Wildfire Planning and Forestry Internship
About The Position
As a Wildfire Planning and Forestry Intern, you will support projects that advance wildfire resilience, vegetation management, urban forestry and arboriculture considerations related to wildfire risk reduction across California. You will gain hands-on experience assisting with wildfire planning and forestry documents (e.g., CWPPs, risk assessments, Urban Forest Management Plans), supporting community engagement, and contributing to data-driven analyses alongside Rincon’s Environmental Planning and Sustainability team. Most work will be conducted for public sector clients, including cities, counties, fire agencies, and other partners. This role is ideal for students interested in applying forestry, fire science, arboriculture, planning, and policy to real-world challenges and helping communities better prepare for and adapt to increasing wildfire risk.
Requirements
- Current status as an incoming college senior, graduate student, or recent graduate who has completed an undergraduate or graduate degree within the past two years in Forestry, Fire Science, Environmental Planning, Arboriculture, Natural Resources, or a related field.
- Interest in wildfire resilience, land management, and community risk reduction, including urban forestry and tree-focused mitigation strategies, with a desire to apply technical knowledge to real-world planning challenges.
- Ability to research and synthesize information related to wildfire risk, planning, and policy.
- Strong teamwork, interpersonal, and communication skills, with the ability to work independently when needed.
- Detail-oriented, organized, and committed to managing time effectively and producing high-quality, professional work.
- Excellent written communication skills, including the ability to draft professional emails, support technical report preparation, and policy writing.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams, PowerPoint).
- Experience using design or visualization tools (e.g., Canva) to create graphics, posters, or brochures.
- Positive attitude and interest in improving processes and workflows.
- Creativity, adaptability, and enthusiasm for working in a dynamic consulting environment.
Nice To Haves
- Ability to translate technical information into Spanish.
Responsibilities
- Assist with preparing wildfire planning documents such as Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPPs), wildfire risk assessments, Urban Forest Management Plans and related plans through research, technical analysis, and writing for public audiences.
- Support wildfire risk and vulnerability assessments, including evaluating factors such as vegetation/fuels, topography, weather patterns, canopy structure and tree distribution, and exposure of people and assets.
- Assist with data collection, GIS analysis, and canopy cover or tree inventory data, interpretation of datasets (e.g., CAL FIRE FHSZ maps, vegetation data, fire history) to inform planning efforts.
- Contribute to defensible space, home hardening, and vegetation management strategy development including tree canopy management considerations that aligns with local and state requirements.
- Prepare research summaries, maps, data visualizations, and planning materials for public-facing communication using tools such as GIS, DataWrapper, and Canva.
- Assist with community engagement materials, including social media content, flyers, workshop materials, and in-person or virtual meetings focused on wildfire preparedness.
- Prepare drafts of technical memoranda, meeting notes, presentations, and other written deliverables.
- Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams (planners, GIS analysts, foresters, fire professionals) and represent Rincon professionally in all assignments.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Part-time
Career Level
Intern
Number of Employees
101-250 employees
