Laura on a site visit to our North Carolina timberlands as part of her work on the genetics program this April. 'It’s so important to visit sites and see the data we’re working with "in real life,"' she says.
Life in blustery Chicago, Illinois, is pretty different from the mild tropical weather Laura Ramirez grew up with in Medellín, Colombia. But she’s not complaining — she loves it.
“The seasons don’t really change in Colombia, so experiencing all the shifts in the weather has been really interesting!” Laura says. “It feels like I live in four different cities at once, and the passage of time is more pronounced.”
Laura first came to the United States to earn her Ph.D. in forest biometrics from the University of Georgia at Athens, and she joined our Quantitative Systems & Inventory team as a biometrician directly after graduating in May 2023. Now based in Chicago, Laura collaborates with her colleagues remotely, contributing a vast depth of knowledge about the biological and physical characteristics of trees.
“Biometricians work with long-term data, so a lot of the projects I work on are possible due to the data collected by Weyerhaeuser employees 20 years ago,” Laura says. “This information lets us fine-tune every operational choice we make for the best possible outcome.”
Laura during her visit to our Seattle Headquarters, her first time in Seattle. 'I went to HQ to meet with some of my colleagues, discuss some projects and have some working sessions in person. Our whole team went to a soccer game after work. We had a lot of fun, and the local team won at the last minute! We shared a lot of laughs that day.'
GET TO KNOW LAURA
Why did you choose Weyerhaeuser?
During my Ph.D. studies, I had the opportunity to be part of the Plantation Management Research Cooperative, which allowed me to connect with different forestry companies and familiarize myself with the forest industry in the U.S. Weyerhaeuser was part of this cooperative, and I saw the Weyerhaeuser name at job fairs at lot. I soon realized this is a very well-respected company with a long history and lots of presence in the country, and I thought that was really impressive.
What’s your role as a biometrician?
The Quantitative Systems & Inventory team is responsible for providing data that helps us understand how to manage our land. My role specifically focuses on how we can predict the growth of our trees into the future with greater precision. This data helps the company estimate future harvests and make changes to help maximize our production, protect our assets and be cost-efficient when managing our land.
How do you explain WY to your family and friends?
I tell people I work for a company that manages forests so we can have all the wood products we need — and that one of the most important aspects of that work is sustainability. If we want to satisfy the increasing demand for wood in a sustainable manner, we have to manage our forests so they’ll be healthy and productive for future generations.
Laura and her husband Leon on the Lake Michigan shoreline in Chicago. 'I really love the lake here and try to go as often as possible when the weather permits,' she says.
Have there been any surprises in your experience so far?
Weyerhaeuser is even bigger than I imagined! It’s amazing that we have so many people working in so many different roles and aspects of the business. It’s also fun to see just how innovative we can be. There’s so much more to the company than growing trees and manufacturing wood products.
One of the things I love most about Weyerhaeuser is that it’s a fully integrated company. We don’t just work with one aspect of growing or processing trees; we do it all. That opens up so many ways to learn and experience different parts of the industry while staying with the same company. I’m excited about the openness of my future career, and how many different avenues I could choose.
Laura on a visit to the Oregon coast in December 2022. 'We visited this place as part of a field tour during a conference where I presented my dissertation,' she says. 'This was a great trip because it was my first time to the West Coast. We visited some cool places and had a great time during the conference!'
What’s been your favorite project so far?
I happened to join the company 12 years into a data-gathering project in our genetics program, so I get to collaborate with the Tree Improvement team and analyze that data now. We’re evaluating specific lineages of trees, which we call “families,” looking for innovative ways to incorporate their different growth characteristics into our growth projections.
What do you want to learn more about?
I’m very interested in all the work we do with LiDAR. We can fly over our timber stands and use this technology to gather incredibly detailed data that we use to produce our forest inventory. This is really the foundation of how we value our land, and it’s fundamental to our growth projections too. I’m excited to gain more experience with it.
What do you like most about your team?
We all have very diverse backgrounds and specialties, which means we learn a lot from each other. We complement each other well, and everyone is so gracious about helping each other. I also feel we have a very welcoming environment, and we always encourage each other to share ideas and discuss them in a friendly environment.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
I love biometrics, and I hope to still be in a similar role, but with a lot more experience. I’m looking forward to gaining exposure to all different aspects of the business and learning new ways of approaching and analyzing the data we need to succeed.
Laura and her husband visit Yosemite National Park. 'We went there in April 2022 to celebrate a big milestone during my Ph.D. studies, my comprehensive exams completion,' she says. 'It was just magic, seeing these trees under the snow.'
