Area Forester Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Job Description The Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry & Fire Protection, is recruiting for a Forester 4 position based in Tok or Fairbanks. This position is open to Alaska Residents only. Please check our residency definition to determine if you qualify.

What You Will Be Doing: The State of Alaska seeks a professional forester to join our team focused on Alaska's forest management responsibilities in interior Alaska's boreal forest. The organization operates in Alaska's dynamic, diverse geographic setting and the many opportunities it offers. Reporting to the Northern Region Forester, the Tok-Copper River Area Forester manages the commercial timber sale program and personal use firewood program for the area and supervises a resource forester.

The Area Forester is tasked with ensuring all operations adhere to the Alaska Forest Resources and Practices Act (FRPA) Statutes and Regulations aimed at the protection of fish and wildlife habitat to prevent the degradation of water quality and utilize the best management practices (BMPs) for timber harvesting on all state, municipal, and private land as well as reforestation of harvested areas. In addition, this position supports the local community by administering the personal use firewood sales and during the summer months on large forest fires. This position will also serve as a Jurisdictional Representative on wildland fire incidents and is required to maintain a NWCG Red Card and meet fitness requirements.

The Division seeks individuals interested in growth or advancement in our organization. Mission and Values/Culture: The mission of the Division of Forestry & Fire Protection's forestry branch is to develop, conserve, and enhance Alaska's forests to provide a sustainable supply of forest resources for Alaskans. We are leaders in forest management, forest practices, wildland fire management, and cooperative forestry programs across the state.

Our influence crosses ownership boundaries through leadership of all-risk incident management teams, management of federal timber resources under the Good Neighbor Authority and Shared Stewardship Agreements, and up-to-date best management practices that apply to all commercial forests. Benefits of Joining Our Team: You will be part of a dynamic team overseeing a wide range of forestry operations with opportunities for advancement and professional development, as well as year-round full-time employment. The work provides exposure to Alaska's unique physical and cultural environment.

Work in this position and environment will provide many opportunities to adapt lessons learned elsewhere and to develop new approaches in contemporary forest management. Demand for active management of all land by the forest industry is significant. Staffing in the organization is lean, providing opportunities for broad exposure to our range of missions and multiple options for long-term growth and advancement.

Career-long training and innovation are building blocks of our culture. The Working Environment You Can Expect: This position will require a mix of both in-office and field work. Field work may require travel by ATV, snowmachine, small plane, helicopter, and boat to remote locations in Interior Alaska.

The ability to travel and work in adverse weather conditions is required. Fieldwork conditions are often arduous, and work tasks may be performed independently. Hazards that may be encountered include rugged terrain, aviation use, hazardous material handling, and wildlife.

Work may be performed in inclement weather (cold, rain, snow) at all times of the year. The position is available to be staffed in office locations in Fairbanks or Tok. If a candidate is to be staffed out of the Fairbanks office, they must be available to travel away from that duty location and work out of the Tok office for extended periods of time.

Travel by Agency vehicles, snow machines, ATVs, fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and small boats may also be required. We are looking for a candidate who possesses the following position-specific competencies. Computer Skills: Uses computers, software applications, databases, and automated systems to accomplish work.

Supervision: Plans, distributes, and monitors work assignments; sets task priorities; evaluates work performance and provides feedback to others on their performance; ensures that staff are appropriately selected, utilized, and developed, and that they are treated in a fair and equitable manner. Assignments include the authority and responsibility to recommend or independently take action to employ (i.e., appoint, transfer, promote), discipline or discharge, or adjudicate grievances of direct reports. Forest Management: Knowledge of the concepts, principles, and theories of silviculture and forest ecology, forest use, management, harvesting, conducting inventories, regeneration, sustainability, and conservation; and the role of disturbances in timberland resources

Public Planning: Knowledge of functions, principles, methods, and techniques of public planning, including those related to community planning, outdoor recreation planning, and natural resource management, such as demand forecasting, environmental impact analysis, financial forecasting, and land use planning and zoning. Program Oversight: Plans, coordinates, and monitors programs to ensure that federal, state, and/or local government program requirements and plans are met, providing professional consultation on the specialized services of the program or associated project(s). Click here to learn more about working for the Division of Forestry & Fire Protection.

Minimum Qualifications Bachelor's degree from an accredited college in forestry, natural resources, or a closely related field that includes a minimum of 24 semester hours or 36 quarter hours in forestry or closely related curricula. AND EITHER One year of professional advanced-level experience in forestry, natural resources, or a closely related field. The required experience includes work such as Forester 3 or Natural Resource Specialist 3 with the State of Alaska, or the equivalent with another employer.

OR Three years of professional journey-level experience in forestry, natural resources, or a closely related field. The required experience includes work such as Forester 2, Fire Management Officer, State Logistics Center Coordinator, or Natural Resource Specialist 2 with the State of Alaska, or the equivalent with another employer. Substitution: Four years in any combination of post-secondary education from an accredited college that includes a minimum of 24 semester hours or 36 quarter hours in forestry, natural resources, or a closely related field AND journey-level experience in the technical aspects of forest management and practices such as fire prevention, suppression, timber sales, reforestation or inventory may substitute for the required bachelor's degree.

(2.67 semester or 4 quarter hours of post-secondary education are equal to one month of experience). The experience includes work such as Wildland Fire and Resource Technician 3, Wildland Forestry Technician 2, or Wildland Fire Dispatcher with the State of Alaska, or the equivalent with another employer. Certification from an accredited vocational technical school in forestry, natural resource management, or a closely related field and three years of experience in the technical aspects of forest management and practices such as fire prevention, suppression, timber sales, reforestation or inventory may substitute for the required bachelor's degree

The experience includes work such as Wildland Fire and Resource Technician 3, Wildland Forestry Technician 2, or Wildland Fire Dispatcher 2 with the State of Alaska, or the equivalent with another employer. Certification via NWCG (National Wildfire Coordinating Group) Incident Qualification Card (AKA 'red card') within the preceding three (3) years in any of the following will substitute for the required education: 1. Incident Commander Type 2 (ICT2), 2.

Planning Section Chief Type 2 (PSC2), 3. Operations Section Chief Type 2 (OSC2), or 4. Logistics Section Chief Type 2 (LSC2) For NWCG Incident Qualification Card certification information see: National Incident Management System (NIMS): Wildland Fire Qualification System Guide (PMS 310-1).

Special Note: Closely related curricula and work experience includes fields such as: geosciences, geography, natural resources, environmental sciences, soils, hydrology, wildlife habitat management, forest engineering, remote sensing, vegetation classification, natural resource bio-metrics, and wildland fire control. One year of work experience equals 12 months of seasonal work. Positions may require travel both in and out-of-state for fire suppression assignments; may be on stand-by or recall status during the fire season; may be assigned work in and out of the area that requires the absence from the duty station for 14 to 21 days; may fly in small fixed-wing aircraft or helicopters and handle hazardous materials.

Most positions require "Red Card" qualification under the Incident Command System. Some positions may require a commercial driver's license with appropriate endorsements. Starting Salaries Tok - $3306.40 bi-weekly Fairbanks - $3405.60 bi-weekly Additional Required Information ** Please read the information below carefully

** At the time of the interview, please ensure that you provide the following materials. Failure to do so may result in loss of consideration. Required documents include: Valid Alaska driver's licenses Contact information for three professional references, at least one of which is a former supervisor Transcripts, unofficial, are acceptable.

SPECIAL NOTICES Frequent travel, in inclement weather, via ATV, boat, and small aircraft. NWCG Red Card with fitness test. Application Notice You can ONLY apply for this position through the Workplace Alaska website or by submitting a paper application.

Instructions for applying are available on the Workplace Alaska How to Apply webpage. Your application must be received by 5:00 p.m. Alaska Standard Time on the closing date

Supplemental Questions For your application to be evaluated, you must answer the Supplemental Questions. The State of Alaska (SOA) uses four proficiency levels to measure and describe an applicant's competence in applying specific behaviors, knowledge, skills, and abilities to accomplish a specific task. The four proficiency levels are Mastery, Fluency, Literacy, and Discovery.

You must rate your proficiency level for each competency listed in the supplemental questions. Education If post-secondary education is required to meet the minimum qualifications, you must fill out the Education section of the application. If you have not yet obtained a degree, please indicate the units you have completed.

Copies of transcripts are required to verify educational credentials if used to meet the minimum qualifications for a position. Special Instructions for Foreign Education Education completed at foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the minimum qualifications listed above. If using this education to meet minimum qualification requirements, you must demonstrate that the credentials have been submitted to a private organization specializing in interpreting foreign educational credentials and that such education has been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in standard U.S

education programs. Alternatively, an accredited U.S. post-secondary institution must report that the other institution's transcript is given full value or that full value is recognized in relevant subject areas aligned with the post-secondary institution's curricula

It is your responsibility to provide this evidence when applying. Work Experience If using work experience not already documented in your application, also provide the employer's name, job title, employment dates, and whether full or part-time. Applications will be reviewed to determine whether the responses are supported and whether the minimum qualifications are met.

If they are not, the applicant may not advance to the recruitment interview and selection phase. Note: Attaching a resume does not substitute for completing the application in full. Noting, "see resume" or any similar response on any portion of your application may lead to a determination that your application is incomplete and removal from consideration for this job posting.

Bargaining Unit If you are a current state employee, please indicate the union to which you belong at the time of application. Do not complete this question if you are not a current state employee. Driver's License Requirement Applicants must possess a valid driver's license.

Proof of licensure will be required prior to reporting to duty. Firearms This position requires the use or possession of a firearm or ammunition. In accordance with the federal Omnibus Consolidated Appropriations Act of 1997 (PL 104-208), if you have been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence, you may not hold this position.

A "misdemeanor crime of domestic violence" is an offense that is (1) a misdemeanor under Federal or state law and (2) has, as an element, the use or attempted use of physical force or the threatened use of a deadly weapon, committed by a current or former spouse, parent, or guardian of the victim, by a person with whom the victim shares a child in common, by a person who is cohabiting with or has cohabited with the victim as a spouse, parent, or guardian, or by a person similarly situated to a spouse, parent, or guardian of the victim. If you have ever been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence, do NOT apply for this position. Please ensure your application (through work history, training, education, licenses, certifications, etc.) supports/demonstrates that you possess the minimum required competencies for the job class

EEO STATEMENT The State of Alaska complies with Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Individuals with disabilities who require accommodation, auxiliary aids or services, or alternative communication formats should call 1-800-587-0430 or (907) 465-4095 in Juneau or TTY: Alaska Relay 711 or 1-800-770-8973 or correspond with the Division of Personnel & Labor Relations at P.O. Box 110201, Juneau, AK 99811-0201

The State of Alaska is an equal opportunity employer. Contact Information If you choose to be contacted by email, please ensure that your email address is correct on your application and that your spam filter will permit emails from the governmentjobs.com domain. Workplace Alaska Application Questions & Assistance Questions regarding application submission or system operation errors should be direct...