Forestry Technician

Duties/Description:  April 2026 through June 2027. Duties would consist of cruising nested, fixed-radius, inventory plots on state forestland in both Western and Eastern WA. These surveys would collect data on forest structure and composition, understory, canopy closure, downed woody debris, and other conditions. The successful candidate will have experience using relaskops, densiometers, range finders, GPS, increment borers, identifying tree and understory species, approximating size classes and measuring diameters, and identifying tree defects.

Position will be predominately field based. Work conditions are often strenuous and require traversing steep forested terrain in all weather conditions. Map reading, aerial photo interpretation and orienteering skills will be used on a daily basis. Positions are based out of Tumwater, WA but the work consists of four-day, overnight travel weeks. Company vehicles are provided for travel and lodging, and dinner costs are paid while away from the Tumwater operations base.

Qualifications: The successful applicant will have a degree in forestry or equivalent work experience and competency. The successful applicant must demonstrate an ability to follow strict sampling protocols and be proficient in the collection of scientific data. Prior professional experience in the field of forestry is highly desirable.

Salary: $25.00 – $29.00 per hour plus overtime, depending on experience.

Duration: Approximately 16 months (February 2026 – June 30, 2027), could be extended if other projects become available or if the person is offered the permanent Forestry Technician position.