The Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) seeks a Research Fellow to provide leadership to an emerging effort aimed at better understanding the potential uses for carbon sequestered in AMC’s forest lands. If you are interested in working in Pinkham Notch Visitors Center, in New Hampshire (USA), don’t hesitate and apply!
Summary Description
The AMC seeks a Research Fellow to provide leadership to an emerging effort aimed at better understanding the potential uses for carbon sequestered in AMC’s forest lands. Working with the Assistant Director of Research /Senior Staff Scientist (Forest Ecologist), Director of Research and other AMC staff, the Fellow will investigate a range of questions concerning how this carbon may best be utilized in service to AMC’s mission and organizational carbon footprint reduction goals, and to guide future organizational decisions on land management and potential forest carbon offset projects. The position would be housed in AMC’s Research Department located at the AMC’s Pinkham Notch Visitor Center in the White Mountain National Forest of New Hampshire.
This full-time year-round position is funded for one year with the possibility of extension to two years or longer.
Background
Founded in 1876 and headquartered in Boston, MA, the AMC is the nation’s oldest conservation and recreation organization. Our mission “promotes the protection, enjoyment, and understanding of the mountains, forests, waters, and trails of America’s Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions.” The AMC is a wide-ranging organization whose activities include recreational facility management, trail construction and maintenance, environmental and outdoor skills education, scientific research and conservation advocacy. AMC has made an organizational commitment to reduce its carbon footprint 80% from our 2005 baseline by 2050.
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Why carbon?
AMC’s Maine Woods Initiative encompasses 75,000 acres of forest in Maine as well as three traditional sporting camps. These lands are managed for a combination of habitat protection, sustainable timber management and backcountry recreation. These lands support two verified carbon offset projects, and the carbon being sequestered in these forests provides a range of ecological, financial and social benefits. AMC also owns 1,200 acres of forest in western New Hampshire that may potentially support a carbon offset project. Assisting AMC with determining the appropriate long-term balance between the sometimes complementary and sometimes conflicting benefits provided by forest CO2 sequestration on these properties will be the focus of the Research Fellow’s work.
Primary Responsibilities
– Utilizing existing inventory information, analyze the economic viability of additional forest carbon offset projects on AMC’s lands.
– Assess the financial tradeoffs between timber harvesting and carbon credits on AMC’s managed lands under a range of prices for wood products and carbon offsets.
– Develop an estimate of “unofficial” carbon credits that would accrue for the Roach Ponds forest reserve (including conducting a field inventory). (This part of AMC’s ownership is not eligible for a verified carbon offset project.)
– Develop an improved estimate of the carbon footprint of guest travel to AMC facilities.
– Evaluate issues (ethical, public relations, etc.) related to using “unofficial” credits for internal AMC purposes (primarily offsetting organizational carbon footprint).
– Evaluate existing models that allow travelers to offset the carbon footprint of their travel.
– Investigate the practicality of and procedures for selling carbon credits from AMC’s forests to AMC guests to offset their travel to AMC facilities.
– Develop educational materials for AMC staff, board and members on issues related to forests, climate change and carbon sequestration on AMC lands.
– Work cooperatively with AMC staff to develop a long-term plan on how best to utilize the carbon sequestration potential of AMC’s forest lands.
Qualifications and Experience
We do not expect the Fellow to possess all of the knowledge and skills necessary to carry out this project. Our work in this area over the past decade has involved an extensive learning curve and we expect the Fellow to be part of this on-going organizational education. The minimum requirements are:
– MS (PhD preferred) in forestry, forest ecology, forest management, forest economics or related field.
– Strong written and verbal communications skills.
– Strong quantitative skills.
– Experience with using Geographic Information Systems (ArcGIS).
– Knowledge of the ecology of northeastern forests.
In addition, the Fellow should have knowledge or experience in one or more of the following areas:
– Ecosystem service and forest carbon offset markets.
– Forest inventory.
– Forest management and silviculture.
– Forest growth and yield modeling (especially Forest Vegetation Simulator).
– Forest economic analysis.
Starting Date
There is no specific starting date. Review of applications will begin in early July 2017 but the position will remain open until a suitable candidate is found.
Compensation
AMC offers a professionally competitive salary and benefits package commensurate with experience.
To Apply
Interested candidates should submit a cover letter along with their resume.
The Appalachian Mountain Club has zero tolerance for child abuse or placing children in danger. The AMC requires all employees who work in a program or facility which serves children, disabled persons, or the elderly to have a criminal background record check performed on their name annually with employment contingent upon satisfactory results.
The AMC is an Equal Opportunity Employer and values diversity in the workplace. The AMC encourages the involvement of all people in its mission and activities, through its membership, programs, policies, and procedures. Our goal is to be a community that is comfortable, inviting, and accessible for people of any age, gender, race, religion, ethnicity, ability, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic status. Join us!