Forester

This announcement is being advertised as a Forest Service National Hiring effort to fill multiple vacancies. 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 of this position, please refer to the Additional Information section. USDA Employees: Please refer to the Next Steps section. Major duties: Duties listed are at the full performance GS-11 grade level. Review and appraise timber resources to meet demand and future needs. Oversee the timber sale preparation program for consistency with transportation and silvicultural plans. Oversee cruising and marking of timber and determine sales volume for a timber management program. Coordinate with other disciplines to ensure integration of the timber management plan with other resources and activities. Prepare and assemble appraisal packets for a timber management program. Write environmental assessments and impact statements for timber sale design. Document work progress and accountability of timber resource program activity for a timber management program. Establish and communicate guidelines and performance requirements to employees including conducting formal performance reviews and identifying developmental and training needs of employees. Perform supervisory duties 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 Series: 1. 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 2. 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 of specialized experience equivalent to a 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; and/or Participated on dispersed and developed recreation, oil, gas, special uses, and lands projects. OR 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 to the position. OR An appropriate combination of specialized experience and education (only graduate education in excess of 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 and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. For the GS-11: You must have one year specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 in the Federal service. 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 Three (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 graduate level education and specialized experience (beyond what is required for a master's degree, i.e., more than 36 semester hours leading to a Ph.D in coursework directly related to position being filled). The education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. 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.