This announcement is to fill several positions across the USDA Forest Service, Eastern Region, Region 9. This position serves as a silviculturist with primary responsibility for the development, planning, and application of silvicultural methods and practices. For additional information about the duties of this position, please contact the specific unit point of contact, below in the Education section, ADDITIONAL INFORMATION statement.

Duties

Make on-the-ground examinations and analyses of forest areas to determine which areas require short or long-range cultural treatment in terms of the total ecosystem. Determine the degree to which reforestation and stand improvement projects conform with policies, procedures, and silvicultural plans. Provide advice, technical support, and evaluation of proposed and ongoing timber sale programs to prevent loss of timber productivity and damage to the environment. Plan and coordinate training on silvicultural principles and practices and timing of silvicultural treatments to achieve multiple-use land management objectives. Participate in preparation and review of environmental analysis reports and environmental impact statements to complete unit projects. Coordinate silvicultural needs with other resource specialists to complete unit projects. Conduct training on silvicultural principles and practices, including planting and seeding procedures; ground and seedbed preparation and timber stand improvement techniques. This position provides supervision up to 20% of duty time.

Requirements

• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
• Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.
• Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
• Successful completion of one year probationary period, unless previously served.
• Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
• Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit e-verify.gov
• This incumbent must be a certified silviculturist upon placement in this position OR attain certification within three years of that date.

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: For the GS-0460 series: Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement as defined below. For more information on the qualifications for this position, go to: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0400/forestry-series-0460/ . Degree: Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree that included a major field of study in 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 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 specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-9 in the Federal Service. 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.). Examples of specialized work experience that meet this requirement include meeting one or more of the following: Planned vegetation management projects including for timber management, harvesting, reforestation, stand improvement or fuels management; Analyzed technical issues to provide advice about forestry resource management policies and practices; Reviewed or developed plans for programs or projects or recommended short-range plans for a component of a forestry resource management program. 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

• Allegheny National Forest - Duty Station: Warren, PA - Please Contact: [email protected]
• Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest - Duty Station: Eagle River WI or Florence, WI - Please Contact: [email protected]
• Chippewa National Forest- Duty Station: Blackduck, MN - Please Contact: [email protected]
• Monongahela National Forest (2 positions) - Duty Stations: Marlinton, WV; Richwood, WV; White Sulphur Springs, WV - Please Contact: [email protected]
• Ottawa National Forest - (2 positions) - Duty Stations and Contact Information
  • Kenton, MI, Ontonagon, MI [email protected];
  • Watersmeet, MI [email protected]
• Shawnee National Forest- Duty Station: Vienna, IL Please Contact: [email protected]

Contacts

• Address USDA Forest Service HRM Contact Center DO NOT MAIL IN APPLICATIONS, SEE INSTRUCTIONS IN THE ANNOUNCEMENT. Albuquerque, NM 87109 US
• Name: HRM Contact Center
• Phone: 1-877-372-7248 X2
• Email: [email protected]