Evaluating the use of prescriptive grazing and fire for the management
and maintenance of Ozark woodlands
One MS student is sought to establish a new research project with the
University of Missouri – School of Natural Resources in conjunction with
the US Forest Service – Northern Research Station and Mark Twain
National Forest to determine the effects of prescriptive grazing and
fire on woodland management in the Ozarks region of Missouri.
Land managers, including those within the National Forest System, are
increasingly interested in the restoration and maintenance of woodlands.
In the Central Hardwoods, management objectives commonly prescribe lower
levels of stocking, minimal mid-stories, and diverse ground floras.
However, maintaining open understories in these communities requires
frequent disturbance that reduces occupancy from woody stems with
desired increases in ground flora diversity and abundance. Prescribed
burning can be limited in areas where concerns for smoke impacts may
affect application. Prescriptive grazing has become of interest to land
managers seeking to reduce woody stems in areas where frequent fire to
maintain open understories is unachievable or the use of prescribed fire
is difficult to implement due to sociopolitical concerns. Yet, the
impacts of prescriptive grazing and the combined effect of grazing and
prescribed burning on forest structure and composition, and ground flora
diversity, are poorly understood.
The goals of this research are to 1) determine the effect of
prescriptive grazing and seasonality on forest structure, composition,
including the ground flora, 2) compare prescriptive grazing and
seasonality to prescribed burning, and 3) determine the combined effects
of grazing and burning for woodland management.
Ideal candidates will be able to lead the project, work collaboratively,
and tolerate field conditions. We are seeking an outstanding candidate
with a degree in Forestry, Biology, Ecology, or Environmental Sciences.
The student will be offered a full graduate research assistantship
($21,000/year), student health insurance, and tuition waiver. The
assistantship is for 2 years, which is renewable annually based on
satisfactory performance. The assistantship will start in January 2019.
If you are interested, contact:
Dr. Lauren S. Pile Dr. Michael Stambaugh
Research Ecologist Research Associate
Professor
Phone: (573) 875-5341 x 233 Phone: (573) 882-8841
US Forest Service School of Natural
Resources
Northern Research Station University of Missouri
202 ABNR Building 203C ABNR Building
Columbia, MO 65211 Columbia, MO 65211
Email: [email protected] Email:
[email protected]
https://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/people/lpile
http://faculty.missouri.edu/~stambaughm
In your initial contact, please send the following information: resume,
statement of your research interest, GPAs, GRE score, and TOFEL score
(for foreign students).
