Forester (Silviculture)

This position is located in Region 1, on the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest. One vacancy will be filled in either Helena, Townsend, or White Sulphur Springs, Montana. Final determination of the duty location will be made at the time of the job offer. As a silviculturist, the primary responsibility is to develop, plan, and apply silvicultural methods and practices. USDA Employees: Please refer to the Next Steps section. Major duties: The duties listed below are at the GS-11 grade level. Makes on-the-ground examinations and analyses of forest areas to determine which areas require short- or long-range silvicultural treatment in terms of the total ecosystem. Determines the degree to which reforestation and stand improve projects conform with policies, procedures, and silvicultural plans. Plans, coordinates, and administers the technical phases of forest area control of animals, insects, or diseases affecting reforestation and regeneration programs. Participates in preparation and review of environmental analysis reports and environmental impact statements. Maintains liaison with employees of Federal and State governments, local officials, and private organizations or landowners who are affected by, or interested in, forest land management practices and problems. 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-09: You must have one year specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as one or more of the following: Assisted with timber sale contracts, ensuring that all contract provisions were enforced in accordance with contract objectives; Conducted cruises of timber stands to determine volume of merchantable timber, species composition, accessibility, and environmental constraints; Performed related timber sale preparation, timber stand improvement, and reforestation duties; Collected timber compartment and stand prescription, or presale information data; Participated on dispersed and developed recreation, oil, gas, special uses, and lands projects OR a master's or equivalent graduate degree or two (2) full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related; OR an appropriate combination of specialized experience and education (only graduate education beyond 18 semester hours may be used to qualify applicants for this grade level). The education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. For the GS-11: You must have one year specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as one or more of the following: Performing vegetation management duties including timber management, harvesting, reforestation, timber stand improvement, and fuels management; Assisting in analyzing technical issues; Providing advice and assistance on forestry resource management policies and practices; and assisting 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; OR a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., (coursework must be directly related to the position being filled such as forestry, range management, agriculture) 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/54 quarter hours leading to a Ph.D.). The education must have been obtained in an accredited college or 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. Certification: Current Silviculture certification is preferred or must be obtained within 1-2 years of selection (dependent upon the certification training schedule). 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.