The Forest Ecosystem Monitoring Cooperative (FEMC) is an environmental cooperative that seeks to serve the northeast temperate forest region through improved understanding of long-term trends, annual conditions, and interdisciplinary relationships of the physical, chemical, and biological components of forested ecosystems. Specifically, the FEMC’s Forest Health Monitoring Program (FHM) acts as one of these long-term monitoring projects in the northeast, and since 1991, the FEMC has established 194 plots to monitor long-term trends in tree demography, canopy conditions, seedling abundance, sapling survivorship, invasive species and browse presence, and damage agents.
The Forest Ecosystem Monitoring Cooperative (FEMC) seeks to fill 2-3 Field Crew Lead positions and 9-12 Field Technician positions based out of Burlington, VT with field visits throughout New England and New York to inventory and measure forest plots as part of the Forest Health Monitoring (FHM) Program. Annually, the FHM program collects data on forest stand composition and structure, canopy condition and crown health, crown closure, tree regeneration, and forest stressors and threats using a variety of field collection tools and protocols.
Crew Leads
With support from the FEMC staff and state coordinators, the technician crew leads will oversee and lead crews of 3-4 crew members and travel to monitoring plots in each of the 7 states to collect forest health data, primarily focusing on Vermont, New York, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. Crews will train with FEMC staff and state agency personnel to learn the data collection protocols, methods, and techniques. Following training, crew leads will be responsible for planning trip logistics, maintaining equipment, traveling to and from field sites, conducting field work, and entering quality assured data while out in the field. In addition to these responsibilities, the crew lead will also be responsible for managing a safe and inclusive work environment, relaying consistent communications between supervisor and field crew, and making decisions in the field for the crew. The complete job description can be found below in a PDF file.
Field Technicians
The technicians will split into crews of 3-4 and travel to monitoring plots in each of the 7 states to collect forest health data, primarily focusing on Vermont, New York, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. Crews will train with FEMC staff and state agency personnel to learn the data collection protocols, methods, and techniques. Following training, crews will be responsible for planning daily trips, maintaining equipment, traveling to and from field sites, conducting field work, contributing to FEMC social media outlets, and entering quality assured data while out in the field. The complete job description can be found below in a PDF file.
Interested?
If interested, please send a resume and cover letter in a single PDF, along with contact information for two references, to Jerome.Lee@uvm.edu and jjvitale@uvm.edu and CC: bporter5@uvm.edu. In the subject line please put 2024 FHM Field Technician Application.
FEMC Staff will begin reviewing applications in January 2024 on a rolling basis. The positions will remain open until filled. All interviews will be done remotely using Microsoft Teams.
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other category legally protected by federal or state law.
Summer Field Technician Position Description: 2024_FEMCSummer_FieldTechnician.pdf
Summer Crew Lead Position Description: 2024_FEMCSummer_FieldTechnician_CrewLead.pdf