Chris Mihiar

Chris Mihiar

Product Lead • CTrees

Previously Research Economist, USDA Forest Service

Professional Bio

I'm Product Lead at CTrees, where I lead customer-facing data and API products that put global forest monitoring into the hands of climate teams, registries, project developers, and researchers. My focus is on translating the world's best forest science into products people can actually act on — APIs, datasets, and decision tools that bridge a rigorous research foundation with the messy reality of how decisions actually get made.

Before CTrees, I spent years as a Research Economist at the USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station, where I built models, datasets, and open-source software at the intersection of economics, ecology, and data science. I was a key contributor to the USDA Forest Service 2020 RPA Assessment and led development of the U.S. Timber Asset Accounting methodology, which integrates forest resource values into the national economic accounts.

I hold a Ph.D. in Applied Economics from Oregon State University. My dissertation examined how climate and socioeconomic factors interact to drive land-use transitions across the United States — work that still shapes how I think about long-horizon forest resource problems and the kinds of products that can move them forward.

What Drives Me

"I started thinking seriously about 50-100 year timescales when my first son was born. How we use land today shapes the water, forests, and resources future generations inherit. That's what gets me out of bed."

Skills & Expertise

Product Strategy & Roadmapping Customer-Facing Data Products API & Developer Experience Cross-Functional Leadership Econometrics & Causal Inference Spatial/Geospatial Analysis Python Development Natural Capital Accounting Climate Scenario Modeling Policy Analysis Forest Economics Land-Use Modeling

Key Roles

  • Product Lead, CTrees · April 2026 – Present

    Leading customer-facing data and API products across the org, bringing global forest monitoring to climate markets, registries, and research users.

  • Team Lead, U.S. Timber Asset Accounting · USDA Forest Service

    Led development of the methodology to integrate timber assets into the U.S. national economic accounts.

  • RPA Land-use Specialist · USDA Forest Service

    Key contributor to the Resources Planning Act Assessment of forest and rangeland resources.

Find Me Online

Interested in collaboration, speaking opportunities, or just want to connect?