Mark Corrao, Ph.D. Email and Phone Number

Design, build, test and innovate across our company service teams to continue the customer-focused support we have maintained since being founded.

What started as a path to ‘keep tabs’ on emerging technologies applicable to forest inventory has grown into an operationally-accurate data source that offers an improved foundation to all of NMI’s services. Since our first Lidar acquisition in 2015 to the single-tree Digital Inventory® services of ForestView® on nearly 4M commercial forestry acres in 12 States, our team has found tremendous value Lidar. Forest inventory is often the focus of conversation because it is operationally the most valuable, however, the every-day services of traditional inventory, road layout, stream mapping, fire risk modeling, avoided cost calculations, and biomass/carbon quantification have all been significantly improved along the way. For decades our team has served Tribal Nations throughout the U.S. and we take pride in the many long-standing relationships we have from this work. As Tribes and First Nations lead forest health, fire, timber, workforce development, and resource planning efforts our team remains at their side with applied forestry experience and the power of ForestView® to support these multi-generational pathways.Collaboration is critical in an age of fast-moving technology. Working with the University of Idaho we are helping to showcase the University’s Experimental Forest as one of the most-advanced outdoor learning ‘environments’ in the Nation, leading students forward with forest health, carbon, site index, species, fire risk, stream shade, harvesting efficiencies and safety research. We are additionally working with forestry cooperatives in the Western and Southeastern U.S. to expand research into single-tree dominance and expressed growth rates. Last but not least, as one of two organizing members of the Foresters Forum our combined team effort continues to share the lessons learned and changes/adaptations occurring across the industry with the established and up-coming professionals who respect and appreciate forestlands.

There are nearly limitless facets to the natural environment, and each is influenced or affected by us, humans, another organism in a larger ecosystem. Human behavior, at least in the outward sense, is largely directed by group decisions and leadership, which usually entails the observation, analysis, questioning, listening, and adaptation of many, to achieve success. In business this process of data gathering touches on leadership, human resources, strategic planning, and investment. What do nature, society, and business successes all have in common? Adaptive differences working together, toward a common goal, in support of each other. Years of Tribal, Agency, Private, University and nonprofit experience has helped me understand how to bridge many of the natural resource discipline silos, only recently acknowledged as such. From work in natural resource inventory, commercial construction, policy, business marketing, strategic planning and developmental leadership, I see many “landscapes” transitioning to both stable and unstable states, all of which require the attention of many in support of all for success. From completion of the Anchor Forest reports to the validation of LiDAR-assisted forest inventories we have worked across the U.S. in support of Tribal Nations, indigenous peoples and private land owners for nearly 40 years fostering our appreciation for long-term solutions to today’s challenges. As part of a specialized Tech team at NMI, I help bring technology, operational capacity, and leadership to a diverse clientele. We take pride in innovative solutions that blend technology and software with traditional resource practices. Through development of ForestView® we are continually adapting the uses of Lidar, multi-band imagery, and stem mapped field data to improve tools that better-achieve land management goals with a digital landscape.

When asked to work for NMI in 2010, I joined the team as a staff writer for four National Park Service Condition Assessment projects. Upon completion in 2011 I was asked of my interest in a doctoral degree with the goal of developing “new services” upon completion. I applied, and was accepted, to the University of Idaho in a multi-disciplinary program encompassing soil physics and environmental law. During school I successfully developed two projects that included partnerships with the Nez Perce Tribe, private landowners, the State of Idaho, and multiple counties. Following graduation, I was able to work with the Yakama Nation to monetize ecosystem services lost during a recent wildfire; worked through public outreach to accomplish numerous county hazard mitigation plans; was awarded one of the largest non-industrial forest biomass/LiDAR analytics contract in the US in 2017, and developed a strategic team to maximize efforts related to hydrology, GIS, biomass, LiDAR processing and natural resource research. This strategic team, “Atlas” at the time, consisted of geospatial analysts, technical writers, and a typesetter. This team was a direct result of planning and proposal efforts accomplished through sheer persistence enabling project work, training, and recruitment opportunities for all members as well as other staff and teams within NMI.

While working with the State of Wyoming my time was split by a dichotomy of work. Nearly half of my time was devoted to responsibilities as one of two statewide Nonpoint Source Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit writers charged with industry assistance and compliance for the mining and natural gas facilities within the State. While the remainder of my tasks landed me as the primary liaison between the federal EPA and BLM for the Department of Environmental Quality in regards to the NPDES program. This often took me to the Denver, CO EPA office. In between permitting, permit compliance and inter-agency communication I also served as co-lead for the statewide delineation of irrigated acres in Wyoming using newly acquired LiDAR imagery.

While part of the Montana DNRC team I participated in the application and administration of Montana water law and annotated code, and functioned as a water right permit writer for 11 Counties in eastern Montana from the Billings regional office. Daily duties also consisted of maintaining and updating the State of Montana's water right database including; organization, ArcGIS mapping, public notice of water right announcements, drafting environmental assessments, and computer modeling for the estimation of streamflow on un-gauged streams. Moreover, I mentored K-6 students in fluvial hydrology using a "stream table" at multiple County events and outdoor academic facilities and participated in formal training seminars covering: public speaking, communication, and education; conflict resolution; personnel management; and statute/technical writing.

Participated in recruitment, interviewing and training of new staff. Led the new employee safety orientation as administrator. Performed project site stormwater inspections, erosion control management, and collaboration with State permitting entities. Performed job site OSHA safety inspections and adherence to safety standards. Complete the ISO 14001 internal auditor training in support of company operations. Main Project (Lakewood Colorado) 32nd and Youngsfield Water Treatment Facility - project adherence to “as-built” drawings and organization/logistics of Phase 3 ($5-million budget) Heavy equipment operator: 200 and 300 series excavators, sheep-foot compacter, mini-excavate, backhoe, skid steer (both foot and joystick controls), and total-station site surveying with Microsoft interface.