POST DOCTORAL POSITION: RESILIENCE TO FOREST RESTORATION TREATMENTS
A 1.5 years post-doctoral position is available starting June 2017
within the College of Forestry and Conservation and Division of
Biological Sciences at the University of Montana to work on a project to
examine 25-year fire and cutting effects on vegetation and fuels at the
Lick Creek Demonstration-Research Forest in western Montana. The
successful candidate will work with project co-PI’s (Anna Sala and
Christopher Keyes, UM; Sharon Hood (USFS-RMRS) to: 1) study effects of
fire and cutting treatments on resilience to drought and bark beetles in
ponderosa pine forests of the Northern Rocky Mountains; 2) coordinate
overall project activities and deliverables; and 3) participate in
outreach activities.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS: demonstrated strong commitment to basic
research, background in dendrochronology, forest fire ecology, tree
physiology and isotope research, demonstrated ability to publish
peer-reviewed papers, effective written and oral communication skills,
willingness to work in a team environment, and a Ph.D. received within
the last five years in a relevant discipline.
DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS: Desired skills include: 1) advanced skills in
applied statistics; 2) experience with tree growth-climate data
analyses; and 4) ability to interact with and communicate to broader
audiences. We encourage applicants who can work across disciplines and
independently enhance project outcomes by adding innovative approaches.
STIPEND/SALARY: Salary will be commensurate with skills and will include
full benefits.
TO APPLY: In a single pdf document, please send a CV, a short statement
of your research and career goals and how you envision to contribute to
the overall project goals, and the names and contact information of
three references to Anna Sala ([email protected]). We will start
reviewing applications by March 10.
UNIVERSITY AND COMMUNITY: The University of Montana’s College of
Forestry and Conservation and Division of Biological Sciences are on the
forefront of ecological research and natural resource management. Our
faculty and students conduct basic and applied research in a wide range
of biological and natural resource disciplines, and have ready access to
Montana’s extensive wild and working lands for natural laboratories and
recreational opportunities. The City of Missoula (population approx.
70,000) is regularly featured as one of the most livable cities in the
United States.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. The Lick Creek Demonstration/Research Forest in
the Bitterroot National Forest, MT, was established in 1991 to test
restoration alternatives in restoring the site’s ponderosa pine
vegetation community and reduce fuel loads down to
historically-appropriate levels. Seven prescribed burning and cutting
treatment variants to test Silvicultural treatments were implemented in
1992, followed by prescribed burning in 1993 and 1994, under a fully
replicated experimental design involving randomization of treated units
and a permanent, systematic plot sampling network. The site offers a
truly unique opportunity to assess 25-year-effects of burning and
cutting restoration treatments. The successful applicant will have
available extensive work on vegetation and fuel dynamics and fire
hazard, as well as sampled cores for immediate data analysis and isotope
work on drought effects.
