Northwest Fire Portal

USGS Core Science Systems and Office of Enterprise Information leadership is excited to announce the FY20 USGS Community for Data Integration (CDI) Request for Proposals.

All interested scientists and staff are urged to consider participating in this opportunity to engage with a dynamic team that spans all mission areas and regions. With more than 1300 members, a major program goal is to support the advancement of USGS science through technical innovation and data integration. This year, CDI is encouraging proposals that produce building blocks for an Integrated Predictive Science Capacity with the following themes:

1. Projects that address one of the major components of the USGS Director’s vision to:
   a. Integrate USGS data into a comprehensive data lake;
   b. Develop, test, and apply an integrated predictive science capability (EarthMAP) that incorporates data, interpretations, and knowledge spanning discipline boundaries, geographies, and sectors;
   c. Provide actionable intelligence that can be used via dashboards and applications to enhance situational awareness, provide new operational capabilities, and inform decision making, using technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and high performance computing.
2. Tools and methods supporting wildland fire and water prediction, aligned with the EarthMAP (Earth Monitoring, Analyses, and Projections) vision (Jenni et al., 2018).
3. Producing FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) data and tools for Integrated Predictive Science Capacity (see the Enabling FAIR Data site).
4. Reusing or repurposing modular tools such as those that were developed by previous CDI projects, including the CDI Risk Map

One-page statements of interest are invited for submission and are due by Friday, October 11, 2019 at 5 pm ET.

Refer to the Related Event link to the right (or below) regarding a webinar that will provide more information about the proposal process.
 

The Western Forest Initiative at Utah State University (http://westernforestinitiative.org) seeks to fill a PhD position funded by the T. W. Daniel endowment. The selected student will work in the Lutz lab on research in the three largest annually-surveyed, spatially-explicit forest plots in western North America, located in Yosemite, California (http://yfdp.org), Wind River, Washington (http://wfdp.org), and Cedar Breaks, Utah (http://ufdp.org). Experimental work can be conducted in the T. W. Daniel Experimental Forest near Logan, Utah.

The successful student can conduct research on a variety of topics, for example; spatial relationships among woody plants, forest community resistance and resilience, forest canopy-snow interactions, fuel dynamics, climate-mediated forest change, plant-soil interactions, carbon sequestration, seedling dynamics, understory-overstory interactions, or mechanisms and consequences of tree mortality. The existing dataset is particularly rich in demographic data, including annual tree mortality by cause. There will be considerable opportunity to interact with students, scientists, and academics affiliated with the Smithsonian Forest Global Earth Observatory (https://forestgeo.si.edu).

The USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station (PNW) invites applications for a permanent full-time Research Meteorologist (series 1401) / Research Air Quality Engineer (series 0819) positionat the rank of GS-12, GS-13, or GS-14. The position is located at the Pacific Wildland Fire Sciences Laboratory in Seattle, Washington and is part of the AirFire Team of the Threat Characterization and Management Program. Applications can be submitted via the USAJOBS website:https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/544454700
 
The PNW Research Station is one of seven research units in the USDA Forest Service. The Forest Service conducts the most extensive and productive program of integrated forestry research in the world. Scientific information produced by the USDA Forest Service AirFire Team focuses on understanding fire-atmosphere interactions, air quality, and climate with respect to wildland fire. AirFire’s research has application the across United States and in other parts of the world. The Station’s programs reflect the changing character of the questions that science is being asked to help answer.
 
The scientist will provide expertise to generate knowledge about fire, atmosphere, and chemistry interactions that can lead to better modeling of wildland fire emissions, plumes, and smoke. The knowledge is used to develop and deliver innovative and effective strategies, methods, and tools so people can plan, manage, or mitigate the changes, causes, and consequences associated with fire emissions and smoke.
 
Personal research assignment: The scientist serves as a fire/meteorology/air quality modeler and as one of four permanent, principal staff scientists with the AirFire Team. The AirFire team works closely together and the scientist is expected to collaborate on team projects within their area of expertise. The scientist is further expected to become the AirFire lead for one or more of the following critical areas of knowledge and research for the team, and participate in advancing the others: fire smoke modeling frameworks and real-time tools; coupled fire/atmosphere/smoke modeling; field work; and remote sensing. In this role the scientist is expected to serve both leadership roles within the team and also to be a national and international resource for the U.S. Forest Service, Department of Agriculture, and broader air quality community.
 
The scientist has roles across all three of AirFire’s problem areas: air quality, meteorology, and climate. Air Quality: The scientist helps lead advancements in atmospheric/air quality modeling, including acquisition and implementation of remotely-sensed data into models. The scientist has a primary role in assessing new satellite products for their utility towards the smoke modeling frameworks. The scientist is expected to participate in and potentially lead field campaigns focused on wildland fire smoke. Meteorology: The scientist works to understand the coupled dynamics of fire-atmosphere and fire-atmosphere-smoke interactions including how these dynamics affect fire behavior and consumption and lead to the development of fire plumes that loft emissions into the atmosphere. Additionally, the scientist works to understand how advances in meteorological ensemble modeling can be applied to fire and smoke and how to codify this knowledge within numeric models and tools. Climate: The scientist, as one of the lead modelers, will assist with development of improved modeling strategies to quantify the above issues and the uncertainty surrounding them in future climate projections.
 
The scientist is expected to work nationally and to collaborate with the broader scientific community to create specific projects that can advance these goals. The scientist is also expected to engage directly with the management community including land managers, fire managers, and air quality regulators, and to support training of managers in areas related to their individual areas of expertise.
 
Location: Seattle and its surrounding areas are the major population center for Washington State. It is home to a number of research institutions and universities including the University of Washington, and numerous technical and environmental companies and non-profits. It is an innovative, highly-educated city featuring outstanding schools, diverse cultural centers, many outdoor activities, a thriving arts community, acclaimed restaurants, and a temperate climate. Seattle is served by both the SeaTac International Airport and the Paine Field Regional Airport as well as by train, bus, and ferry services.

We seek a sincere, motivated, and creative individual to apply for an exciting PhD assistantship in Forest Ecosystem Dynamics at Washington State University. The successful candidate will work with Dr. Arjan Meddens to examine the spatial and temporal patterns of ecosystem dynamics across the western United States. You will work on highly relevant research which aims to improve ecosystem resilience to future disturbances across the larger landscape under rapidly changing climate conditions. Research topics of interest include: (1) the dynamics of fire refugia and utilization of fire refugia by plant or animal species, (2) spatial and temporal patterns of bark beetle outbreaks, and/or (3) the utilization of high-resolution (UAV) lidar applications for forest measurements. A genuine interest in teaching is required and an interest in natural resource management applications is highly desired. Two-year RA funding is available with more funding possible in year 3 and 4 of the Ph.D. The successful candidate will be housed in the School of the Environment at Washington State University, which has great collaborative faculty with expertise in both the social and biophysical sciences.

The Oregon Department of Forestry is currently hiring two (2) seasonal, full-time positions located in Tillamook. These positions will generally work from November through April 15, depending on planting season.

What will you do: You will carry out technical forestry tasks associated with unit goals, goals which contribute to the mission of the Oregon Department of Forestry, as assigned by the Reforestation Unit Forester.

The purpose of this position  is to carry out technical forestry tasks associated with unit goals, goals which contribute to the mission of the Oregon Department of Forestry, as assigned by the Reforestation Unit Forester. Because the Department's highest priority work is a forest fire emergency, this position may be utilized during those emergencies to provide assistance in a variety of ways.

The Forest Steward's Guild is looking to survey organizations that either currently practice prescribed fire or would like to in the future. This will help better understand the insurance market across the country and work with brokers and underwriters to produce a better product. They would like as broad of a sample as possible, spanning all types of fire practitioner backgrounds in order to best understand what is needed!

How you can help: take the survey and forward it to practitioners who might want insurance to implement prescribed burns or better prescribed fire insurance coverage than they currently have.

Prescribed fire is vital to ecosystems and is becoming widely regarded as a cost-effective management tool with major benefit. However, even the most carefully planned burn comes with some risk. This is an incredibly large barrier to implementation due to the lack of high-quality liability insurance available. This problem continues to grow as more agencies pull their prescribed fire insurance plans from the market.

The Forest Steward’s Guild has struggled with this exact barrier and has uncovered some currently available options and potential long-term solutions. For more information on the background of this project and FAQs, please visit https://foreststewardsguild.org/prescribed-fire-insurance

In August the Environmental Protection Agency released guidance on documenting particulate matter or ozone events influenced by prescribed fire or wildland fire. 

Nominations are now open for new members of the International Association of Wildland Fires' (IAWF) Board of Directors. Nominations will be accepted through September 30, 2019 and successful candidates will begin their 3-year term on January 1, 2020. Individuals meeting the requirements may self-nominate.

Responsibilities:

• Follow instructions issued in a timber cruise plan.
• Conduct sample measurements of forest stands to estimate the amount of standing timber.
• Use standard forest measurement tools such as diameter tape, tree calipers, clinometer, angle gauge, prism, compass, and increment borer.
• Determine area of timber resources by traversing harvest unit boundaries and road locations.
• Assess quality and determine defects in timber.
• Complete assigned resource management support tasks within established deadlines.
• Prepare, process, and interpret reports of timber cruise data using a computerized system.
• Apply silvicultural prescriptions and marking guides to designate harvest timber.

The Northeast Region of the Washington State Department of Natural Resources is currently recruiting for four Non-Perm, State Uplands Foresters (Natural Resources Specialist 1) to join our team of Silviculture Foresters. 
 
Are you someone who loves the outdoors, and is passionate about natural resource forester opportunities in Washington State? If you love working in the outdoors, appreciate a remote natural environment, and have good practical field skills with a proven ability for working in a small team, then this is the job for you.
 
These positions will assist the Silviculture Foresters in implementing sound ecological forest management that generates revenue while improving forest health and habitat.  Position responsibilities include assisting in the layout of timber sales. This work includes, locating and marking timber sale unit boundaries, tree marking, GPS mapping, locating and delineating riparian buffers or other sensitive areas, road layout, cruising, and developing detailed summary reports. Additional silvicultural duties include conducting stand surveys, preparing and administering pre-commercial thinning, tree planting and fuels reduction contracts under the agency's forest health program. In addition, this position will assess the health of stands and recommend silvicultural prescriptions and harvest strategies.
 
We have opportunities available in the following locations:

• Arcadia (Deer Park, WA)
• North Columbia (Colville, WA)
• South Okanogan (Omak, WA)
• Highlands (Loomis, WA)