Fire Ecologist specialist on Postfire Management and Pre-fire Planning
School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington
Seattle, Washington
Closing date: 02/15/2024
Additional information and application link https://uwhires.admin.washington.edu/ENG/candidates/default.cfm?szCategory=jobprofile&szOrderID=229337&source=DirectEmployers
The School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, in collaboration with the USFS Pacific Northwest Research Station, is seeking a research scientist with expertise in fire modeling and remotely sensed data to support innovative research and monitoring to inform postfire management and pre-fire forest planning across the West under a changing climate. This project is designed to understand the short- and long-term consequences a of active and passive management treatment effects on stand structural characteristics following large wildfires. The project is quantifying treatments effects following large wildfires across the largest wildfires. The project informs the use of postfire management treatments (e.g., prescribed fire, salvage logging) to increase forest resilience to subsequent wildfire, biotic stressors and expected changes in climate. Long-term monitoring will evaluate whether accumulation of dead woody fuels and shrub regeneration hinders the reestablishment of seedling regeneration, deflecting the trajectory for forest succession and therefore preventing the accomplishment of long-term management objectives. Results of this project will inform forest managers to plan management treatment interventions to effectively steer early seral trajectories toward desirable future conditions. The incumbent will join a research team of postdoctoral scholars, federal scientists, and university faculty with expertise on fire ecology, silviculture, forest management, statisticians, and geospatial analysts. The research team has been establishing monitoring plots across the western US that includes several National Forests and BLM Districts in Arizona, Washington, California, Idaho, and Oregon.
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
A Bachelor’s degree in a science-related field in forestry, fire ecology, botany, natural resources, or geospatial science and two years of relevant experience, or equivalent combination and experience.
DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS
Two or more years of experience working with forest inventory data and forest growth and yield modelling (Fire and Fuels Extension to the Forest Vegetation Simulator, First Order Fire Effects Model).
Programming skills either in Python or R and experience writing SQL queries or using code-driven analytical tools (e.g., R, Python, Julia, etc.) to manipulate and analyze both spatial and tabular data.
Experience using GIS and remote sensing to map and characterize distribution of plant species, vegetation communities, fire regimes and wildland fuels with a familiarity with FACTS, LANDFIRE, GNN, and CWHR spatial datasets.
