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Forestry Technician (Timber Sale Preparation)

Department of Agriculture
Forest Service
This job announcement has closed

Summary

The primary purpose of this position to perform presale duties including timber marking, traversing, and basic tree measurements.

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.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open date: 11/15/2021
Closed date: 05/13/2022
Location
Many vacancies in the following locations:
Work site options
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$31,520 - $31,520 per year

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.

Pay scale & grade
GS 4
Promotion potential
5
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-time - or permanent seasonal 13/13 or 18/8 based on location.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Travel may be required for meetings, training, or site visits.
Appointment type
Permanent
Occupations and job series
Supervisory status
No
Federal service type
This job is in the Competitive Service
Drug test
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job.
Background check type
Announcement number
22-R9OCR-462-TSP-4DP
Control number
621891700

Duties

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  • This position will be filled at the GS-04 grade level with promotion potential to the GS-05 grade level. Duties listed are at the full performance level.
  • Follow instructions issued in a timber cruise plan.
  • Conduct sample measurements of forest stands to estimate the amount of standing timber.
  • Apply silvicultural prescriptions and marking guides to designate harvest timber.
  • Determine area of timber resources by traversing harvest unit boundaries and road locations.
  • Use standard forest measurement tools such as diameter tape, tree calipers, clinometer, angle gauge, prism, compass, and increment borer.
  • Report areas of possible archeological significance, and/or sightings of sensitive threatened or endangered wildlife species.
  • Assess quality and determine defects in timber.
  • Complete assigned resource management support tasks within established deadlines.
  • Prepare, process, and interpret reports of timber cruise data using a computerized system.

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.
  • This is a bargaining unit position represented by the National Federation of Federal Employees, IAMAW (does not apply to West Virginia locations).
  • All locations in the following states are part of the bargaining unit: Pennsylvania, Michigan, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
  • All locations in Illinois are part of the bargaining unit, except Wilmington, IL. All locations in Minnesota are part of the bargaining unit, except Cass Lake, Blackduck, Walker and Deer River.
  • All other locations listed in this announcement are not part of a bargaining unit.

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.

Specialized Experience Requirement:

For the GS-4: Applicants must have six months of general experience (any type of work that demonstrated the ability to perform the work of the position, or experience that provided a familiarity with the subject matter or processes of the broad subject area of the occupation.) AND six months of specialized experience that is directly related to the work of the position.

Examples of general experience are defined as one or more of the following: 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 defined as one or more of the following: Performed natural resource support work, e.g., forestry, range, park technician, wildland firefighter, or similar jobs; Performed routine support assignments in a forestry specialty area, e.g., wilderness, timber, fire prevention/control, etc.

OR successful completion of 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 above high school as described above. 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.

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

See "Qualifications" section.

Additional information

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.

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.

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.

Government housing may be available in some locations/Forest Service daycare is 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.

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.

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

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/11281388

Forest Service

A career with the Forest Service will challenge you to manage and care for more than 193 million acres of our nation's most magnificent lands, conduct research through a network of forest and range experiment stations and the Forest Products Laboratory, and provide assistance to State and private forestry agencies.

It's an awesome responsibility - but the rewards are as limitless as the views.

Agency contact information

HRM Contact Center
Phone
1-877-372-7248 X2
Email
SM.FS.FSJobs@usda.gov
Address
USDA Forest Service HRM Contact Center
DO NOT MAIL IN APPLICATIONS, SEE INSTRUCTIONS IN THE ANNOUNCEMENT.
Albuquerque, NM 87109
US

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