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Forester (O & C Lands)

Department of the Interior
Bureau of Land Management
This job announcement has closed

Summary

**THE CLOSING DATE FOR THIS ANNOUNCEMENT HAS BEEN EXTENDED UNTIL 07/10/2018.**

Explore a new career with the BLM - where our people are our greatest natural resource.

For additional information about the BLM, please visit Our website.

For information about the BLM in Oregon/Washington, visit our website.

These positions are located in Roseburg (Roseburg District), North Bend (Coos Bay District), and Tillamook (Northwest Oregon District), Oregon.

Additional information for Roseburg District, Roseburg, Oregon location:
For information about the Roseburg area, visit the Roseburg Chamber of Commerce.

Additional information for the Coos Bay District, North Bend, Oregon location:
For information about the area, visit the Bay Area Chamber of Commerce.

Additional information for NW Oregon District, Tillamook, Oregon location:
For information about the Tillamook area, visit the Tillamook Chamber of Commerce.

Physical Demands:Field work is physically demanding. The Forester must be capable of extended periods of walking and working in rough mountainous terrain, extremely dense brush, logging slash, and ground that is either wet or covered in snow. The incumbent must possess strength, stamina, and agility to successfully complete field work. Indoor office work necessitates long hours of sitting, intense concentration, telephone conversations, operating computer terminals, and attending meetings and trainings. Work requires the ability to effectively cope with pressure associated by both fixed and irregular deadlines, and managing multiple priorities.

Work Environment:Work is routinely performed in a heated/cooled indoor office setting and outdoors that may include extremely hot/cold/windy/dry/wet/snowy weather in rugged terrain, remote sites, poison oak, bees and hornets, snakes, logging and construction sites and occasionally at public meetings. This position requires average operation of motor vehicles on narrow mountainous roads. Protective gear is necessary for field work. A valid state driver's license is required.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
06/26/2018 to 07/10/2018
Salary
$33,394 to - $65,778 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 05 - 09
Locations
few vacancies in the following locations:
North Bend, OR
FEW vacancies
Roseburg, OR
FEW vacancies
Tillamook, OR
FEW vacancies
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Occasional field travel is required.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent - These are permanent positions.
Work schedule
Full-time - Work Schedule is Full Time.
Service
Promotion potential
09
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Announcement number
OR-DEU-2018-0116
Control number
503496100

This job is open to

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Duties

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For GS-05: This is a basic trainee position. The employee works under the guidance and supervision of a supervisor or higher graded forester. This is a developmental position. The incumbent will perform the duties at a reduced level of responsibility and/or difficulty while receiving on-the-job and other appropriate training. The incumbent in this position would be taught basic forest management tasks that are performed under very close supervision. The trainee forester performs basic tasks associated with logging systems, sale planning and layout, road layout. The trainee forester will learn basic tasks in timber sale planning, logging systems, reforestation, timber stand improvement, tree improvement, landscape forestry/ecology, and trespass.

For GS-07: This is an advanced trainee position. The employee works under the guidance and supervision of a supervisor or higher graded forester. This is a developmental position. The incumbent performs the duties at a reduced level of responsibility and/or difficulty as described below while receiving on-the-job and other appropriate training. The incumbent in this position works with increasing independence in the completion of assignments based upon gained experience and training. More difficult assignments are provided as the incumbent progresses. The trainee forester will learn advanced tasks in timber sale planning, environmental assessment preparation, logging systems, contract preparation, timber sale contract administration, reforestation, timber stand improvement, tree improvement, landscape forestry/ ecology, communication and trespass.

For GS-09: This position serves as a Forester. These functions include the following: Work involving forest landscapes, forest and woodland sale planning, forest product sales and administration, reforestation, and forest stand improvements. The incumbent plans and implements technical projects and performs leadership duties in support of forestry-oriented, multiple-use land management programs, including coordination of appropriate staff to accomplish the work. The incumbent reports to the District Manager, Field Manager, or other supervisory official.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship is required;
  • Be sure to read the "How to Apply" and "Required Documents" Sections;
  • You cannot hold an active real estate license; nor can you
  • have an interest or hold stocks in firms with interest in Federal Land;
  • Direct Deposit Required;
  • Security Clearance/Background Investigation is required.

Basic Requirement: This position has a basic education requirement which requires that applicants have a degree in 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 included courses in each of the following areas: (1) 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; (2) 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; and (3) 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.

-OR-

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 above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

You will need to clearly state your undergraduate/graduate degree(s) and submit your college transcripts or a listing of your college courses that includes hours and grades.

Qualifications

Specialized Experience Requirements:

In order to be rated as qualified for this position, we must be able to determine that you meet the specialized experience requirement - please be sure to include this information in your resume. To be creditable, this experience must have been equivalent in difficulty and complexity to the next lower grade of the position to be filled.

To qualify for the GS-5 Forester, you must meet the basic entry requirements.

In addition to meeting the basic entry requirement, applicants must have specialized experience and/or directly related education of the position to be found qualified. To be creditable, this experience must have been equivalent in difficulty and complexity to the next lower grade.

Specialized Experience for the GS-7 Forester: 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-05 level in forestry related work. Work assignments were diverse, limited in complexity & selected to provide experience & training. Examples: experience which provided knowledge of basic forest management concepts, principles and practices as well as related laws, regulation and policies sufficient to complete developmental assignments that expanded the employee’s understanding of forest planning and timber sale preparation and development and design of projects for a forest management program; OR have 1 year of graduate education leading to a master`s degree in forestry or a directly related field; OR meet the requirements for Superior Academic Achievement (S.A.A.) See OPM Quals Standard-General Policies E(4)(f); OR have an equivalent combination of the type and level of experience and education described above.

Specialized Experience for the GS-09 Forester: 1 year of specialized equivalent to at least the GS-07 level in forestry related work. At this level, Foresters independently perform recurring assignments that are more difficult & complex than those performed by a recent graduate. Examples: experience which provided knowledge of forest management principles and practices as well as related laws, regulation and policies sufficient to serve as a member of a forest planning and timber sale preparation team and/or as a member of an interdisciplinary team developing and designing projects for a forest management program; OR 2 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master`s degree or equivalent graduate degree in the field of forestry or directly related fields of study; OR have an equivalent combination of the type and level of experience and education described above. Only graduate level education in excess of the first year may be combined with 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.

You must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of the announcement.

Additional information

This announcement is being advertised concurrently under Announcement #OR Merit-2018-0176 for current and former federal employees serving under a competitive service career or career-conditional appointment or reinstatement eligible. You must apply to each announcement separately if you wish to be considered under both recruitment methods.

SELECTIVE SERVICE: Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must certify that they have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. To register or verify your registration go to the Selective Service System website.

May require completion of a 1 year probationary period.

Travel and relocation expenses will not be paid by the Department of the Interior. Any travel, transportation and relocation expenses associated with reporting for duty in this position will be the responsibility of the selected employee.

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP): CTAP provides eligible surplus and displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. Information about CTAP/ICTAP eligibility is available from OPM's Career Transition Resources website at CTAP or ICTAP. If your agency has notified you in writing that you are a surplus or displaced employee eligible for CTAP consideration or that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) This vacancy is within your CTAP/ICTAP eligibility; 2) You apply under the instructions in this announcement; and 3) You are found well qualified for this vacancy. You must provide proof of eligibility with your application to receive selection priority. Such proof may include a copy of your written notification of CTAP/ICTAP eligibility, or a copy of your separation personnel action form.

CTAP and ICTAP eligibles will be considered well qualified if they fall within the Well or Best Qualified categories on the rating criteria for this position.

The Bureau of Land Management has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval.

Government facilities are required to provide a smoke free environment for their employees. Smoking will be permitted only in designated areas.

The positions located at the North Bend and Tillamook, Oregon locations are Bargaining Unit positions. The position located at the Roseburg location is not a Bargaining Unit position.

How you will be evaluated

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

Upon receipt of your complete application package, a review of your application will be made to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. Your rating will be based on your responses to the Job Specific Questionnaire and the information stated in your resume. If you meet the qualification requirements, you application will be placed in one of three categories: Best Qualified, Well Qualified, or Qualified. Within these categories, applicants eligible for veteran's preference will receive selection priority over non-veterans. In addition, interviews may be conducted for this position. The interviews may be conducted on a pass/fail basis or may be scored. The job specific questions relate to the following knowledge, skills and abilities required to do the work of this position. 1) Knowledge of forest management principles and practices including forest ecology, silviculture, forest mensuration, product appraisal practices, slash treatment, prescribed fire, forest road engineering, logging system engineering and timber harvest practices; (2) Knowledge of related laws, regulations, policies and procedures sufficient to design sound forest management activities and to prepare detailed and legally exacting contracts; (3) Knowledge of applicable Federal and State laws, regulations and policies that pertain to the implementation of forest management activities e.g., NEPA, Endangered Species Act, State Forest Practices Act, State Fire Regulations, OSHA and State Safety Standards; (4) Ability to use automated systems such as GIS and AutoCad as well as data recording devices such as GPS and Data Recorders; and (5) Ability to work with diverse groups of people including members of the general public, tribes, other Federal, state and local agencies and representatives from other offices.
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