Forester

Summary

Positions may be filled at one or more of the duty locations included in this announcement. Final determination of the duty location will be made at the time of the job offer. For additional information about the duties, see Additional Information section for points of contact. USDA Employees: Please refer to the Next Steps section.

Duties

• •The duties are at the GS-12 grade level.
• •Evaluate adequacy and effectiveness of vegetation management programs through periodic on the-ground inspections.
• •Lead the development of short and long-term action plans for integrated vegetation programs and associated budgets.
• •Plan and conduct studies on complex problems created by natural resources practices and vegetative management activities.
• •Keep abreast of state-of-the-art information to serve as a consultant/advisor on all aspects of timber management and program integration.
• •Inspect programs for compliance with established policies, standards, program objectives, and emphasis.
• •Work with resource specialists to identify restoration work, designate timber, and prepare contracts.
• •Maintain liaison with diverse organizations and levels of the agency, local operators, groups, and representatives to obtain support and understanding of programs, operations, and direction.
• •Facilitate coordination between staff areas to provide information about research studies and its use for subordinate units.
• •Work closely with coordinators of insect and disease control programs regarding management, practices and techniques.
• •Supervises 20% or less of the time.

Qualifications

In order to qualify, you must meet the eligibility and qualifications requirements as defined below by the closing date of the announcement. For more information on the qualifications for this position, visit the Office of Personnel Management's General Schedule Qualification Standards. Your application and resume must clearly show that you possess the experience requirements. Transcripts must be provided for qualifications based on education. Provide course descriptions as necessary. Basic Requirement: GS-0460 Degree: forestry; or a related subject-matter field that included a total of at least 30 semester hours in any combination of biological, physical, or mathematical sciences or engineering, of which at least 24 semester hours of course work were in forestry. The curriculum must have been sufficiently diversified to include courses in each of the following areas: Management of Renewable Resources -- study of the science and art of managing renewable resources to attain desired results. Examples of creditable courses in this area include silviculture, forest management operations, timber management, wildland fire science or fire management, utilization of forest resources, forest regulation, recreational land management, watershed management, and wildlife or range habitat management. Forest Biology -- study of the classification, distribution, characteristics, and identification of forest vegetation, and the interrelationships of living organisms to the forest environment. Examples of creditable courses in this area include dendrology, forest ecology, silvics, forest genetics, wood structure and properties, forest soils, forest entomology, and forest pathology. Forest Resource Measurements and Inventory -- sampling, inventory, measurement, and analysis techniques as applied to a variety of forest resources. Examples of creditable courses include forest biometrics, forest mensuration, forest valuation, statistical analysis of forest resource data, renewable natural resources inventories and analysis, and photogrammetry or remote sensing. OR Combination of education and experience: courses equivalent to a major in forestry, or at least 30 semester hours in any combination of biological, physical, or mathematical sciences or engineering, of which at least 24 semester hours were in forestry. The requirements for diversification of the 24 semester hours in forestry are the same as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. In addition to meeting the basic requirement, you must also possess experience and/or directly related education in the amounts listed below. Specialized Experience Requirement: For the GS-11: You must have one year specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 in the Federal service. Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills and abilities needed to successfully perform the duties of this position. Specialized experience is defined as two or more of the following: managing and overseeing timber sale planning and preparation, silviculture programs, or other vegetation management activities ; and/or developing long-range resource management plans and programs, policies, objectives, priorities or management strategies; and/or providing technical direction and guidance on timber harvesting methods, timber sale administration, or timber removal techniques; and/or leading or coordinating timber sale preparation, reforestation, timber stand improvement, stewardship contract activities or forest resource management projects. OR 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree (coursework directly related to position being filled) OR An appropriate combination of specialized experience and graduate level education (beyond what is required for a master's degree, i.e., more than 36 semester hours leading to a Ph.D.). For the GS-12: You must have one year specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 in the Federal service. Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills and abilities needed to successfully perform the duties of this position. Specialized experience is defined as one or more of the following: performing vegetation management duties, including timber management, timber harvesting, and timber stand improvement and assisting in the analysis of technical forestry issues; and/or providing advice and assistance on natural resource management policies, practices and vegetation activities; and/or assisting in the development, review, or implementation of short- and long-term plans for natural resource management, land management, vegetation management, or forestry programs and projects. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. TIME IN GRADE REQUIREMENT: If you are a current federal employee in the General Schedule (GS) pay plan and applying for a promotion opportunity, you must meet time-in-grade (TIG) requirements of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled. This requirement must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

See above for education that may be qualifying for the specific grade level.