I am seeking an M.S. or Ph.D. students for a long-term research project investigating the influence of prescribed fire on the quality of residual overstory trees. This work, funded by the U.S. Forest Service - Northern Research Stations, will take advantage of >15 prescribed burns being conducted over the next two years on studies at the Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment (www.heeforeststudy.org<http://www.heeforeststudy.org>) sites and study sites at NSWC - Crane, both in southern Indiana.
Specifically, the incumbent will be responsible to select a variety of trees of differing species and tree grades within each burn area, install fire monitoring equipment on a subset of individuals, and document fire damage to these individuals. This long-term project will then relate fire temperatures, fuel levels, and other environmental variables to declines in tree grade over repeated fires and time. The incumbent will also install a retrospective study of fire damage over 20+ sites at the nearby Hoosier National Forest. All candidates must be U.S. citizens due to security restrictions at NSWC - Crane. Work will be on remote field sites and in harsh environments typical of southern Indiana. To meet FNR departmental requirements, candidates must have a B.S. or M.S. degree in forestry, wildlife or a closely related field, a minimum GPA of 3.2 and GRE scores above the 50th percentile on verbal and quantitative sections and above 4.0 on the analytical writing section. Departmental assistantships are awarded at $18,329 (M.S.) and $21,020 (Ph.D.) per year, and include a subsidized insurance plan. This position is for either Fall 2015 or Spring 2016 admission. Interested individuals MUST CONTACT Dr. Mike Saunders ([email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>) prior to formally submitting materials. Purdue University is an equal opportunity-affirmative action employer. Mike R. Saunders Associate Professor of Hardwood Silviculture Department of Forestry and Natural Resources Purdue University 715 State Street West Lafayette, IN 47907
