Biomass Policy and Market Graduate Student Summer Intern

Location: Remote

Reports to: Senior Scientist 

Salary: $25/ hour (40 hours/ week) 

Travel: Potential within Washington, Oregon, and California

About Blue Forest

Blue Forest is a conservation finance non-profit whose mission is to accelerate the pace and scale of ecological restoration. Since 2018, Blue Forest has managed investor capital through its flagship financial product, the Forest Resilience Bond (FRB), which deploys private capital to finance forest restoration projects on private and public lands to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire. More recently, Blue Forest has also established Blue Forest Asset Management (BFAM), an investment management platform connecting investors to compelling, mission-aligned opportunities in a broader set of asset classes beyond FRB projects, such as private equity and private credit investments. 

Blue Forest is an interdisciplinary team of scientists, engineers, foresters, finance, and communications professionals. We are harnessing financial innovation and building partnerships with investors, non-profits, private companies and the public sector to design sustainable solutions to systemic climate resilience challenges faced by vulnerable communities and ecosystems. As we grow and develop new financial solutions to pressing environmental problems, we are committed to promoting social equity and amplifying historically excluded voices in the burgeoning field of conservation finance.

Position Summary

The Biomass Policy and Market Graduate Student Summer Intern will work primarily between our science and investment teams to explore 1) how sustainable use of low-value forest biomass can help to achieve the breadth of policy initiatives working towards carbon neutrality by 2045, 2) what barriers exist to using low-value forest biomass for carbon beneficial uses such as hydrogen or biochar, and 3) how an environmentally sound and socially just forest restoration industry could be achieved.   

Responsibilities & Duties

Policy Initiative Research 

• Research current policy initiatives working towards climate goals and how low-value forest biomass utilization can help to accomplish those goals.
• Collaborate with Blue Forest staff and a wide range of partners from academia, government, non-profit, and industry to gain an in-depth understanding of how the State of California is currently working to achieve climate neutrality by 2045.  Low-value forest biomass can help to accomplish carbon neutrality when used to generate carbon beneficial electricity, fuels, or other products, but we currently lack an efficient and cost effective way to access these resources. 

Stakeholder Interviews

• Interview a range of stakeholders throughout the state who can illuminate the barriers to creating ecologically sound supply chains for low-value forest biomass. Blue Forest manages the California Wildfire Innovation Fund, which is a first-of-its-kind climate fund that seeks to generate competitive financial returns while reducing fire risk for communities and ecosystems by investing in the wood utilization and wildfire mitigation sectors. However, for the fund to be most effective, reliable and transparent supply chains for low-value woody biomass must be developed in ways that reinvigorate forest-based industries and underserved rural communities throughout the state. 

Report Writing 

• Summarize and synthesize finds from desktop research and interviews  into a short publicly facing report outlining the current opportunities and barriers to develop socially and ecologically restorative supply chains for low-value forest biomass. 
• Prepare an academic publication for submission. 
• Collaborate with partners at the Office of Planning and Research at the Governor’s Office to propose policy solutions to biomass supply chain development. 

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

• Active contributor: Ability to work independently; detail-oriented, executes assigned tasks, follows through, manages time effectively, owns workstreams. Identifies and communicates bottlenecks with support, proactively researching and identifying solutions to bring to the team.
• Communication: Strong written and oral communication skills, including distilling and communicating complex ideas into presentations and written memos, facilitating conversation, etc.  

• Partnerships & Collaboration: Strong, active listening skills, inclusive approach, and values engaging diverse perspectives to design effective solutions and projects

• Conservation Finance, Ecosystem Services, Utilities, or Forestry Expertise: Passionate and some understanding of conservation finance, modeling ecosystem services, water and electric utilities, forestry, or other relevant fields. Experience working with, or understanding of, the USDA Forest Service or utilities is a plus but not required. 

• Continuous learner: Committed to continuous learning, including seeking opportunities to incorporate feedback and learn from others, learning, listening, and engagement that understands historical place-based context and empowers and supports diverse communities within the conservation and financial communities

Qualifications

Blue Forest will prioritize the following qualifications in the hiring process; however, we only expect candidates to fulfill some criteria and encourage all interested candidates to apply.

• Current graduate student 
• Clear written and verbal communication
• Demonstrated interest in and commitment to environmental conservation and climate resilience 
• Experience with interviews, policy analysis, literature, forestry, and/ or land management highly preferred

COVID VACCINE REQUIREMENT

All Blue Forest staff are required to be “fully vaccinated” against COVID-19, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines that term. Proof of full vaccination shall be a condition of employment and must be provided prior to starting work, except where prohibited by law. Blue Forest is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and the company will engage in the interactive process regarding reasonable accommodations for candidates who cannot be vaccinated due to a disability/medical condition; a sincerely held religious belief, practice or observance; or a claimed exemption under applicable state law.