I am seeking for 2 PhD students to study regeneration and pre-commercial thinning in mixed boreal stands.
The first thesis will assess the response of spruce growing intimately with aspen to two frequently used precommercial thinning treatments (systematic or crop-tree release) in terms of tree and stand productivity for both species, wildlife habitat quality and dynamics of carbon sequestration in soils and above- and belowground vegetation. The second thesis will evaluate the role of aspen's communal root system in the response to precommercial thinning and retention harvesting in mixed stands. Indeed, previous research has shown that interconnected root systems of aspen trees play a role in trees' physiological response to environmental changes, and we want to use this knowledge in order to design adapted silvicultural scenarios in a mixedwood forest context. 3-year scholarships of $21,000 per year are offered to successful candidates, starting in summer or fall 2018. Please send a motivation letter, C.V. and most recent university transcripts to: Annie DesRochers, PhD Professeur-Chercheure Institut de Recherche sur les Forêts Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue 341 Principale Nord Amos, Qc, Canada, J9T2L8 Tel:1-819-732-8809<tel:1-819-732-8809> ext 8327 Fax: 1-819-797-4727 Email: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> http://www.cef-cfr.ca/index.php?n=Membres.AnnieDesRochers
