WFWA Forest Technician

UNR’s Whittell Forest and Wildlife Area is seeking to hire forestry technicians for the 2026 Summer field season. Forest technicians will be responsible for conducting a variety of activities to support the research and management of the Whittell Forest. These include collecting forest inventory data, fuel reduction activities (thinning, brush cutting, and chipping), harvest and treatment marking and layout, facilities maintenance, data entry and quality control, as well as surveying and ground truthing of spatial data. Candidates may work alongside the Forest Manager, or independently in the field. Preferred candidates will have previous experience with forestry or natural resource field work, Sierra Nevada plant identification skills (or strong background in plant identification/botany), knowledge of tree measurements and forest ecosystem sampling techniques and tools. Fieldwork will require the ability to work well with others for long hours under strenuous field conditions, including lifting at heavy work strength classification and hiking up to several miles in a day. Ideally, applicants should have experience driving 4WD vehicles on remote dirt roads and experience living self-sufficiently in the field for a few days at a time. 

The field season will run for ~12 consecutive weeks from late May or early June (snowpack dependent) through the beginning of August, ending prior to the Fall 2026 semester. Pay is $17.50/hr for technicians. Technicians may also earn course credits depending on their major. Housing is non-traditional during the work week (i.e. camping), and candidates should expect variation in day-to-day schedules and activities.