Overview

The forests now growing in the Northeastern US following multiple rounds of disturbance and deforestation over the past three centuries are quite different from the original one which supported a relatively small human population. Challenges to forest recovery in the form of ongoing land conversion and fragmentation, invasive species, pests, pathogens and climate change mean that these forests will continue to change for centuries to come. In this project we are generating a detailed record of woody plant structure and diversity on a series of plots in a permanently protected wildland - Masson Ridge - that will be available for comparative study over time. The data collected at this site will provide a record of forest change under passive ( = no) management that may be compared to the trajectory of forest change under management, most commonly timber harvesting.

Intern Responsibilities

Interns are paid $15/hour for working directly with Dr William Copeland to collect data that can be used to calculate diversity, richness, species density and basal area and other measures of forest structure. The field work includes locating, laying out and permanently marking a series of 20x20 meter sample plots; measuring and recording all woody plants above a certain size in each plot; describing physical plot characteristics such as slope and orientation, dead and damaged trees and evidence of deer browse and other qualities deemed important. Data entry in the field is facilitated by the use of standard data sheets. Each intern will also be responsible for transferring the field data to a project spreadsheet and generating sample summary statistics from that for presentation at the end of the project term.

Preferred Qualifications

No expertise in plant identification is needed before field work begins but participants will learn to recognize the most common woody species (about 40) during the internship. Each participant is expected to read and understand the study protocol ahead of time. Additional reading may be suggested by either the academic advisor or the site supervisor. Entry of the collected data into a spreadsheet is paid at a similar rate and may be done at the headquarters at the end of the day or elsewhere using photographs of the raw data. In the event that more than one intern is available and depending on proficiency, interns may be permitted to work as an unsupervised team in the field. Pay increases may be negotiated for this and any work described here after the initial weeks.

Hours Per Week

5-10

Desired Outcomes

Work may begin anytime after the middle of September and continue as long as the weather permits. The field site (Masson Ridge) is a 180 acre forested lot located in Northfield MA about a 20 minute drive from GCC. The site supervisors are Bill and Christine Copeland and the sponsoring organization is The Greater Northfield Watershed Association.

Compensation

$15/hour