Project Description:
In 2023 the University of Leeds created Gair Wood, a new broadleaf-dominated, native woodland of 66,000 trees for the city of Leeds. As well as improving
biodiversity and capturing carbon, the woodland will be a site for research, including a large experiment of ~5,800 trees examining the effects of varying
species diversity.
As part of this Research Experience Placement you will work in the field to assess how well these experimental trees have grown and survived three years on
from the creation of this experiment. Ultimately you will use this data to complete a report on the success of tree establishment on the site and emerging
differences in the experimental treatments. This is an opportunity to contribute to a significant long-term experiment, and enthusiastic candidates will also
have opportunities to build field skills by contributing to the program of ongoing monitoring on site.
You will join the UBoC-supported team in the School of Earth, Environment and Sustainability (SEES) and be part of the Leeds Ecosystem, Atmosphere and
Forest (LEAF) centre at the University of Leeds, and will have the opportunity to attend seminars and relevant research meetings. This project will include
fieldwork at a location in Leeds so the student would need to be living locally during the summer; hybrid or remote working will be considered outside of
field times.
More information on Gair Wood:
https://leaf.leeds.ac.uk/gairwood/
The successful candidate will complete a project to assess tree growth and survival at Gair Wood. The project will include:
- A short literature review into the effects of tree diversity.
- Planning a field campaign at Gair Wood, including training in completing risk assessments.
- Fieldwork monitoring tree development within a large-scale diversity experiment.
- Analysing and writing up findings as a report.
- Attending seminars and team meetings in SEES.
- Contributing to outreach about the project, potentially including blogs, newsletters, and social media.
- For motivated candidates there may be opportunities to contribute to other aspects of the project and develop related skills, including data collection
(vegetation, animal, and soil surveys) and practical conservation tasks.
Pre-requisites: N/A
Supervisory Team: Thomas Sloan
Contact: [email protected]