Forestry Scientist Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Explore a new career with the Bureau Land Management - where our people are our most precious resource. You will serve as a Forestry Technician.

Pay will vary based on grade level and/or duty location for which you're selected. First time hires to the Federal government normally start at the step 1 rate.

Qualifications:

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-07/29/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. All candidates must also meet Time-in-Grade requirements.

To receive credit for experience, your resume MUST state either "full-time" (or "40 hours a week") or "part-time" with the number of hours worked per week to ensure proper crediting of specialized experience. Failure to adequately provide information needed to determine number of hours worked in each position may result in that time not being credited when evaluating qualifying experience. For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the full and/or part-time hours requirement as the service dates will be reflected.
Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: To be considered minimally qualified for this position, you must demonstrate that you have the required specialized experience and/or education for the respective grade level in which you are applying.
GS-07:
A. Applicants must have one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-06 grade level in the Federal service (obtained either in the private or public sector) performing 3 or more of the following: 1) assisting professional foresters to gather resource information used to prepare routine planning or environmental clearance documents such as categorical exclusions or environmental assessments; 2) assisting professional foresters or senior forestry technicians to conduct segments of forest inventories such as common stand exams; 3) assisting professional foresters or senior forestry technicians to perform conventional forestry duties such as forest road layout, timber sale layout, planting layout, pre-commercial thinning layout, and tree marking; 4) occasionally serving as crew lead for routine projects or assisting with the supervision or inspection of work crews carrying out routine projects; 5) performing timber sale reconnaissance to assist unit design for proposed timber sale tracts.
OR
B. Successful completion of at least one full year of graduate education which included courses directly related to the work of the position 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. NOTE: You must submit a copy of your transcripts as proof of any claimed education.
OR
C. Successful completion of a combination of education and experience. To calculate your combined amount, first determine the amount of your specialized experience as a percentage of the requirement listed in A above. Then determine the amount of your education as a percentage of the requirement listed in B above; then add the two percentages. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. NOTE: You must submit a copy of your transcripts as proof of any claimed education.
GS-08:
A. Applicants must have one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service (obtained either in the private or public sector) performing 3 or more of the following: 1) making limited recommendations to professional foresters or senior resource specialists relative to forest management practices (i.e., forest conditions, riparian buffers, wildlife habitat considerations, etc.); 2) applying variable-radius plot sampling techniques to conduct common stand exams, timber cruises or implement tree marking prescriptions; 3) planning and conducting field layout of forest roads and timber harvest units, including GPS traverse and mapping procedures; 4) advising or training junior foresters or forestry technicians on established methods or procedures required to perform technical forestry field work; 5) performing timber sale reconnaissance to locate property lines, identify preferred logging systems and determine preliminary road grades.
OR
B. Successful completion of at least two full years of graduate education or a master's degree which included courses directly related to the work of the position 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. NOTE: You must submit a copy of your transcripts as proof of any claimed education.
OR
C. Successful completion of a combination of education and experience. To calculate your combined amount, first determine the amount of your specialized experience as a percentage of the requirement listed in A above. Then determine the amount of your education as a percentage of the requirement listed in B above; then add the two percentages. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. NOTE: You must submit a copy of your transcripts as proof of any claimed education.
GS-09:
A. Applicants must have one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-08 grade level in the Federal service (obtained either in the private or public sector) performing 3 or more of the following: 1) participating in interdisciplinary efforts to design timber harvest units and resolve associated resource concerns; 2) evaluating field data for accuracy or applicability to make informed forestry-related decisions; 3) planning and implementing the field layout of timber sale projects; 4) leading a crew of junior foresters or forestry technicians in accomplishing project objectives; 5) investigating and initiating reports of unauthorized use or timber trespass including preliminary determination of timber value and other resource damage.
OR
B. Successful completion of at least two full years of graduate education or a master's degree which included courses directly related to the work of the position 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. NOTE: You must submit a copy of your transcripts as proof of any claimed education.
OR
C. Successful completion of a combination of education and experience. To calculate your combined amount, first determine the amount of your specialized experience as a percentage of the requirement listed in A above. Then determine the amount of your education as a percentage of the requirement listed in B above; then add the two percentages. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. NOTE: You must submit a copy of your transcripts as proof of any claimed education.
Volunteer Experience: 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:
To qualify based on education, you must submit a legible copy of transcripts from an accredited institution with your name, school name, credit hours, course level, major(s), and grade-point average or class ranking. Transcripts do not need to be official, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work.

You must submit a copy of your transcript(s) to support claimed education if substituting education for experience. Transcripts must include your name, school name, grades, credit hours earned, major(s), grade point average or class ranking, and date the degree was conferred, if applicable. A typed list of courses, grades, semester/quarter hours, GPA, etc. will not be accepted. Non-submission may result in being rated not qualified for the position. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work.

Foreign Education: To receive credit for education completed outside the United States, you must show proof that the education has been submitted to a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education has been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education programs. Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | U.S. Department of Education. https://www.ed.gov/about/initiatives/international-affairs/recognition-of-foreign-qualification

Employment Type: OTHER