Forester

This position is located in Region 6, on the Silver Lake Ranger District of the Fremont-Winema National Forest in Oregon. The incumbent serves as a Forester and will be responsible has primary responsibility for the planning, implementation, and administration of the timber management plans. For additional information about the duties of the position, please contact Jeannette Wilson at email at jeannette.wilson@usda.gov. USDA Employees: Please refer to the Next Steps section. Major duties: The duties listed below are at the GS-12 grade level. Prepares long-range functional plans including formulation of policies, objectives, and priorities and the correlation and integration of natural resource plans into the overall land management planning. Leads the development of short and long term action plans associated with an integrated vegetation management program and associated budgets. Plans and conducts studies on complex problems created by natural resources practices and other vegetative management activities. Evaluates adequacy and effectiveness of vegetation management programs through periodic on the-ground inspections. Serves as a consultant and advisor to other staff officers and to first level units in all aspects of timber management functions and practices associated with timber management with a focus on integration between program areas. 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 Series: 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 level: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 grade level. Specialized experience is defined as one or more of the following: Performed vegetation management duties including timber management, harvesting, reforestation, timber stand improvement, and fuels management; assisted in analyzing technical issues and/or providing advice and assistance on forestry resource management policies and practices; assisted in reviewing or developing standard plans for well-established programs or projects or recommending short-range plans for a component of a forestry resource management program; assisted in evaluating programs and performing well-established forestry land use improvement projects; collected timber compartment and stand prescription data; and/or conducted cruises of timber stands to determine volume of merchantable timber, species composition, accessibility, and environmental constraints. OR Applicants must have 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 level: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level. Specialized experience is defined as one or more of the following: Established timber sale program and production goals, setting priorities and laying out work schedules; developed timber annual program of work, prepared project work plans, and developed long- and short-term budget needs; investigated reports of improper logging activities such as improper cutting practices, cutting of unauthorized timber, damage to residual stands or reserve trees, and disputed interpretations of contract intent; determined staffing and equipment needs required for the sale layout program; coordinated and directed preparation of the timber sale contract and related documents, ensuring all coordinating requirements identified in the Environmental Assessment Reports (EAR) are included in the contracts; prepared or assisted in preparation of draft environmental impact statements or environmental analysis reports. Work Experience: Your resume must clearly document the following for each block of work experience; the beginning day, month and year the work assignment started and ended; the hours worked per week; position title, and series and grade if applicable; and description of duties performed. This information must be provided for each permanent, temporary, or seasonal appointment/work assignment or volunteer work and should be clearly documented as a separate block of time. Incomplete, inaccurate, or conflicting work history may not be credited for qualifications purposes. This can result in an applicant not being considered for the position. 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.