We are seeking a PHD student to work on a team project on modeling forest growth and dynamics at the temperate-boreal forest transition. The successful candidate will work in collaboration with a large team of forest ecologists and modelers.
PHD POSITION. The challenge of sustainable forest management is to satisfy simultaneously economical, social and environmental concerns. This project aims to maximize these three objectives by developing silvicultural practices that will promote diversity of forest stands. There is now a consensus, for several systems, that biodiversity has a positive effect on the provision of ecosystem services. Despite the documented advantages of a new silvicultural strategy that is explicitly based on the promotion of biodiversity, several barriers are preventing the application of this concept in current forestry practices. The general objective of this project is thus to evaluate operationally the effect of tree diversity on forest productivity and on the sustainable annual allowable cut. The project consists of developing regional growth and yield models that will account for competition and facilitation. The models will be developed from temporary and permanent sampling plots and an experimental design of high diversity plantations. The growth models will be used to evaluate the impact of different silvicultural practices promoting tree diversity on the sustainable annual allowable cut of representative management areas of temperate, mixed and boreal forests.
An MSc degree in forestry, biology, environmental sciences or statistics is ideal, but other fields may be considered. Applicants should have a demonstrated interest in ecological modelling, working with large databases, a good statistical basis and some programming skills or at least a strong interest in learning it. A fellowship of $ 20,000 per year for 3 years is offered.
INTSTRUCTIONS. Applications, including a letter describing research interests, a CV, copies of transcripts and the contact information for two references, or any questions about the project should be directed to
