Ben Bohémier is a Northwestern Ontario-born mycologist with a specialized focus on the reproduction, mating system, and ecology of chaga (Inonotus obliquus). Over the past five years, he has been a central figure in the mycology community of Thunder Bay, Ontario, his hometown, leading forays, workshops, and educational sessions for audiences of all-ages and backgrounds. In addition, he has a lifetime interest in documenting, collecting, and identifying macrofungi and exploring their diversity in northern Canada.

Ben completed both his Honours Bachelor of Science in Forestry and his Master of Science in Forestry at Lakehead University and intends to continue on to his PhD elsewhere. His academic training occurred primarily within the umbrella of forestry, which shaped his understanding of ecosystems, resource management, and applied research. After an exposure to fungi early in his undergraduate, his later academic pursuits were predominantly mycological, allowing him to investigate chaga through interdisciplinary lens blending foundational fungal biology and forestry. His primary skills in the laboratory are fungal isolation, culturing, slide preparation, macro and micro photography, and brightfield/fluorescence microscopy.

Chaga is becoming an increasingly important non-timber forest product; however, fundamental knowledge of its reproductive biology and population dynamics remains scarce. Harvested chaga is not a spore producing reproductive structure, but only a portion the organism’s complex life cycle. Ben is dedicated to uncovering these mysteries to better inform chaga conservation and policy in the near and distant future.