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Forestry Technician (Timber Stand Improvement)

Department of Agriculture
Forest Service
This job announcement has closed

Summary

The primary purpose of this position is to perform technical duties in timber stand improvement, reforestation, and tree improvement on a Forest Service unit.

Information on specific locations where jobs are being filled and the dates when applications are due for these locations can be found at Forest Service website.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
03/22/2019 to 09/23/2019
Salary
$29,847 to - $43,414 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 4 - 5
Locations
Many vacancies in the following locations:
Riggins, ID
Baker City, OR
Bend, OR
Bly, OR
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Occasional travel may be required for field work, site visits, trainings and/or meetings.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Multiple - Multiple Appointment Types
Work schedule
Full-Time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
5
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Announcement number
19-R6OCR-462-TSI-4-5G
Control number
528211900

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Current permanent federal employees with competitive status, Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act, CTAP/RPL/ICTAP and VEOA eligibles, Farm Service Agency permanent county employees, 30 percent or More Disabled Veterans, Certain Former Overseas and Foreign Service Employees, Military Spouses, Interchange Agreement and Other Miscellaneous Authorities, People with Disabilities, Peace Corps and VISTA, Public Land Corps, Reinstatement, Resource Assistant Program and VRA eligible candidates.

Duties

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  • The responsibilities listed below are at the full performance level.
  • Examine plantations to assess number of tree seedlings present, condition, and growth and survival rates, and evidence of animal, insect or disease damage.
  • Perform resource work in other areas, such as timber stand thinning, pruning, inspecting wildlife contracts, fire suppression, or burning slash according to silvicultural prescriptions.
  • Select prospective parent seed trees using established procedures.
  • Determine which trees have superior growth characteristics
  • Inspect silvicultural contract work (e.g., genetic tree improvement, planting, thinning, seeding, site preparation) for compliance with contract.
  • Explain necessary step for compliance to contractor and reports violations to contracting office representative.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a US Citizen or US 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 https://www.e-verify.gov/.

Qualifications

In order to qualify, you must meet the eligibility and qualifications requirements as defined below by the date the certificate of eligible candidates is issued. 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.

Specialized Experience Requirement:

For the GS-04
: Applicants must have six (6) months of general experience AND six (6) months of specialized experience that is directly related to the work of the position; OR successful completion of two (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 described above that together meet the requirements of the position. 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.Examples of general experience could include: Performed farm/ranch labor, such as feeding/tending livestock or general maintenance of farm/ranch facilities; worked in a greenhouse, nursery or landscaping, e.g., planting, moving, watering, and tending plants; worked as an animal caretaker in a laboratory, zoo or pet store; other work experience, paid or unpaid, e.g., volunteer work at a park, youth camp, hospital, community sports league, local fire department, etc. Examples of specialized experience are: Forestry aid or technician work in timber activities such as timber stand improvement, reforestation, and tree improvement; determining present tree stocking and survival, tree species and conditions, and evidence of animal, insect or disease damage; or other support duties include collecting and recording data.

For the GS-05: Applicants must have one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least GS-4 grade level in the Federal Service; OR a bachelor's degree or four (4) years of successfully completed education above high school (120 semester hours) with a 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 combination of successfully completed post-high school education (beyond the first 60 semester hours) and specialized experience that together meets the requirements of the position. The education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. Examples of specialized experience are: Prepared a land unit for planting, thinning, or fertilizing; prepared maps and provided data for contract preparation and unit examination; kept records on the results of routine vegetation or timber test and sampling procedures; and prepared test reports using well established guidelines to compute, compile and present data.

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.

Additional information

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL/ICTAP candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP/ICTAP candidates must be rated and determined to be well qualified (or above) based on an evaluation of the competencies listed above. When assessed through a score-based category rating method, CTAP/ICTAP applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100.

Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) provides current or former temporary or term employees of federal land management agencies opportunity to compete for permanent competitive service positions. Individuals must have more than 24 months of service without a break between appointments of two or more years. Service must be in the competitive service and have been at a successful level of performance or better. Part-time and intermittent service will be credited only for time actually worked. Non-pay status (such as LWOP) is credited for up to six months in a calendar year; anything beyond six months is not credited. Applicants are responsible for providing sufficient information/documentation to determine if the 24 month criteria is met.

Farm Service Agency (FSA) County Employees: Permanent County employees without prior Federal tenure who are selected for a Civil Service position under Public Law 105-277 will be given a career-conditional appointment and must serve a 1-year probationary period.

Veterans who are preference eligible or who have been separated from the armed forces under honorable conditions after three years or more of continuous active service are eligible for consideration under the Veteran's Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA).

Information on special hiring authorities such as the Veteran's Recruitment Act (VRA), 30 percent disabled veterans, certain military spouses, and individuals with disabilities may be found on the USAJOBS website.

If you are selected for a position with further promotion potential, you will be placed under a career development plan, and may be non-competitively promoted if you successfully complete the requirements and if recommended by management. However, promotion is not guaranteed.

THIS IS AN OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT. This type of announcement provides the Forest Service with a readily available source of applicants when vacancies occur. Eligibility and qualifications will be verified when there is a vacancy for the location and grade for which you applied. Information on specific locations where jobs are being filled and the dates when applications are due for these locations can be found at https://fsoutreach.gdcii.com/Outreach

Salary wage as shown is for Rest of the U.S. For more information, refer to the Office of Personnel Management, Salary and Wages web page.

We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies.

This announcement may be used to fill positions with a seasonal work schedule where full-time work is guaranteed for 13 pay periods or 18 pay periods and when not working, you will be placed in non-pay/non-duty status.

Recruitment or Relocation Incentive may be authorized. Final determination will be made at the time of job offer.

This is a bargaining unit position represented by the National Federation of Federal Employees, IAMAW.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

You will be evaluated based on your qualifications for this position as evidenced by the experience, education, and training you described in your application package, as well as the responses to the Assessment Questionnaire to determine the degree to which you possess the competencies listed below:

  • Forest Management
  • Technical Competence
  • Timber


Your application, including the online Assessment Questionnaire, will be reviewed to determine if you meet (a) minimum qualification requirements and (b) the resume supports the answers provided to the job-specific questions. Your resume must clearly support your responses to all the questions addressing experience and education relevant to this position.

If you meet the qualification requirements and are determined to be among the best qualified, you will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration. Noncompetitive candidates and applicants under some special hiring authorities must meet minimum qualifications to be referred.

Note: If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you inflated your qualifications and or experience, your rating may be lowered to more accurately reflect the submitted documentation. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Providing inaccurate information on Federal documents could be grounds for non-selection or disciplinary action.

To view a preview of the application question, visit: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/10454584

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