Forest Research Technician

The Bisbing Forest Ecology & Silviculture Lab at UNR is hiring full-time temporary forestry research technicians as part of the Sierra Nevada Adaptive Management Experiment (AMEX).

Research technicians will collect data to support on-going research studying the impacts of silvicultural treatments to mitigate climate change impacts on forest ecosystems. Duties include but are not limited to: installing and re-surveying permanent plots; collecting pre- and post-treatment tree, plant community, fuels, and health data; mapping forest composition, and weeding around planted trees for regenerative site maintenance.  Additional responsibilities may include data entry and data quality control.

Crews will live on-site with non-traditional housing at most locations (tents, trailer, etc.), though housing (i.e., barracks) may be available at few sites. A field vehicle is provided for job use only (if traveling home on days off, you would need to drive your personal vehicle near the job site). Crew members should expect a dynamic schedule with time spent at multiple research sites across the Sierra Nevada mixed-conifer forest over the course of the season: (May 12th, 2025 – End date dependent upon availability or weather (i.e., snowfall)). Field sampling may occur in burned areas and/or in challenging terrain. Ideal candidates will have a strong ability to solve problems that arise in the field and the constitution to both act independently and work well as part of a field team.

Minimum Requirements:

• Confident driving (e.g. freeway, traffic, long distance, off road)
• Physically capable to hike/work off trail and perform manual labor
• Willingness to live in a dynamic work environment

Preferred Qualifications:

• Previous ecology-related field experience
• Plant identification skills
• Knowledge of tree measurements and forest ecosystem sampling