Ian Bryson M.Sc - Director & Senior Scientist

Ian Bryson is a seasoned terrestrial ecologist and geomatics specialist, with two decades of professional expertise in the field, both as a consultant and environmental regulator. His area of knowledge spans a wide spectrum of disciplines, including Environmental Assessment, vegetation science (with a focus on vascular flora and lichens), wetland science, GIS and Remote Sensing, Species at Risk conservation, and regulatory permitting.

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In September 2023, Ian transitioned into the realm of independent environmental consulting with the formation of Fraxinus Environmental & Geomatics Limited..
 

Prior to the formation of Fraxinus, Ian spent a cumulative ~14 years (2007-2019 & 2022-2023) as an environmental consultant in the employ of a medium-sized engineering and environmental firm based in Atlantic Canada. In this capacity, he lent his senior-level technical acumen to a wide variety of  projects across Atlantic Canada, in Ontario, and internationally (Turks and Caicos, Trinidad) for a broad clientele. Additionally, he assumed senior technical leadership roles, overseeing the execution of biophysical field programs across various ecological themes, encompassing botany, aquatics, wetlands, mammals, turtles, birds, and terrestrial/benthic habitat classification.

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From 2020-2022, Ian held the position of Program Lead for the Wetlands Program at the Nova Scotia Department of Environment and Climate Change (NS ECC). In this role, he oversaw efforts to effectively meet the goals of the Nova Scotia Wetland Conservation Policy, particularly concerning the imperative of no-net-loss of wetland area and function.

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Ian has extensive experience in surveying vascular flora and lichens in the Atlantic Region, with a strong emphasis on Species at Risk and Species of Conservation Interest within wetland habitats. He has undertaken numerous exhaustive inventories of plants and lichens across diverse habitats and conducted targeted surveys for federally and provincially listed Species at Risk, including Black Ash, Ram’s-Head Lady Slipper, Boreal Felt Lichen, Frosted Glass Whiskers, Wrinkled Shingle Lichen, Black Foam Lichen, and Blue Felt Lichen.

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The utilization of GIS and Remote Sensing technology is integral to Ian’s ecological specialties, particularly in the realms of ecological modeling, habitat suitability modeling for Species at Risk, land classification, and terrain analysis. As one of the most seasoned wetland practitioners in Atlantic Canada, Ian has delineated hundreds of wetlands, performed functional assessments across all Atlantic jurisdictions, designed wetland monitoring plans, secured numerous permits, and offered guidance on the design and execution of wetland compensation projects.

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Clients and Collaborators

In his time in the consulting industry and government, Ian has has worked for - and collaborated with, a wide array of organizations, including:

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Federal & Provincial Government Departments/Agencies/Crown Corporations

• Defence Construction Canada

• Department of National Defence

• Department of Fisheries and Oceans

• Environment & Climate Change Canada

• NS Department of Natural Resources and Renewables

• NS Department of Public Works

• NS Department of Environment & Climate Change

• NB Department of Environment & Local Government

• NB Department of Transportation & Infrastructure

• Public Works and Government Services Canada

• Parks Canada

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Industrial & Utilities

• Nova Scotia Power

• Emera Newfoundland and Labrador

• Halifax Water

• NB Power

• Municipal Group of Companies

Environmental NGO's and Conservation Groups

• Mersey-Tobeatic Research Institute (MTRI)

• Atlantic Canada Conservation Data Centre (AC CDC)

• Clean Foundation

• Ducks Unlimited Canada

• Bluenose Coastal Action

Municipalities

• Halifax Regional Municipality, NS

• Cape Breton Regional Municipality, NS

• City of Saint John, NB

• City of St. John's, NL

• Town of Antigonish, NS

• Town of Stellarton, NS

• Town of Flat Rock, NL

• Town of Logy Bay-Middle Cove-Outer Cove, NL

• City of Mount Pearl, NL

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Environmental Consultants

• Strum Consulting

• McCallum Environmental

• Stantec

• GHD

• Englobe

• WSP

• Wood

Private Developers

• Various

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