Seasonal forest and fire ecology field crew leads and members for work on Coastal Redwoods and Giant Sequoias

Positions: Seasonal forest and fire ecology field crew leaders (3) and members (6)

Employer: University of California, Berkeley

Dates:

• Review begins: January 12
• Application deadline: February 6
• Coastal Redwood Crews: May - September
• Giant Sequoia Crew: June-early October
• Constraints on availability may be accommodated, crew lead may start early.

Compensation:

• All positions receive holiday pay, sick leave, and options for health insurance coverage
• Crew member: $23.12/hr
• Crew lead: $26.66/hr

Overview:
The Shive Lab at UC Berkeley is currently hiring for multiple field crew positions to support two exciting research projects focused on forest recovery and fire resilience in California’s forest ecosystems. These projects aim to better understand postfire forest recovery in both coast redwood and giant sequoia forests.

Field methods, equipment, and safety training will be provided. The crew will be trained by UC Berkeley staff in the first week of work but otherwise will need to work independently throughout the season, communicating regularly with the project manager. The work schedule will include 8 ten-hour work days followed by 6 days off.

Crews will be provided with a vehicle, but crew members are responsible for their own transportation to and from the duty station at the beginning and end of the work week. Some field driving will be on remote and rugged roads. 

Some shared camping equipment will be provided as necessary. Field work in mountain and coastal environments can be grueling, and crews will be expected to navigate off-trail, in hot or cold weather, on steep slopes and in harsh conditions. In some post-fire landscapes, field crew staff should anticipate traveling through dense shrubs for long distances to get to plots. Candidates with backcountry savvy will be preferred, but candidates with a proven hard work ethic in arduous conditions are welcome and will be trained in backcountry skills.

Giant Sequoia Crew (1 lead, 2 members):

For the giant sequoia reforestation monitoring project, we are tracking seedlings that were planted in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks to track survival and explore the potential drivers of that survival. Sequoia crew will collect data on planted seedlings primarily in burned giant sequoia forests, in both frontcountry and backcountry groves. The crews will measure seedlings and competing vegetation, and may also collect some data on forest structure and fuels. This monitoring will result in both original scientific research and tangible recommendations for the Parks in terms of future planting needs.

Field sites include groves in remote backcountry wilderness areas that will require self-supported backpacking ~10 miles with a heavy pack, likely for at least two 8-day trips. Other field sites will be frontcountry accessible, but will still require crews to camp during the work week sometimes in sites that lack running water or restrooms.

The duty station is the UC Reserve in Wawona, Yosemite National Park, where housing is also available for a monthly fee. 

Coast Redwoods Crews (2 leads, 2-4 members):

The coast redwood fuels project will explore how fuels and forest structure vary by fire severity and time-since-fire, with the goal of understanding fuel re-accumulation patterns in burned forests. We will be hiring two separate crews to collect ecological data at sampling sites ranging from the Santa Cruz Mountains to Southern Oregon. The crews will collect field data on forest structure and fuels, and also collect woody fuel samples that will be later used to improve standardized methods for quantifying fuels in coast redwood forests.

Most of the season will involve car camping, either in designated campsites (paid for by the employer) or in unofficial “dispersed” campsites adjacent to remote roads. These latter sites lack running water and restrooms. 

For the coast redwood project, housing may be available but is TBD at this time. 

Required qualifications:

Crew lead

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in ecology, botany, forestry, range science, or related natural science field
• A minimum of two seasons of related field work

Crew member

• Upper division college coursework or equivalent experience in ecology, botany, forestry, range science, or related natural science field
• A minimum of one season of related field work or multiple relevant coursework field experiences

Qualifications required for both positions:

• Experience in conifer forest vegetation data collection methods
• Experience in identifying trees and shrubs
• Experience in use of map, compass, and GPS units for location and travel
• Ability to maintain a positive attitude in physically demanding and/or uncomfortable conditions
• Enthusiasm for the type of work to be conducted
• Knowledge of and experience with Microsoft Excel for data entry purposes
• CPR and Wilderness First Aid certified (certification may be accomplished after job offer is made, with registration cost reimbursed by the employer up to $250)

Preferred qualifications:

• Experience conducting forestry or ecological field work, preferably in similar environments to those planned for these positions
• Excellent organizational skills and detail oriented for data management, equipment management, crew management (crew leader only), and planning (crew leader only)
• Ability to take a leadership role and make decisions without input from supervisor when needed (crew leader only)
• Experience in a variety of vegetation sampling techniques
• Experience working with complex data recording equipment
• Experience in backcountry camping
• Valid driver’s license

Physical Demands:

• Ability to hike 5+ miles per day with a heavy pack through difficult and steep terrain often without trails and often in areas burned by wildfire or prescribed fire
• Willingness and ability to work in rugged/remote conditions, possibly with overnight stays away from vehicles
• Ability to work in extremely hot and dry as well as cold and wet conditions

Covid-19 Precautions:

Crews will be expected to carefully follow required Covid-19 precautions outlined by their

supervisors (and required by the University of California). We expect employees to help protect the health of their fellow crew members by acting responsibly.

Crew Safety and Inclusion:

Outdoor safety is of the utmost importance in field work. This can have many meanings, including having first aid training, being a safe driver, being aware of your personal abilities and limitations when off-trail, and being prepared for potentially negative interactions with strangers. We will do all that we can to ensure every crew member is safe and secure in the field.