Our Story

Falcon & Swift emerged out of the Boreal Ecosystem Recovery and Assessment (BERA) project at the University of Calgary in 2024. BERA is a long-running research program aimed at creating the knowledge and technical tools required to restore seismic lines and other industrial disturbances in the boreal forest.

LiDAR, photogrammetry, machine learning, and remotely piloted aircraft systems are transformative technologies that are changing the way restoration work is practiced in the boreal forest. The Falcon & Swift team knows these technologies best because we helped to develop them.

Falcon & Swift is not a large company. Our emphasis is partnering with other organizations, including communities, natural resource companies, and existing service providers.

Let Falcon & Swift help transform your restoration, forestry, and environmental projects. We’d love to work with you!

Our Team

  • Irina Terenteva

    Irina is the co-founder of Falcon & Swift, a machine-learning scientist, and a former postdoctoral fellow in the Boreal Ecosystem Recovery and Assessment program. Irina’s work focuses on object and pattern detection from a variety of remote sensing products. She has worked in the Russian and Canadian boreal forest/taiga biome for more than 15 years.

  • Nicole Byford

    Nicole is a remote sensing specialist at Falcon & Swift and a former masters student in the Boreal Ecosystem Recovery and Assessment program. Nicole’s work emphasizes seedling and object detection from high-resolution LiDAR and optical imagery. She is also a data-acquisition expert and advanced drone pilot with experience with regular and BVLOS drone operations.

  • Xue Yan Chan

    Xue Yan is a remote sensing specialist at Falcon & Swift and a former masters student in the Boreal Ecosystem Recovery and Assessment program. Xue Yan is a broadly skilled geospatial practitioner with expertise in LiDAR analysis, photogrammetry, optical image processing, and surveying. She is our most experienced drone operator who developed or co-developed all of our current operational procedures.

  • Greg McDermid

    Greg is the co-founder of Falcon & Swift, a remote sensing Professor at the University of Calgary, and PI of the Boreal Ecosystem Recovery and Assessment program. Greg’s work focuses on identifying and understanding the effects of industrial disturbance on boreal ecosystem dynamics, and developing strategies for restoring disturbed landscapes. He has been working with remote sensing for more than 35 years.