The Bisbing Forest Ecology & Silviculture Lab at UNR is hiring a crew lead for the 2024 field season as part of a collaboration with US Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station researchers. The crew lead will oversee two technicians on a research project investigating the severity, drivers, and long-term impacts of widespread insect defoliator outbreaks in southeast Alaska. The crew will meet in Juneau, Alaska and will be travelling around across the region from May to August of 2024 via float plane, ferry, and/or helicopter to reach remote islands. Duties include but are not limited to: installing and re-surveying permanent plots; collecting tree, plant community, and forest health data; identifying and quantifying insect and disease damage; mapping forest composition and structure, and conducting survival and regeneration assessments. Additional responsibilities will include data entry and data quality control. Crew lead applicants must have previous experience as a crew lead as well as 2+ seasons of fieldwork experience. A vital aspect of this position will be the coordination of travel logistics for the whole crew throughout the field season and being the point of contact with relevant land managers. Most importantly, ideal candidates will have a strong ability to solve problems that arise in the field and the constitution to both act independently and work well as part of a field team.

Crew members must have the physical and mental ability to enjoy working in a remote forested environment. Fieldwork will require off-trail travel while carrying a heavy pack through dense vegetation and across steep terrain. Southeast Alaska is known for its insect diversity and inclement weather conditions, so crews should be prepared to enjoy type II fun!

The field season will run for 12 weeks from mid-May to mid-August. Pay is $23/hour with lodging and field season travel (Reno to Juneau and within Alaska) covered. Crew members should expect a dynamic schedule with time spent at multiple research sites across southeast Alaska. Non-traditional housing (tents, barracks, etc.) may be required in remote field locations. For more info on the lab’s science and members, check out https://www.sarahbisbing.com/ . For details on the current insects and disease outbreaks in southeast Alaska, see http://www.fs.fed.usda.gov/main/r10/forest-grasslandhealth.