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Lab Director: Dr. Srijana (Sri) Baral
Dr. Sri Baral is an assistant professor of economics of ecological risk and resilience in the Department of Forest and Rangeland Stewardship at Colorado State University. She completed her PhD from the University of Georgia.
Her research program at CSU focuses on the intersection of forestry, finance, and economics, emphasizing the economic resilience of climate-adaptive land management decisions, policy mechanisms that incentivize sustainable forest management practices, and forestland investment decisions under uncertainty. Dr. Baral likes to bake and hike and enjoys exploring coffee shops.
Email: Srijana.Baral@colostate.edu
Post-Doctoral Researcher
Dr. Mahesha Kuluppuarachchi is an environmental economist with a Ph.D. in Environmental Social Sciences from The Ohio State University (2024), specializing in environmental economics. With a robust academic background, including an M.S. in Forestry from Mississippi State University (2020) and a B.S. in Agriculture (2017) from Wayamba University of Sri Lanka, Mahesha has a deep interest in understanding the trends in forest economics, forestland ownerships, non-market valuation, and human dimensions. Her expertise lies in quantitative data analysis, and econometric modeling with a focus on understanding the economic dynamics of natural resources, specifically - forest ecosystems and recreational fisheries. Mahesha is also interested in exploring human dimensions in these sectors to better understand stakeholder behaviors, preferences, and decision-making processes. She is committed to advancing sustainability of natural resources through innovative research, and informed policy recommendations.
Graduate Students
Sungeun Cho is a PhD student in the Department of FRS. She earned her Master’s degree from Seoul National University in South Korea. She also worked at the Korea Rural Economic Institute on several research projects related to forest direct payment systems, forest decentralization, and non-timber forest products in Korea. Her main focus of Ph.D. research is the forest carbon market and the provision of ecosystem services in rangeland ecosystems. Outside of work and school, she enjoys painting, traveling, and snorkeling.
Email: sungeun.cho@colostate.edu
Dhruba Burlakoti is a PhD student in the Department of FRS. He completed his undergraduate degree in Forestry from Agriculture and Forestry University Nepal. He then worked as a consulting forester for nearly a year before getting his MS degree in Forest Economics from Purdue. He did his Master’s thesis on economic impact analyses of consumptive forest resources in Indiana. For his Ph.D. thesis, he is working on incentive programs for private forest landowners in the US. Besides academia, he likes to spend time outdoors, hiking, and swimming.
Kritagya Gyawali is a PhD student in the Department of FRS. He completed his MS degree in forest sciences from Colorado State University. For his PhD dissertation, Kritagya is studying the economics of forest fuel treatments and associated incentive programs. Besides academics, he is fond of traveling, literature, writing, and exploring cuisines and arts around the world.
Email: kritagya.gyawali@colostate.edu
Faith Glaze joined the department of FRS as an MS student in Fall 2024. She completed her undergraduate degree at Colorado State University. For her master’s thesis, Faith is studying forest products mill closures in the southwestern United States. Beyond work and school, she enjoys hiking, camping, baking, and reading.
Email: faith.glaze@colostate.edu
Past Lab Members
Alisha Sharma, MS Forest Sciences | Currently a PhD student in agricultural economics at CSU.
Jake Baker, Undergraduate researcher
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