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Forester

Department of Agriculture
Forest Service
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is at the Colville National Forest. One position will be filled with duty location in either Tonasket or Republic, WA. The incumbent serves as a Timber Management Assistant with primary responsibility for the development, planning, and application of the timber management program and supervising timber and pre-sale staff.

For additional information about the duties of this position, please contact Kathleen Johnson at kathleen.johnson@usda.gov or 509-429-4263.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
06/10/2021 to 06/23/2021
Salary
$64,649 to - $64,649 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 11
Locations
1 vacancy in the following locations:
Republic, WA
Tonasket, WA
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
None
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
Yes
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
R6-21-11142256-DP-LT
Control number
604174500

Duties

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  • Establishes timber sale program and production goals, setting priorities and laying out work schedules according to forest?s 5-year action plan.
  • Develops annual program of work, prepares project work plans in coordination with SO program managers, and develops long and short-term budget needs.
  • Documents work progress and accountability of the timber program activity.
  • Oversees the timber sale preparation program.
  • Determines staffing and equipment needs for the sales layout program; oversees cruising and marking of timber; determines sales volume; oversees preparation of timber sale reports and appraisals, and oversees preparation of timber sale contracts.
  • Coordinates with other district staff to ensure integration of the timber program with other resources and activities.
  • Prepares and assembles appraisal packet with assistance from various specialists.
  • Accountable for the final accuracy of the appraisal packet.
  • Coordinates and directs preparation of the timber sale contract and related documents, ensuring all coordinating requirements identified in the Environmental Assessment are included in the contracts.
  • Investigates reports of improper logging activities such as improper cutting practices, cutting of unauthorized timber, damage to residual stands or reserve trees, and disputed interpretations of contract intent.
  • Assists in overall administration of the zone?s program including safety and overall work planning and management.
  • Supervises approximately 5 PFT employees and multiple seasonal employees during field season.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • 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.
  • 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 E-Verify.

Qualifications

In order 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.

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.

Basic Requirement: To meet the basic education requirement, applicants must meet either A or B below:

A. Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's or higher degree in forestry; or related field that included 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 curriculum must have included courses in each of the following areas: (1) Management of Renewable Resources (i.e., silviculture, forest management operations, timber management, wildland fire science or fire management, utilization of forest resources, forest regulation, recreational land management, watershed management, wildlife or range habitat management); (2) Forest Biology (i.e., dendrology, forest ecology, silvics, forest genetics, wood structure and properties, forest soils, forest entomology, or forest pathology); (3) Forest Resource Measurements and Inventory (i.e., forest biometrics, forest mensuration, forest valuation, statistical analysis, inventories and analysis, photogrammetry or remote sensing.).

B. Have a combination of education and experience - at least 30 semester hours of course work in the 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 described above, plus appropriate experience or additional education sufficient to demonstrate that I possess the knowledge, skills and abilities required to perform work in the occupation of a full 4-year course of study with a major in the appropriate field needed to perform the work of the occupation.

In addition to meeting the basic requirement, applicants must also possess experience and/or directly related education in the amounts listed in A, B, or C below.

A. Possess one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to a GS-09 grade level performing professional biological science work. Examples of specialized experience include meeting one or more of the following: Performed vegetation management duties including timber management, harvesting, reforestation, timber stand improvement, and fuels management; assisted in analyzing technical issues and/or providing advice and assistance on forestry resource management policies and practices; assisted in reviewing or developing standard plans for well-established programs or projects or recommending short-range plans for a component of a forestry resource management program; assisted in evaluating programs and performing well-established forestry land use improvement projects; collected timber compartment and stand prescription data; and/or conducted cruises of timber stands to determine volume of merchantable timber, species composition, accessibility, and environmental constraints.

B. Successful completion of thee (3) years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or have received a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree that is related to the work of this position.

C. Have a combination of graduate level education (beyond 36 semester hours) and specialized experience as described in A and B above that is directly related to this position that together meets the qualification requirements for this position.

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

This job does not have an education qualification requirement.

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 eligibles must meet the agency's definition for a quality candidate as provided in the How You Will Be Evaluated section of this announcement to be considered.

The USDA Forest Service has legislative authority to recruit and fill Permanent (Career/Career-Conditional), Temporary, and Term Appointments under the USDA Demonstration Project. Under this authority, any U.S. citizen may apply.

This position is not in the bargaining unit.

Government Housing is not available.

Forest Service daycare are not available.

This position may be eligible to telework up to four days per week, based upon the duties of the position. This position may also be eligible for flexible work arrangements as determined by agency policy and any applicable collective bargaining agreements.

The Forest Service may use certain incentives and hiring flexibilities, currently offered by the Federal government, to attract highly qualified candidates. Additional information is available at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/pay-and-leave-flexibilities-for-recruitment-and-retention/

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 for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications.

You will be evaluated in accordance with the category rating procedure as defined in the USDA Demonstration Project Plan. Applicants who meet the basic minimum qualification requirements established for the position will be placed in the Eligible category. You will be further evaluated against criteria for placement in the Quality category. This evaluation is based on the level of your experience, education, and/or training as determined by your responses to the Assessment Questionnaire. Individuals with veterans' preference are listed ahead of applicants who do not have veterans' preference within each category.

Note: If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your score may be adjusted to more accurately reflect your abilities, or you may be found ineligible. 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 up to including removal from the Federal service.

To view the application form, visit: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/11142256

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