Summer 2024 field technician positions: application period closed

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Technicians engaged in field work

The application period for these positions is now closed.

 

Drs. Marcella Windmuller-Campione and John Zobel have openings with their research groups for summer field technicians. These positions will allow technicians to assist in field data collection for a variety of projects within the Silva Lab. Technicians will gain skills in basic forest measurements, tree and plant ID, soil sampling techniques, use of high-tech forestry equipment, and more. Research areas include silviculture, fire, carbon, and climate adaptation, and technicians may work across projects and with partners in other agencies such as DNR, US Forest Service, and Mississippi Park Connection.

Most positions include a significant (>90%) field work component which will include working outdoors in all conditions (heat, rain, biting insects, or combination of all three). Technicians should be comfortable with these conditions and be physically fit, able to walk long distances, and carry a moderate amount of weight (20 pounds). Technicians should also be willing and able to work on a team and willing to learn new skills.

Openings include positions located in the Twin Cities, positions based in the Twin Cities with travel to greater Minnesota, and positions based in greater Minnesota with housing included. See details for each proejct below.

Pay rate is $15.75 per hour at approximately 40 hours per week. Most positions run from June to August, but are flexible. Some positions include the opportunity to start part-time work as early as March. 

 

Application period closed

Project details:

Floodplain forests: plants, animals, and climate change

Supervisor: Marcella Windmuller-Campione

This project will involve data collection for several research topics relating to floodplain forests along the Upper Mississippi River. The technician will assist graduate students studying the interaction between beavers and tree regeneration along the river. The technician will also collect field data related to the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area (MNRRA) Adaptive Silviculture for Climate Change urban affiliate site located at Crosby Farm Park in St. Paul (www.adaptivesilviculture.org). This is an opportunity to be involved in an international collaboration between scientists, forest managers, and other stakeholders seeking creative management solutions in the face of climate change. Research topics include tree regeneration and growth, riparian silviculture, vegetation, phenology, tree physiology, and wildlife-forest ecology/wildlife habitat. This position will be based out of the Twin Cities with most work locally (St. Paul campus and Crosby Farm Park) that would require personal transportation. There will be some work in additional locations along the MNRRA corridor (travel in UMN vehicles). There may also be potential for some optional travel to northern Minnesota (also in UMN vehicles) that could include overnight stays. While traveling overnight, per diem and lodging would be included. 

Dynamics of decaying trees

Supervisor: Marcella Windmuller-Campione

This project will explore the topic of “morticulture,” or forest management for coarse woody debris. Technicians working on this project will explore the dynamics of standing dead wood, how it relates to carbon storage, habitat, and other ecological services and how that information can be incorporated into management practices. This position will be based in the Twin Cities, but will include extensive multi-day travel across Minnesota and Wisconsin (in UMN vehicles, no personal vehicle required). The general work schedule for this position varies and will be jointly determined by the field technician and the graduate student. Longer trips of up to 8 days may be scheduled. Overnight stays will be a combination of hotels, AirBnB-type rentals, and DNR or University field stations. Travel from the Twin Cities, lodging, and per diem will be included while traveling.

Peatland forests: terrestrial LiDAR and more

Supervisor: Marcella Windmuller-Campione

This project aims to increase our understanding of peatland forests and their relationship to carbon storage and climate change. Technicians on this project will work with Silva Lab research staff and graduate students at a network of peatland forest study sites across north central Minnesota to conduct terrestrial lidar scanning, survey vegetation, and study soils. This position will be based in the Twin Cities, but will include extensive travel across northern Minnesota (in UMN vehicles, no personal vehicle required). Study sites are mostly located in Itasca, Koochiching, Beltrami and Lake of the Woods Counties. The general work schedule for this position varies and will be jointly determined by the field technician and the graduate student. Longer trips of up to 8 days may be scheduled. Overnight stays will be a combination of hotels, AirBnB-type rentals, and DNR or University field stations. Travel from the Twin Cities and per diem while traveling will be included.

Greenwood Fire and beyond

Supervisor: Marcella Windmuller-Campione

Technicians in this position will have the opportunity to work on two different projects: the Greenwood Fire project and hemlock planting project. The Greenwood Fire project looks to answer questions about vegetation response to wildfire and specifically to different fire intensities experienced during the 2021 Greenwood Fire near Isabella, MN. For this project, technicians will have the opportunity to experience a post-fire landscape and conduct vegetation surveys, collect tree cores, and more. The hemlock planting project aims to collect information that will  help advise land managers on best practices for growing eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) including site selection criteria and specific growing practices. Field technicians will conduct mortality surveys and measure seedlings at four trial locations around north central/northeast Minnesota. Both projects are collaborative and involve work with the US Forest Service, Fond du Lac band of Lake Superior Chippewa, and county forests. This position will be based in the Twin Cities, but will include extensive travel across northern Minnesota (in UMN vehicles, no personal vehicle required). The general work schedule for this position varies and will be jointly determined by the field technician and the graduate student. Longer trips of up to 8 days may be scheduled. Overnight stays will mostly be at University field stations, with potential to also stay at hotels, AirBnB-type rentals, and/or DNR field stations. Travel from the Twin Cities and per diem while traveling will be included.

Leech Lake Forest Carbon Inventory

Supervisor: John Zobel

This project aims to reduce the cost and time barriers for landowners to enter forest carbon markets by comparing forest inventories derived from remote sensing to traditional, field-based inventories and subsequently leveraging the combined benefits of each. This is an opportunity to gain valuable on-the-ground forest inventory experience and work in many diverse forest types in northern Minnesota.

Technicians on this project will carry out a traditional, field-based carbon inventory of forested lands. Work will include, but is not limited to, navigation through forested ecosystems and using common forest measurement tools (diameter tapes, clinometers, lasers, etc.) to take measurements of individual trees and forest stands. The work sites for this location will generally include forested lands of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe in northern Minnesota, and the project team will work closely with the tribal forest manager. A typical work schedule may include four 10-hour work days per week, but the general work schedule for this position varies and will be jointly determined by the field technicians and supervisors. Overnight stays may be a combination of hotels, AirBnB-type rentals, and/or dorm-style field stations. A University vehicle will be available for use on site, and per diem will be available when on travel status.

Continuous Forest Inventory at University Forest and Research Centers

Supervisor: John Zobel

The Cloquet Forestry Center (CFC) contains a network of approximately 400 permanent forest inventory plots that have been repeatedly measured since 1959, with the last remeasurement in 2014. The Hubachek Wilderness Research Center (HWRC) contains 40 permanent plots established in 2014. This project aims to conduct a full remeasurement of these plots to provide critical on-the-ground carbon information to pair with remotely derived carbon estimates for use in entering carbon markets. In addition, plot and tree information will add to a long-term dataset of northern Minnesota forests that will enable unique forestry research. . Technicians will have the opportunity to gain valuable forest inventory experience, become intimately familiar with forests of the CFC and HWRC, and contribute to the  long-running history of both centers. 

Technicians on this project will carry out the full remeasurement of inventory plots at both CFC and HWRC. Work will include, but is not limited to, navigation through forested ecosystems to locate permanent plot locations and using common forest measurement tools (diameter tapes, clinometers, lasers, etc.) to take measurements of individual trees and forest stands. A typical work schedule may include four 10-hour work days per week, but the general work schedule for this position varies and will be jointly determined by the field technicians and supervisors. 

Housing for this position will be provided at the CFC and HWRC in cabin and/or dorm-style rooms with kitchen access. A University vehicle will be provided for use on site for work purposes, but a personal vehicle is highly recommended for travel into nearby cities for groceries (3-8 mi), etc. and personal transportation on weekends/time off. The University vehicle will not be available for personal transportation on weekends/time off.

Cloquet Forestry Center internship

Supervisor: Marcella Windmuller-Campione

This technician will assist with data collection for ongoing research projects on the Cloquet Forestry Center (CFC) property. This includes assessing vegetation response to prescribed fire, studying the impacts of biochar on soils and on seedling growth and survival, and conducting forest inventory work across the CFC property. This position would involve taking measurements of planted seedlings on upland sites, sampling understory vegetation, planting some seedlings, conducting forest inventories, and competition control for seedlings using equipment such as brush saws. Additionally, this technician will work with the CFC Forest Management and Research team on a handful of projects. Many of these are associated with ongoing management projects such as non-native invasive treatments, stand cruising, and regeneration checks. There will be a few options to conduct a semi-independent project(s) based on the interests of the technician. 

Housing for this position would be provided at the Cloquet Forestry Center in dorm-style rooms with kitchen access. A University vehicle will be provided for use on site for work purposes, but a personal vehicle is highly recommended for travel into Cloquet for groceries, etc. (3-4 miles) and personal transportation on weekends/time off. The University vehicle will not be available for personal transportation on weekends/time off. 

Questions? Contact Laura Reuling: [email protected]