Are you interested in learning more about fire and forest ecology, or in summer field positions?
Why consider field work?
- If you already know that you want to be a field biologist, or a forest or fire ecologist, or want to test it out
- If you are interested in other types of ecology, you can still gain valuable experience learning about vegetation and working on a field crew (for any future position, your ability to work well with crew members will be an asset)
- It’s fun, challenging, and you’ll learn a lot
- You’ll work in beautiful, sometimes hard-to-reach parts of California and the West
Common requirements for hiring and how to prepare for them
We don’t usually require fieldwork experience for student assistant positions, but obviously it is a plus. You can fulfill many of our job requirements through coursework, outdoors experience, and through other jobs and volunteer work. Undergrads who have interned in our lab are also given preferential consideration (assuming they meet basic qualifications).
- Demonstrated interest in ecology
- - We often give preference to students who are in ecology-related majors.
- Take lab courses that have some element of data collection. We want to see that you are able to follow directions and collect reliable data.
- Undergrads are always welcome to join our lab meetings and see what we’re about! See below for info. - Attention to detail and work ethic
- - There are many ways to demonstrate attention to detail and strong work ethic. For most positions we offer, you can describe job experiences that are unrelated to field ecology or data collection.
- Specialized knowledge in botany, fire ecology and/or forestry (for some positions)
- - California Floristics (or equivalent training) is a prerequisite for botany positions
- Fire ecology and Trees and Forests will introduce forest mensuration techniques, which are a critical part of general forest ecology positions.
- Several other classes teach plant sampling techniques; be on the lookout for these!
- Some positions may require knowledge of fire behavior and management. This can be obtained by obtaining a federal fire fighter’s Red Card and/or attending a training, such as the two-week Prescribed Fire Training Exchanges (TREX) - Outdoor experience
- - All of our field positions involve hiking across rough and steep terrain. It is essential that you have experience hiking off-trail and feel comfortable being in places far from a marked path or road. Many positions require experience with dispersed camping (camping in remote areas outside of an official campground). Some positions also require experience backpacking (and for you to have at least some of your own gear)
- Wilderness First Aid (WFA) training
- - We require field crew members to have WFA training so that they can attend to their fellow crew members should the need arise. If you are hired to a crew, we will often be able to pay for your WFA course. However, the best thing to do is to take advantage of free WFA trainings when they are made available by UC Davis. This will strengthen your application and help your eligibility for projects that don’t have funding for training.