The USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station (PSW) invites applications for a postdoctoral research fellow to investigate impacts of the Forest Service’s 2022 Wildfire Crisis Strategy (WCS) on communities in high priority landscapes for wildfire risk reduction in the Pacific Northwest, with particular focus on Northern California. This project will examine community capacity to support implementation of the WCS, as well as livelihood and equity issues surrounding its implementation. The successful candidate will participate under the mentorship of Dr. Jeff Vance Martin and join a larger team of collaborators, with partners from the USFS Pacific Northwest Research Station, Oregon State University, University of Oregon, and Cal Poly Humboldt. This research aims to elucidate: A) how socio-economic transformations – including reductions in forestry infrastructure and changes in workforce capacity and geography – are affecting implementation of the WCS; B) whether and how rural communities are able to take advantage of new investments in wildfire risk reduction and forest restoration given shifting local economies and declines in forest management capacity over the past several decades; and C) identify community impacts of WCS roll-out, with an eye toward equity concerns and how recent wildfires have affected local capacity to engage in forest management work. Results will inform management and policy decision-making by federal, state, tribal, and community entities.

The postdoctoral researcher will conduct field research in the Northern California region, co-leading primary qualitative data collection via semi-structured interviews with organizational representatives across multiple sites in Northern California and southern Oregon, in and around the Klamath, Shasta-Trinity, and Six Rivers National Forests. They will code interview transcripts and contribute to analysis and interpretation of findings, as well as triangulation and synthesis with other data gathered by research collaborators. The postdoc will participate in close coordination with the supervisor (Dr. Martin) and other research team members. They will have the opportunity to collaborate on related projects (around post-fire recovery, community resilience, and sense of place), and to contribute to production of research products (scientific journal articles, conference presentations, and other forms of public outreach).