USFS Whitebark Pine Resilience Network Fellowship

*Applications will be reviewed on a rolling-basis.

USFS Office/Lab and Location: This fellowship is available at the Moscow Forestry Sciences Lab with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service’s (USFS) Rocky Mountain Research Station, located in Moscow, Idaho (https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/rmrs). The selected candidate will be co-located with multiple Forest Service research scientists.

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 ORISE fellow will participate in building the Whitebark Pine Resilience network, which will involve establishing a network of engaged managers and scientists as well as a collection of long-term of study sites, with the ultimate goal of understanding how thinning treatments, daylighting, and fuel reduction treatments affect whitebark pine resilience as well as fire risk. This opportunity will involve communicating with scientists and managers researching whitebark pine; establishing collaborative connections with managers on active or planned projects across the range of whitebark pine; conceptualizing, refining, and field-testing a standard measurement and monitoring protocol; participating in the development of a series of standard treatment and experimental designs; site visits to whitebark pine project areas; collaboration on a literature review regarding the effects of thinning treatments on whitebark pine; and being an active participant in project meetings, workshops, and webinars. The ORISE fellow will have the opportunity to engage in related research involving whitebark pine, white pine blister rust, and scientist-manager coproduction frameworks. The fellow will have the opportunity to collect and analyze data, forge scientist-manager partnerships, and disseminate results and knowledge via publications, presentations, and tech transfer products.

Learning Objectives: By the end of this fellowship, the ORISE participant will have gained training in the scientific process for the fields of forestry, silviculture, conservation science, and scientist-manager coproduction strategies under the RMRS mentor. The participant will gain experience in project development, interaction with land managers and scientists, data quality assurance, data interpretation and analysis, and oral/written communication. In addition, the ability to contribute to a scientific publication will aid in the career development of the ORISE participant. 

Mentor: The mentor for this opportunity is Jason Reinhardt (Jason.reinhardt@usda.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research, please contact the mentor.

Anticipated Appointment Start Date: 2024, as soon as possible.  Start date is flexible and will depend on a variety of factors.

Appointment Length: The appointment will initially be for two years 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. The anticipated stipend is $68,000 annually with a $7,441 insurance supplement.

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 ORISE.USFS.RMRS@orau.org and include the reference code for this opportunity.

Qualifications

The qualified candidate should be pursuing or have received a doctoral degree in one of the relevant fields (e.g. Forestry, Forest Science, Forest Ecology, Natural Resources, or Botany), or be pursuing or have received a master’s degree in one of the relevant fields combined with demonstrated experience in a research environment. Degree must have been received within the past five years, or is anticipated to be received by May 31, 2024.

Preferred Skills:

• Ability to effectively communicate and collaborate with diverse stakeholders
• Understanding of silvicultural methods and treatments
• Understanding of experimental design and field protocol development
• Strong geospatial skillset with demonstrated proficiency in GIS (e.g., ArcGIS, AGOL)
• Demonstrated quantitative skills and experience with statistical analysis
• Capacity to act independently and prioritize activities to meet project schedules
• Capacity to publish scientific articles in peer-reviewed journals.