MS at Oregon State U – restoration ecology in Oregon Cascades

*Excited to be recruiting for a new MS project focused on restoration

ecology in dry forest ecosystems, working with Dr. Harold Zald and Dr. Meg

Krawchuk (me).*

*Full position and application details here*

*Application deadline: Friday, November 15th 2024*

*Graduate program start: Fall 2025*

*Preferred start date to lead field season and familiarize with project

context: mid-June 2025*

*The project:* We are recruiting a new MS student for funded research

project focused on Vegetation and surface fuel responses to

operational-scale thinning and prescribed burning in ponderosa pine and

mixed-conifer forests in the eastern Oregon Cascades, with field site

located at the USFS Pringle Falls Experimental Forest

.

The MS student will be co-supervised by Drs. Meg Krawchuk (Oregon State

University) and Harold Zald (USFS). The successful candidate will enroll in

the Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society (FES) in the College of

Forestry at Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon. The MS would

begin Fall 2025. Preferred start date for the successful candidate is

mid-June 2025 so they can serve as crew lead for field data collection

during the summer of 2025 and gain familiarity with the project, site, and

data. The successful candidate will also lead a second field season in

summer 2026. The MS student will collaborate with Drs. Krawchuk and Zald to

improve our understanding of long-term changes in forest composition,

structure, and fuels after large operational-scale fuel reduction and

restoration treatments. The broad structure of the research program is

established, but the MS student will have leeway in identifying their own

nested research questions and ideas within this overall program.

To learn more about the FES Graduate program, please see:

https://fes.forestry.oregonstate.edu/graduate-programs/forest-ecosystems-society .

*The context:* After long periods of fire exclusion in historically

frequent fire conifer forests, initial fuel reduction treatments are

critical first steps for reducing high severity fire and promoting fire

resilient stands of large trees. However, treatment longevity in these

forest types is about 10-20 years, after which subsequent maintenance

treatments are required. Understanding long-term responses of overstory

trees, tree regeneration, understory vegetation, and surface fuels to first

entry fuel reduction treatments is critical to inform subsequent

maintenance treatments to meet multiple resource objectives, reduce

long-term treatment costs, and increase the pace, scale, and overall

benefits of fuel reduction treatments. The Lookout Mountain Study (LMS) at

Pringle Falls Experimental Forest (

https://research.fs.usda.gov/pnw/forestsandranges/locations/pringlefalls#research )

is uniquely positioned to examine these issues at an operational scale.

Located on the Deschutes National Forest, the LMS is a replicated

experiment coupling four levels of overstory thinning with understory fuels

reduction (mowing and prescribed burning) to restore open forest structure

and sustain fire adapted conditions with planned repeated burning. In this

project, the MS student will build a data-driven understanding of the

long-term effects of initial treatments in ponderosa pine and mixed-conifer

forests, helping to inform how subsequent maintenance treatments can best

achieve fuel reduction and ecological objectives. The broad structure of

the research program is established, but the MS student will have leeway in

identifying their own nested research questions and ideas within this

overall program.

*Application: *Please submit your CV, contact information for two

professional references, and a one-page statement describing your interests

and experiences in the topic area, including research, outreach, and

collaboration experiences. Please outline how you meet the required and

desired qualifications described below.

We encourage applicants from all backgrounds to apply, particularly

students who are underrepresented in the field of natural resources

management.

We will be contacting applicants and scheduling interviews, and successful

applicants will be invited to apply to the FES graduate program in the

College of Forestry at Oregon State University. Please do not apply to the

FES program without this invitation.

Applications should be emailed to: Dr. Meg Krawchuk (meg.krawchuk [at]

oregonstate.edu), with Dr. Harold Zald (harold.zald [at] usda.gov) ccEUR.

For more information or any questions, please contact Meg and Harold by

email.

*For full consideration, please submit your application materials by

Friday, November 15th, 2024.*

*Required qualifications:*

  • Undergraduate coursework in some combination of forestry, forest

ecology, fire ecology, plant ecology, restoration ecology, or botany.

  • Prior field work experience with forest inventory measurements,

fuels, or vegetation sampling

  • Orienteering skills (navigation with map, compass, gps, and

aerial photographs)

  • Ability to navigate off trail and hike up to five miles per day

in rolling/mountain terrain.

  • Competent using Microsoft Word and Excel
  • Possess a valid US driver’s license
  • Ability to work effectively in teams in the office and field

*Desired qualifications:*

  • BS degree in forestry, ecology, natural resources, environmental

sciences, or related fields.

  • Prior field experience collecting fuels or vegetation data in

conifer forests of the Pacific Northwest, California, or Rocky Mountains

  • Experience working collaboratively on projects
  • Experience utilizing quantitative forestry, or ecological
  • research methods
  • Experience using GIS, statistical and/or qualitative analysis
  • software (e.g. R, python, googleearth engine, ArcGIS)
  • Strong field leadership skills and comfort leading a small field

Crew

  • A demonstrated interest in fire and restoration concepts

*Funding* for the position covers tuition, stipend, and benefits for two

years of the MS program, including 1 quarter of teaching responsibilities

(1 TAship/year). Funding includes support for travel, field work, and

participation in scholarly activities such as conferences and workshops.

Funding also covers housing at Pringle Falls Experimental Forest during the

field season (June âÂEUR” August). This project is funded by the Bipartisan

Infrastructure Law, U.S. Forest Service Wildfire Crisis Strategy