Assistant Professor of Silviculture, University of Montana

The Department of Forest Management (DFM) in the W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation at the University of Montana invites applications for a full-time academic year tenure-track Assistant Professor of Silviculture. The candidate will advance the DFM’s mission to provide innovation and leadership in the use of active forest management to achieve beneficial ecological and socioeconomic outcomes. This mission includes educating future forestry professionals, engaging in cutting-edge research to solve real-world problems, and contributing outward facing service to the discipline of forestry. The DFM welcomes applications from individuals with diverse perspectives and backgrounds. We encourage applications from veterans, women, persons of color, indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities and other individuals who can contribute to our intellectual diversity and cultural richness.

The successful candidate will develop an extramurally funded research program and demonstrate a commitment to translating their research into applications relevant to contemporary forest management. The College’s Lubrecht Experimental Forest offers a distinctive opportunity for field-based silvicultural research, teaching, and demonstration, and candidates are encouraged to consider how this resource could support the growth of their program. Teaching responsibilities include contributions to the Society of American Foresters accredited professional B.S. Forestry curriculum. Specific courses to be taught include undergraduate and graduate courses in silviculture as well as other courses as assigned. The successful candidate will mentor graduate students at the MS and PhD level and contribute to undergraduate advising and mentoring. The successful candidate will engage in relevant service within the forestry discipline, as well as service to the department, college, and university which is expected to be scaled upon establishment of productive research and teaching programs.

For detailed information regarding faculty duties and expectations, please contact the Search Chair, Andrew Larson a.larson@umontana.edu, to request a copy of the Dept. of Forest Management Unit Standards. 

Position Details

Title: Assistant Professor of Silviculture
Schedule: Full-time academic year position beginning fall semester 2027

Salary: $70,000-$85,000 per year commensurate with qualifications

Benefits: Medical Insurance/Mandatory Retirement Contribution/Professional Development/Partial Tuition Waiver/Wellness 

About Us

The Department of Forest Management comprises a multidisciplinary faculty focused on developing the foundation and tools necessary for sustainable management of forest landscapes. DFM occupies a unique position in FCFC as steward of a nationally accredited professional degree in Forestry that has served students since 1913. DFM members are active in basic and applied research with noteworthy productivity in fire and water sciences, remote sensing, biometrics, forest and fire ecology, and silviculture. DFM faculty direct the Montana Climate Office, the National Center for Landscape Fire Analysis, and the Wilderness Institute, each with significant outlays in infrastructure, grants and contracts, staff, and graduate students. DFM’s teaching, research, and outreach are enhanced by Lubrecht Experimental Forest and Bandy Ranch, both located within easy driving distance of campus in the Blackfoot Valley. FCFC is highly interdisciplinary and has multiple programs that promote collaboration across departments in both teaching and research. Additional information about the college can be found at https://www.umt.edu/environment/. 

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

• PhD (earned doctorate) in forestry, natural resource management, forest science, or a related field by the date of hire.
• Record of scholarly publications in peer-reviewed outlets that indicates potential to achieve national distinction in silviculture, applied forest ecology, and/or forest management.
• Potential to develop a nationally recognized and extramurally funded research program that will inform forest management in the western U.S. and beyond.
• Demonstrated potential for excellence and innovation in undergraduate and graduate forestry education.
• Record of effective collaboration, grounded in ethics, openness, collegiality, and mutual respect.

Preferred Qualifications:

• DFM encourages applications from individuals meeting the required qualifications, and is particularly interested in candidates with one or more of the following:
• Demonstrated track record of acquiring external research funding.
• Experience with silvicultural field experiments and long-term studies.
• Experience teaching and mentoring undergraduate students.
• Experience using high-impact learning practices, including field learning, service-learning, internships, and other types of experiential learning.
• Professional forestry certification such as Certified Forester (CF), Registered Professional Forester (RPF), or equivalent.
• Record of translating research results into real-world forest management applications.