Assistant Economist

Part of the Forestry Commission family, Forest Research (FR) is a world leader in applied forest science, providing evidence and practical solutions to policy makers, forestry professionals, land managers and anyone with green space, across Great Britain. With climate and biodiversity in crisis, and an increasing number of pests and diseases, our research is more vital than ever before. We advise on how woodlands can help combat climate change. Were identifying tree species that will thrive in the future and seeking ways to safeguard those species at risk. Our research supports UK timber production because fewer imports reduce carbon emissions. We provide robust data on forests in Scotland, Wales and England, and provide evidence of the societal benefits of woodland. We do all this utilising the latest technology while working collaboratively with academia, partners and industry, nationally and internationally.

FRs Centre for Forest Management applies a wide range of expertise to important issues concerning the resilience and value of Britain's trees, woods and forests. As part of this centre, the Forestry Economics Research Unit within FRs Climate Change Research Group aims to provide outstanding forestry economics research - developing the evidence base, recognised for scientific excellence, objective and authoritative advice, and valued for its effective contribution to addressing key issues of forest policy and management. We work with end users and the wider science community to ensure that research is directed to priority issues and helps inform government policy and sector practice.

The Unit currently has six team members and is involved in a wide range of interdisciplinary projects. These include forest sector modelling, agroforestry, policy nudges in forestry and agriculture, and development of a Woodland Water Code to encourage greater private sector investment in UK woodland creation for water-related benefits. We also support the core funded programmes under the Science and Innovation Strategy for GB forestry with projects such as optimal rotation length modelling and the economics of climate change adaptation and mitigation. We are looking to expand our team to be able to enhance our capacity and capability to deliver such a broad set of interesting projects. The unit is split in terms of location between Northern Research Station in Roslin and Alice Holt in Farnham.

The purpose of the role is to support the economics team on a variety of projects under the banner of economics of mitigation and adaptation to climate change. Current topics are varied and therefore the preferences of the post holder can be taken into account when allocating work.

Key projects which require additional support currently ongoing in the team are:

Development of a Forest Sector Model (FSM) this project looks to combine the biophysical elements of forest dynamics to economic markets to run climate scenarios, for example, to understand how the forestry sector might respond under alternative scenarios

Developing the timber evidence base - this project proposes the development of a novel Bayesian hierarchical structural time-series (BSTS) model to forecast softwood and hardwood utilisation in the UK economy. Outputs of which will directly support sustainable forest management by improving demand projections for domestic timber, informing afforestation strategies, and enhancing resilience to supply disruptions.

Compound risks this project uses Bayesian Decision Theory to translate a list of risks into decision-relevant insights through a scenario-based economic optimisation framework. This enables comparison of adaptation strategies in terms of costs and benefits analysis (CBA) under climate uncertainty.

Economics of tree pests and disease looking at the economic impact on GB forestry of pest and disease and cost effectiveness analysis of management options.

Across all projects the post holder will contribute directly to the economics evidence base, supporting policy making in forestry in Great Britain. Specifically, the role is looking for someone to undertake and be responsible for:

Literature and evidence reviews to summarise current understanding on a topic. This will either be used to develop a future research path or used for inputs into specific models (e.g. FSM)

Data collection and quality assurance for input into specific models (for example the ones mentioned above)

Econometric and data analysis where relevant on specific projects under the leadership of a senior economist

Contribute writing reports on economic research undertaken by themselves and the team, involving synthesising and clearly summarising the approach and results in plain English, to deliver Forest Researchs objectives for sustainable forest management under the direction of a senior economist

Engaging with stakeholders (for example Defra, devolved administrations and industry bodies like Confor) along with a senior economist to understand their research requirements and communicate research findings (for example through discussion or giving a presentation)

Additionally, the role will also progress

New economic research under the direction of a senior economist further to projects specifically mentioned above

External income generation through supporting the writing of bids for funding research under the direction of a senior economist

The post requires a good understanding of core economic principles, and the ability to apply these to a variety of environmental economic topics.

Essential Criteria:

• Economics degree (or joint degree with majority (over 50%) economics course credits/components)
• Some experience in environmental or ecological economics (through studying specific modules at university and/or having some work experience in the topic)
• Significant experience in data analysis skills to undertake data validation and descriptive statistics
• Ability to apply microeconomic theory
• Good standard of verbal and written communication, including writing reports