USDA Forest Service Office/Lab and Location: A fellowship opportunity is available with the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service (FS) within the Pacific Southwest Research Station (PSWRS) located in Sacramento, California.
At the heart of the USDA Forest Service's mission is their purpose. Everything they do is intended to help sustain forests and grasslands for present and future generations. Why? Because their stewardship work supports nature in sustaining life. This is the purpose that drives the agency’s mission and motivates their work across the agency. It’s been there from the agency’s very beginning, and it still drives them. To advance the mission and serve their purpose, the USDA Forest Service balances the short and long-term needs of people and nature by: working in collaboration with communities and our partners; providing access to resources and experiences that promote economic, ecological, and social vitality; connecting people to the land and one another; and delivering world-class science, technology and land management.
Research Project: Through the mentorship of Forest Service technical staff and project leads, fellows will participate in an immersive field and laboratory experience investigating watershed and subsurface responses to environmental disturbances. Fellows will practice a variety of data collection, monitoring, and analysis techniques by collaborating on the following research track:
- Post-Fire Hydrology and Vadose Zone Processes: Fellows will gain hands-on experience monitoring root-zone moisture and subsurface flow dynamics. Fellows will practice downloading water level data, performing geophysical logging of boreholes, and utilizing instrumentation to observe how fire impacts water movement through the vadose zone.