Forestry Extension and Research Specialist - Natural Resources & Environmental Sciences

Duties

Responsibilities

Outreach/Extension:

• Develop an innovative Extension Program with a focus on urban and community forestry and conduct program evaluation to improve the curriculum, implementation strategies, and impacts.
• Provide need-based outreach, education, training, programming, and technical guidance to primary constituents.
• Sponsor/co-sponsor, lead/co-lead in the coordination of forestry-related conferences, symposia, workshops, trainings, and field days.
• Develop (author or co-author) technical bulletins, educational videos, and articles.
• Develop and maintain Extension Forestry websites, including the Big Tree Register, and social media accounts.
• Collaborate on broader initiatives with the Extension forestry team and other Extension colleagues in Natural Resources, Environment, and Energy and Horticulture program areas.
• Serve as a technical advisor to one or more forestry or conservation related state organizations such as the Illinois Tree Farm Program, Illinois Forestry Development Council, Illinois Walnut Council, Illinois Forestry Association, and Illinois Arborist Association.
• Collaborate with colleagues and staff with the Division of Forestry Resources (IL Dept. of Natural Resources), Illinois Natural Resources Conservation Service, USDA Shawnee National Forest, Southern Illinois University - Carbondale (Dept. of Forestry), Morton Arboretum, Trees Forever, and U of I's Prairie Research Institute. Applied Forestry Research
• Obtain funding and lead research in urban and community forestry.
• Manage and conduct research at the University of Illinois Experimental Forest including supervising student interns.
• Contribute to collaborative interdisciplinary research endeavors within the U of I. Undergraduate teaching
• Instruct a Dendrology course every other year.
• Potentially teach or co-teach a forestry related field course.