Dyersburg, TN

Position Title: Forester

Organization: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Location: Dyersburg, TN

Position Overview: This position is a Forester, GS- 0460-11 working in Dyersburg, TN for the R4-West Tennessee Refuge Complex. This is a term position expected to last 13 months but may be extended up to a total of 4 years at management’s discretion.

Duties:

• Cruises timberlands using the plot system or similar methods to obtain data on volume, growth rate, age class, species, distribution, reproduction, and ground cover. Makes 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.
• Appraises the degree of conformance with policies, procedures, and silvicultural plans and recommends corrective action as required; maintains liaison with employees of Federal and state governments, local officials, and private organizations or landowners who are affected by the forest land management practices and problems; provides technical assistance as needed.
• Plans, coordinates, and executes proposed and ongoing timber sale and preparation programs to prevent loss of timber productivity and damage to the environment.
• Oversees preparation of timber sale reports and appraisals; prepares timber sale contracts; provides for protection of water retention capacity of the soil and reestablishment of the forest growth to prevent or minimize soil erosion damage.

Qualifications: In order to qualify for this position you must possess both the Basic Requirement and Minimum Qualification.

Basic Requirement:
A. 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:

• a) 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;
• b) 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;
• c) 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. NOTE: Transcripts required.

(OR)

B. 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. NOTE: Transcripts required, and Your resume must contain sufficient detail of this level of work, i.e., complete begin/end dates, hours worked per week, duties performed, etc. for each timeframe for consideration.

Minimum Qualification [GS-11]
A. One (1) full year of specialized experience, equivalent to at least the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of this position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Examples of specialized experience may include: 1) inventorying and monitoring forested habitats; 2) implementing forest management plans; 3) making determinations on the interrelationships of living organisms in the forest environment. NOTE: Your resume must contain sufficient detail of this level of work, i.e., complete begin/end dates, hours worked per week, duties performed, etc. for each timeframe for consideration.
(OR)
B. Successfully completed 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in a discipline directly related to the position. NOTE: Transcripts required.
(OR)
C. Possess a combination of qualifying specialized experience and qualifying graduate education (both as described above) that, when computed as percentages of their respective requirements, equals at least 100% when combined. Only education beyond the second graduate year (36 semesters or equivalent) is creditable using this method. NOTE: Transcripts required, and Your resume must contain sufficient detail of this level of work, i.e., complete begin/end dates, hours worked per week, duties performed, etc. for each timeframe for consideration.

Salary/Pay: $72,553 – $94,317 per year

Application Deadline: July 12, 2024

How to Apply: Please use the online application to view the full job description as well as how to apply.