Job Title: Forest Science Projects Manager

​Organization: The Nature Conservancy

Career Overview: Based in Cumberland, MD and works in the Resilient Forests Program. Duties are to manage and coordinate multiple on-the-ground forestry projects such as climate-informed conifer restoration, using silvicultural techniques to enhance old-growth characteristics, and re-introducing prescribed fire as a restoration strategy. Aims to implement these projects in ways that will lead to landscape scale forest connectivity in the central Appalachians.

A Day on the Job: Has discussions with TNC partners, conducts spatial data analysis to pinpoint strategic project locations, and plans and implements projects on the ground.

Skills Needed: A graduate level degree in natural resource management or related field. Pabodha’s undergraduate was in agriculture, got a masters in forestry, and then a PhD in natural resource management. Experience doing forest inventory and data analysis skills.

Personal Career Path: His parents had a big influence on him in his early years. His mother was a HS biology teacher so early in his life he appreciated the beauty of nature. His father founded an NGO back in Sri Lanka where he grew up, so he knew he wanted to work in an NGO one day. After his undergraduate studies he worked for the Livestock Research Institute where his advisor encouraged him to go for graduate studies so that he could join a good NGO. His PhD program had a big influence on him, his advisor taught him how to think in ways related to his graduate work and encouraged him to do more extension.

Pay and Job Outlook: After his PhD this is his first job so he is very happy about the pay, but it’s not just about the dollar value, he highly appreciates the working environment, the professional development opportunities, the freedom, and the appreciation he receives for the work he is doing. That all adds up into the dollar figure, I am really happy with it. I think project management is a good area of study, TNC focuses a lot on professional development which creates a great working culture.

Favorite and Most Challenging Aspect to the Job: Thinking about the big picture, landscape level approaches, how can the ground level work that he is doing relate to those big picture approaches we are trying to solve as an organization, as an environmentalist. How will the small things he and his collaborators are doing relate to the big picture issues?

Challenging as well as interesting would be working with collaborators. It's not a negative thing but everyone has different objectives. I appreciate and respect it, but it can be challenging to get a group of experts together at one table and achieve our goals while respecting their own concerns. I think it is challenging but interesting.

Advice for Young Professionals Interested in This Career: Everybody is different and has different skill sets. Within the conservation field, the beauty is, just like nature, there is a diversity of options. You can be a great enthusiast for a specific environmental issue, maybe you’re good at outdoor activities, maybe you’re good at philanthropy, fundraising, storytelling, communications, marketing, IT. There is a huge variety of options you can find in the conservation field so I would say focus on your expertise and nature and you’ll be able to find a career path in the conservation field. Use your free time as a young person to get outside and go hiking and find your passion while you have the freedom to do so.