USDA-FS Post-fire Forest Vegetation Dynamics Research Fellow

About the role

The USDA Forest Service Office/Lab and Location is the Wenatchee Forestry Sciences Laboratory within the Pacific Northwest Research Station (PNWRS) in Wenatchee, Washington. The PNWRS mission is to generate and communicate knowledge to help people understand and make informed choices about natural resource management and sustainability. The DARE Team focuses on research related to post-fire forest management, including vegetation and coarse woody debris dynamics.

Responsibilities

• Participate in research projects focused on vegetation and coarse woody debris dynamics following wildfires.
• Contribute to the development of new concepts and methods in forest ecology and management.
• Extract and publish information from long-term datasets.
• Develop and share research findings through scientific publications and presentations.
• Engage directly with forest management practitioners.
• Collaborate on various phases of the research cycle, including field visits, data management, analysis, and stakeholder communication.

Requirements

• Doctoral degree in a natural resources field (forestry, natural resources, plant sciences, ecology, botany, or related).
• Master's degree in a natural resources field (forestry, natural resources, plant sciences, ecology, botany, or related) may also be considered.
• Experience with forest ecology and management research, including silviculture, forest ecology, forest restoration, fuels management, wildland fire science, and quantitative plant community ecology.
• Experience with statistical programs like R or SAS or geospatial programs like ArcGIS Pro.
• Ability to meet project deadlines.
• Experience with forest ecology field datasets, including forest stand structure measurements, surface fuel surveys, and understory vegetation surveys.

Qualifications

• Strong written and oral communication skills.
• Success in writing and publishing scientific reports.
• Ability to analyze large data sets.
• Experience with forest ecology field datasets.

Skills

• Written and oral communication skills.
• Experience with forest ecology and management research.
• Experience with statistical and geospatial programs.
• Ability to meet project deadlines.
• Experience with forest ecology field datasets.

Benefits

Participants will receive a monthly stipend commensurate with educational level and experience, ranging from $75,000 to $90,000 per year.

Pay

The participant will receive a monthly stipend commensurate with educational level and experience. The anticipated stipend range is $75,000 to $90,000 per year.

Schedule

The appointment will initially be for one year but may be extended upon recommendation of USDA Forest Service and is contingent on the availability of funds.

Contact

If you have questions about the nature of the research, please contact the mentor, David Peterson (David.Peterson1@usda.gov).