Joseph Orefice, Ph.D.
The Henry Uihlein II & Mildred A. Uihlein Director of the Uihlein Forest
Northern New York Maple Specialist
(518)-523-9337
Ph.D., Natural Resources and Earth Systems Studies, University of New Hampshire
Master of Forestry, Yale University
B.S., Forestry, University of Maine
Joseph Orefice, Ph.D. is The Henry Uihlein II & Mildred A. Uihlein Director of the Uihlein Forest and Northern New York Maple Specialist with Cornell University. The Uihlein forest is a 200 acre sugarbush with 6000 taps of maple and 600 taps of birch. He began this role in 2017. Prior to joining Cornell, Joe was an Associate Professor in forestry at Paul Smith’s College. He is a resident of Saranac, NY where he also owns a diversified farm. Joe grew up making maple syrup on a family farm in New England and is excited to help support New York’s maple industry through research and extension. His research interests include northern hardwood silviculture and forest health, maple syrup production as it relates to modern production challenges and climate change, specialty forest products, and agroforestry including forest farming and silvopasture.
Keith Otto
Maple Technician
Paul Smith’s College graduate
Keith Otto is the maple technician at the Uihlein Maple Research Forest. He began this role in 2017 after having worked seasonally for the forest in prior years. Keith has over five years of experience with all aspects of maple syrup production, from the tree to value added processing. He also has an extensive background in the brewing industry, having worked for multiple breweries around New York State. Keith teaches the craft brewing course at Paul Smith’s College in addition to his work at the Uihlein Maple Research Forest.