USFS Post-Masters Fellowship in Assisted Migration and Silviculture for Reforestation

*Application review will begin immediately, please apply as soon as possible to ensure that your application is completed for consideration.

USFS Office/Lab and Location: A fellowship opportunity is available with the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service (USFS) within the Pacific Southwest Research Station (PSWRS) located in Placerville, California.

The fellow will be based at the Pacific Southwest Research Station, Institute of Forest Genetics in Placerville but will also conduct research on a number of National Forests across California, Oregon and Washington. The Fellow will have access to a well-equipped Molecular Genetic laboratory, a greenhouse, and multiple field sites.  They will interact with both Genetics and Silviculture researchers in California, Oregon and Washington.

At the heart of the U.S. Forest Service’s mission is their purpose. Everything they do is intended to help sustain forests and grasslands for present and future generations. Why? Because their stewardship work supports nature in sustaining life. This is the purpose that drives the agency’s mission and motivates their work across the agency. It’s been there from the agency’s very beginning, and it still drives them. To advance the mission and serve their purpose, the U.S. Forest Service balances the short and long-term needs of people and nature by: working in collaboration with communities and our partners; providing access to resources and experiences that promote economic, ecological, and social vitality; connecting people to the land and one another; and delivering world-class science, technology and land management.

Research Project: The USDA Forest Service’s Pacific Southwest Research Station (PSW) is seeking a post-masters research fellow to join a team researching genetic and silviculture strategies to improve post-fire reforestation and sustain California forests under climate change. This multi-component effort will use a combination of field and greenhouse research to provide land managers with updated scientific guidance on reforestation under climate change. This project will investigate:

• 1) Post-fire reforestation across an experimental network- assessing and evaluating where to plant, what to plant and how to plant it in California, Oregon, and Washington (this fellowship will focus on California)
• 2) Using already established provenance tests to examine the relationship between climate of origin and planting location.

These two projects will collaborate with existing out-plantings and involve the establishment of a new network of genetics-silviculture planting experiments, as well as greenhouse studies. Besides these two main projects, the fellow will also have opportunities to pursue new avenues of research including, but not limited to long-term datasets and may assist in grant writing.

Learning Objectives: 

• To better understand how genetics and silvicultural management can be combined to improve reforestation success and future forest resilience under climate change
• To enhance collaborative skills as a member of a scientific team by helping to formulate policy-relevant research questions, plan, implement, monitor, and analyze field studies, and identify other potential avenues for research applying existing long-term data
• To cultivate greenhouse plant culturing skills
• To gain experience analyzing and modeling, organizing, and securing project geospatial information, data, metadata for use in current and future research
• To extend natural resource information-sharing capabilities by collaborating on the preparation of manuscripts for publication in peer-reviewed journals and communicating study results to scientists and forest managers via meetings, presentations, webinars, and field tours
• The mentors for this fellowship are committed to providing an opportunity that will help the fellow pursue a career in research in Forestry, Genetics or related fields in academics or government agencies

Mentor: The mentor for this opportunity is Jessica Wright ([email protected]). If you have questions about the nature of the research, please contact the mentor.

Anticipated Appointment Start Date: January 15, 2024. Start date is flexible and will depend on a variety of factors.

Appointment Length: The appointment will initially be for one year but may be extended upon recommendation of USFS and is contingent on the availability of funds.

Level of Participation: The appointment is full time.

Participant Stipend: The participant will receive a monthly stipend commensurate with educational level and experience. 

Citizenship Requirements: This opportunity is available to U.S. citizens, Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR), and foreign nationals. Non-U.S. citizen applicants should refer to the Guidelines for Non-U.S. Citizens Details page of the program website for information about the valid immigration statuses that are acceptable for program participation.

ORISE Information: This program, administered by ORAU through its contract with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to manage the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), was established through an interagency agreement between DOE and USFS. Participants do not become employees of USDA, USFS, DOE or the program administrator, and there are no employment-related benefits. Proof of health insurance is required for participation in this program. Health insurance can be obtained through ORISE.

Questions: Please visit our Program Website. After reading, if you have additional questions about the application process please email [email protected] and include the reference code for this opportunity.

Qualifications

The qualified candidate should be currently pursuing or have received a master’s degree in the one of the relevant fields (e.g. Forestry, Genetics, Natural Resources, Plant Sciences, Ecology, Environmental Sciences, Biology). Degree must have been received within the past five years.

Preferred skills:

While few candidates would necessarily have this full breadth of experience, preference will be given to candidates having among the following skills:

• Demonstrated experience in statistical analysis of ecological datasets and data management
• Experience with geospatial data collection and management, including fluency in ArcGIS
• Experience conducting ecological field research
• Experience with greenhouse studies
• Capacity to perform both independently and as part of a team
• Ability to prioritize multiple projects and activities within project deadlines
• Knowledge of climate science as it applies to forest ecology and management under climate change
• Able to hike 3 miles carrying 20 pounds and enjoy the outdoors and rugged natural landscapes
• A valid driver’s license