Hello!

My name is Mabel and I am an Ecology for Environmental Science major at the University of North Texas working on a project to determine job prospects in my field for a technical writing course. If anyone who is working or has worked in any field within ecology/environmental science would like to answer 5 questions to help me, I would be really grateful.

Here are the questions, feel free to respond as broad or as detailed as you would like.

1. What does your day-to-day look like?
2. What aspects of your job do you like?
3. How much do you work on your own vs. working as part of a team?
4. Is there any special training, beyond getting the degree, that would be helpful?
5. Would you advise someone to go down this career path and why?

Do they even exist? My research brought me to variants costing 5x the cheap plastic ones (NexGen).

Why I ask: part of a restoration project which will include 12,000 saplings. Even with the most solid of management plans, I can't imagine every piece of plastic will be recovered after 3 years, despite best efforts.

I do some restoration work and am always looking for ways to improve planting survivorship. I'm particularly interested in boosting mycorrhizal relationships via co-planting other species and inoculants.

In the past I've had success with oak plantings by mulching with oak leaf litter & duff from nearby trees.

Does anyone know of any ways of supporting mycorrhizae when planting willow stakes/poles? My current plan is to plant stakes (harvested nearby) and put down some native seed mix (which may wash away before germinating if we get a rainstorm, alas.) I've heard of mycorrhizal soaks for willows, but I'm not finding any specific products online or studies backing this up. My budget is also not unlimited.

After doing some fall shopping for new trees to add to the backyard, I stumbles across buyVAtrees.com and was blown away by their prices: most trees are $3 with a minimum order of 5, but they often drop down to $2 as soon as you buy 10.

As a direct means of re-establishing forests on lands in Virginia, the Department of Forestry grows tree seedlings for sale at cost to private and public landowners for foresting lands in Virginia.

While pickup is available for those in Virginia, shipping isn't terribly cheap - 35% of order value with a minimum of $25.

This simply means you should talk to your neighbour and organize a buying group! You might not have space for two chestnuts in your backyard, so talk to someone within 200' if they can plant another (for pollination)

It goes without saying, but DO YOUR RESEARCH on which tree species you select, and pick only those adapted to your local climate and ecosystem.

Hi! I recently applied to this online research study for "a new online impact discovery & accelerator program, designed to help you find the cause, contribution type, and level that is just right for you!"

They're looking for "men and women, 25-55 y.o who are passionate about nature, animals & the environment but haven't decided how to really contribute yet."

It's paid (if you're accepted), but above all, it's for a good cause to help develop a new tool

The form will be closed before the end of Friday (in <48h)

https://form.jotform.com/232685178043056

Cheers 🌳☀️

Hi. Does anyone know someone who is a environmental restoration planner , or are YOU one? Im interested in the field but want to hear about what its really like. Im also scared work may be hard to find.

Any newish updated books/publications on invasive species or on restoration ecology that anyone can guide me towards? Updated field guides of any sort would be good too, just want to say thank you with a book she does not own:)

I live on 10 acres in Michigan – Hardiness Zone 6a

Parts of our property are thick with Autumn Olive and I’m planning on tackling this invasive species in a major way this fall.  Can you help me troubleshoot my plan?  Or point me towards any resources that can teach me?

I believe I need to poison the stumps when I cut.  I have Glyphosate weed killer 40% & a dabber for applying it.

I believe I need to burn what I cut.

I was told to cut in the fall so that the poison is carried down to the roots.

Is that all correct?

​

Here’s where I’m not sure what to do:

There’s SO MUCH of this stuff!  Cutting, hauling, and burning on the same day will mean we need to focus on this full time for weeks.  This just isn’t possible as my partner and I both work full time and are parents.  We did a work day Saturday and we made only a tiny dent after 5 hours of hard labor.

Do we stick with same day cut/poison/burn and resign ourselves to this taking years before the tide starts to turn?

Or, is it reasonable to cut and poison now, haul and burn though the winter?  We have a meadow beyond the infested area and I am wondering if we could make and burn brush piles in the meadow once there is snow on the ground.

Is hauling brush to the meadow now for a later burn a bad idea (might become a habitat?)

Thanks for any help and advice.