These integrated entry-level Forestry Technician positions coupled with career ladders, provide a sequence of training steps that lead to progressively more advanced jobs and skillsets throughout a Forest Service employee's career. Recruitment Incentives may be offered to qualifying candidates. For additional information about the duties of this position, please contact the SAF Hiring team at [email protected]

Duties

This is a trainee position in the Forestry Technician profession that performs basic duties and receives training in support of: a unit's various forestry, recreation and natural resources management programs, such as timber and silviculture, recreation and trails, wildlife, fisheries, watershed improvement, range, special uses, and wildland fire. The responsibilities are listed at the GS-05 and may include: Notifies visitors of violations and potential violations and potential consequences. Makes group and individual contacts in providing forest recreation information and answering questions about recreation management on the unit. Prepares timber reports and maps pertaining to assigned sale areas. Performs Timber site preparation and land improvement projects. Compiles and summarizes the vegetation types obtained from ground surveys including forest health monitoring, biological evaluations, and range surveys. Is knowledgeable about proper tools and/or equipment, their use and maintenance to perform assigned technician duties.

Requirements

• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
• Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service or exempt.
• Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
• Completion of a three-year probationary period required in accordance with the USDA Demonstration Project Authority. During this time, employee's conduct and performance will be monitored to determine if employee will be retained.
• 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.

Qualifications

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. Basic Requirement: GS-03: Applicants must have 6 months of general experience . OR Successful completion of 1 year of study that included at least 6 semester hours in any combination of courses such as forestry, agriculture, range management or conservation, wildlife management, engineering, biology, mathematics or other natural or physical sciences; OR An appropriate combination of experience and education above high school as described above. The education must have been obtained in an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college or university and include courses that are related to the occupation of the position. GS-04: Applicants must have 6 months of general experience and 6 months of specialized experience. OR Successful completion of 2 years of study that included at least 12 semester hours in any combination of courses such as forestry, agriculture, crop or plant science, range management or conservation, wildlife management, watershed management, soil science, natural resources (except marine fisheries and oceanography), outdoor recreation management, civil or forest engineering, or wildland fire science (no more than 3 semester hours in mathematics is creditable); OR An appropriate combination of experience and education above high school as described above. The education must have been obtained in an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college or university and include courses that are related to the occupation of the position. GS-05: Applicants must have 1 year of specialized experience. OR a bachelor's degree or 4 years of successfully completed education above high school (120 semester/180 quarter hours) with major study in forestry, range management, agriculture, or a subject-matter field directly related to the position, or that included at least 24 semester hours in any combination of courses such as forestry, agriculture, crop or plant science, range management or conservation, wildlife management, watershed management, soil science, natural resources, outdoor recreation management, civil or forest engineering, or wildland fire science (no more than 6 semester hours in mathematics is creditable); OR An appropriate combination of experience and education above high school as described above. The education must have been obtained in an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college or university and include courses that are related to the occupation of the position. GS-3 and GS-4 General experience is defined as 1 or more of the following: performing manual labor such as construction work, stocking shelves, working on farms, ranches, or other settings such as feeding and tending to livestock, maintaining farm facilities and equipment, and/or like facilities and equipment;- working in greenhouses, nurseries, or landscaping by tasks like planting, moving, watering, and caring for plants; and/or engaging in general maintenance duties like custodial work, mowing, or tending grounds; and/or providing mechanical, electrical, or plumbing services; and/or working as an animal caretaker in laboratories, zoos, or pet stores, tending to tribal livestock and/or hatchery resources; and/or working outdoors or in the recreation industry; and/or serving as a cashier and managing money; and/or conducting administrative tasks and/or managing correspondences or files; and/or working in customer service or the service industry; and/or being a delivery truck driver or working in transportation; and/or gaining other work experience, whether paid or unpaid, such as volunteering or interning for research or academic projects; tribal, cultural or art organizations; professional association or societies; at various organizations like parks, food banks, youth camps, caregiving, hospitals or nursing homes; participating in community and tribal engagement initiatives; and supporting sports leagues, local fire and police departments and/or other non-profit/non-governmental organizations (NGOs). GS-04 and GS-05 Specialized experience is defined as 1 or more of the following: assisted in preparing reports, visual aids, and maps which provided information, general conditions of the area; and/or assisted with inspections and reported findings on various natural resource projects (i.e., timber and silviculture, vegetation management, reforestation, recreation and trails, wildlife, fisheries, watershed improvement, range, special uses, plants, and noxious weeds identification and/or control, etc.); and/or assisted in maintenance of recreation areas or features within an area and a variety of types of trails in accordance with predetermined standards and reports on condition; and/or assisted in routine observations, measurement, surveys, inventorying, and recording of scientific data used to support natural resource management reports, projects, plans, or permitted uses; and/or assisted with inspections, patrols, or contracts/permits for parts of a project; and/or used databases, software, or apps in support of data collection, data management, or in preparation of visuals for forestry or natural resource projects; and/or assisted in the preparation, building, installing and/or maintenance of features or structures to support parts of restoration or protection for wildlife, fisheries, range, botany-related, and watershed improvement projects; and/or assisted customers with a variety questions or concerns related to natural resources, forests, and/or conservation using a variety of communication methods; and/or used chainsaws and other power equipment to implement thinning, planting, pruning, fire suppression and other silvicultural projects; and/or experiences related to Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) such as but not limited to gathering of wild plants and other materials, subsistence practice such as traditional hunting and fishing, cultural burning, traditional plant uses, resource management through traditional practices and conservation principles, environmental monitoring related to the health and dynamics of the ecosystem, cultural preservation, and sharing ITEK through advocating and educating. 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.

Education

POSITION INFORMATION:
This announcement is associated with the 2023 Society of Foresters (SAF) recruitment event. The targeted start date for these positions is Spring 2024.

Forest Service information about this hiring event is located here: Forestry and Timber Career Opportunities | US Forest Service (usda.gov)

Information about the Society of American Foresters (SAF) convention can be found at: SAF National Convention (eforester.org)

For position details, work schedule, and contact information please download a list of available positions and view the Available Positions By Location Map at USFS Society of American Foresters Hiring Event Fall - 2023 (arcgis.com)

For additional information, please email: [email protected].

This announcement may be used to fill positions with a full-time work schedule.

This position will be filled at the GS-03, GS-04, or GS-05 grade level with promotion potential to the GS-06.

Positions filled from this announcement may be a bargaining or a non-bargaining unit position represented by either NFFE, AFGE or NAGE depending upon duty location.

Positions in Alaska may have a firearm requirement. If selected for a firearm bearing position, there will be additional requirements upon conversion into the firearm position.

Selecting the "Location Negotiable after Selection" option in addition to selecting your preferred specific duty locations, implies your willingness to accept positions to alternative duty locations that may or may not have been indicated in this announcement. Final determination of duty station will be made by the selecting official at the time of job offer.

The duty station for these positions will be at one of the duty locations listed in this announcement. Final determination of duty station will be made by the selecting official at the time of job offer.

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]