Graduate research assistantship

A graduate research assistantship is available at the Masters level in the Natural Resources Science and Management Graduate Program of the University of Minnesota on the topic "Effects of Browse on Growth and Mortality of Northern White Cedar."
The vast majority of northern white cedar in Minnesota are mature to overmature and do not appear to be replacing themselves. Many presume that active management to promote this species will involve control of deer populations, but will that be enough? This long-term project will evaluate the growth and mortality of planted white cedar under several browse-related treatments, including open grown (control), in exclosures for deer, and in exclosures for deer and small rodents and mammals.
Full-time student support (i.e., 50% appointment) will be guaranteed for the first 12 months of this project (January 2005 through December 2005). The GRA will take primary responsibility for establishing sites, arranging for the construction of the exclosures, and helping to plant trees in the spring of 2005. Summer 2005 data collection will involve baseline measurements of tree size and condition and end-of-summer mortality. The second summer will involve evaluating growth, mortality, and browse following the winter. A student starting in January 2005 would be expected to defend an MS thesis in January 2007.
For more information, please contact Dr. Eric Zenner (ezenner@umn.edu), 115 Green Hall, 1530 Cleveland Ave. N., St. Paul, MN 55108 or call 612 625 3733.