Whittell Forest and Wildlife Area Forestry Intern (UNR, Pack Intern, Summer 2026)
SUMMER 2026 (6/1/26 - 6/26/26)
**This internship is hosted by UNR - Whittell Forest and Wildlife Area and sponsored by the Nevada Career Studio and ASUN.
Students are highly encouraged to visit the Nevada Career Studio during our drop-in hours or use our Virtual Resume & Cover Letter Review service BEFORE applying for these positions. Resumes and cover letters that do not meet NCS expectations will not be included in applicant packages to employers.
UNR - Whittell Forest and Wildlife Area
About UNR - Whittell Forest and Wildlife Area:
The mission of the Whittell Forest & Wildlife Area is to maintain a living field laboratory of forested mountain land for research, instruction, and community outreach that contributes to the understanding and protection of natural ecosystem integrity while engaging Nevada citizens in learning and problem-solving activities.
Internship Description:
The intern will be responsible for assisting the Whittell Forest Summer crew in the collection of long-term forest inventory data. This involves working and living outside for several days at a time on the Whittell Forest, and hiking to measurements plots to collect data. Housing is non-traditional during the work week (i.e. camping), and candidates should expect variation in day-to-day schedules and activities.
The intern must remain with the crew and onsite for the duration of the week, back and forth travel will not be permitted.
Duties/Responsibilities:
The intern will participate in the full sampling protocol of the Whittell Forest long term inventory project. This includes measurements of the following:
- Trees - height, diameter, species, damage and disease, crown class, status
- Regeneration - count, heights, and species
- All understory plants within plots - cover and height
- Canopy cover
- Ground surface cover
- Fine fuel measurements
- Course woody debris measurements
- Plot level measurements - slope, aspect, elevation
Goals and Expectations of the Intern:
- Complete 160 hours of work as an intern (40 hours per week, 4 weeks total)
- Learn a variety of sampling methodologies and botanical information in a short period.
- Learn and participate in hands-on activities, including participating in the sampling methodology immediately during training.
- Ability to work outside and hiking for extended periods, as well as being self-sufficient while camping during the week.
- Upon completing the internship, the intern should have a knowledge of and be comfortable with the primary sampling techniques and tools of forest mensuration, as well as basic knowledge of common understory plants in the Eastern Sierras.
Required Qualifications:
- Must be a degree-seeking undergraduate student at the University of Nevada, Reno after the Spring ‘26 semester
- Spring ‘26 or earlier graduates are not eligible for the Pack Internship Grant Program
- The ability to work alongside as a team for long hours, outdoors, and in possibly strenuous conditions, while maintaining how quality data collection.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Preferred candidates will have previous experience with forestry or natural resource field work, Sierra Nevada plant identification skills (or strong background in plant identification/botany), knowledge of tree measurements and forest ecosystem sampling techniques and tools.
- Ideally, applicants should have experience driving 4WD vehicles on remote dirt roads and experience living self-sufficiently in the field for a few days at a time.
Desired Schedule for Intern:
The intern will integrate into the Whittell Forest Summer Technician Crew. This means heading up to the Forest on Monday, camping Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday night, and returning to Reno on Thursday evening. The work schedule is four 10 hour days. The intern must remain with the crew and onsite for the duration of the week, back and forth travel will not be permitted.