flow strategy, bank financing, and performance reporting.
ASSOCIATES
​Jim Hendry, R.P.F.
Jim Hendry is a registered professional forester who has spent the past 35+ years working with landowners, community groups, industry and governments to help manage the forests and natural resources primarily in eastern Ontario with some time in New Brunswick and north-eastern Ontario. Over the past 14 years he has operated a private forestry consulting business, Hendry Forestry Service. Jim’s forest management expertise includes a wide range of forest types found in the Deciduous Forest Region both natural and plantation.
In his spare time, he enjoys spending time in the outdoors with family and friends. He also manages the family farm in Perth and recently planted 15,000 trees for future generations to enjoy!
ROSEMARY FLEGUEL
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Rosemary Fleguel is a highly experienced forest technician and conservation specialist with over four decades of dedicated service to forestry and species at risk recovery in Ontario. After graduating from Sir Sandford Fleming College in 1981, she began her career with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR), working across northern districts and later overseeing a network of private greenhouse growers supplying millions of spruce and jack pine seedlings for provincial reforestation efforts. She went on to play a pivotal role in Canada’s first Butternut Recovery Program, leading field investigations, coordinating landowner outreach, and authoring the first literature review on Butternut and Butternut Canker as a foundation for provincial recovery efforts.
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Since 2006, Rosemary has managed the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority’s Butternut Recovery Program, becoming one of Ontario’s foremost authorities on the species. She established the province’s first Butternut Archive, advanced grafting techniques, and built extensive partnerships among landowners, conservation authorities, and government agencies. In addition to her leadership at RVCA, she has taught the Butternut Health Assessor Course across southern Ontario, managed the Forest Gene Conservation Association’s Butternut Archive Program, and contributed expert assessments and reports for Ontario Nature, Environment and Climate Change Canada, and Parks Canada. Her work reflects a lifelong commitment to forest restoration, biodiversity, and the recovery of Canada’s most endangered native tree species.
CONTACT
To get in touch with us, please fill out the following form or call us at 613.805.WOOD (9663)