Forestry Technician TSI – Eldorado NF (USFS)

The Great Basin Institute, in cooperation with Eldorado National Forest, is recruiting a Timber Stand Improvement (TSI) Crew to work cooperatively with USFS and GBI staff to perform inspection of contracted vegetation management and restoration projects within forest/woodland areas. This work provides professional development opportunities in standard forest management practices while supporting USFS initiatives for healthy and productive forest landscapes and resources. Duties will principally involve inspecting outcomes of reforestation treatments, including inspection of planting and herbicide contractors. Additional duties will involve timber cruising and marking and flagging in timber stand improvement unit boundaries for subsequent TSI treatments.

Initial work will involve oversight of contractors preforming landscape improvements on targeted areas on USFS lands. GBI Timber Stand Improvement (Contract Inspection) crews will conduct compliance inspections for various vegetation treatment projects including planting, mastication, herbicide treatments and brush cutting. In the latter half of the season, Crews will collect plot and regeneration data from reforestation treatments. Additional duties may include training in timber marking and cruising and the application of these learned skills on large timber sales areas. This work greatly supports the regeneration of forested areas, facilitates the restoration of landscapes affected by type-conversion and high severity wildfire, the preparation of future timber sales and contributes to the development and refinement of management techniques and operations.

A Timber Stand Improvement (Contract Inspection) Crew, comprising of one crew lead and two-four crew members per crew, will perform this work in coordination with USFS personnel. Please note that, for several consecutive weeks at a time, the work schedule of GBI crews aligns with the work schedule of contractors when the contractors are on site planting and applying herbicides. During these phases, extensive overtime (up to 12 hours (04:00 to 16:00 hours) of work per day, including travel from and to job sites, for up to six consecutive days, paid at 1.5 times regular wage for any hours over 40 in a work week) is expected. Work for approximately the first two months will include 60 hour weeks focused on herbicide treatment, with the remaining months focused on more general forestry and timber cruising at 40 hours per week. When performing work not related to contract administration, the normal work schedule will consist of 4-10 hour days per week working from approximately 07:00 to 17:30 hrs.

Contract Timeline:

– Tentatively: May – October/November
– Projects are weather dependent, therefore start and end dates vary according to local conditions and individual project needs

Location:

Eldorado National Forest:
Project activities will take place on the Eldorado National Forest (NF).
Located in the central Sierra Nevada, the Eldorado NF is bordered on the east by the Lake Tahoe Basin and the Humboldt-Toiyabe NF, and by the Tahoe and Stanislaus NFs to the north and south, respectively. Eldorado NF offers an abundance of outdoor activities including fishing, boating, hiking, biking, skiing and climbing. The forest is home to much of the American River headwaters and the stunning Desolation Wilderness, and is in the heart of California’s historic Gold Country. People travel to Eldorado National Forest for its rich prospecting history, diversity of outdoor adventure and even beautiful vineyards.

Compensation and Benefits:

– Wage: $21/hour with overtime at 1.5x hourly rate. Full time, average 40 hours per week
– Health, dental, vision Insurance premiums covered 100% by GBI (equivalent to approximately $350/month); health, dental and vision insurance is available on the first day of the month following the start of employment
– Shared housing provided (equivalent to approximately $1000/month); housing stipend not provided if shared housing is denied by employee
– Camping per diem: $15/night as necessary (infrequent)
– Uniform Stipend

Job Qualifications:

At least one of the following:

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university in forestry (preferred), natural resource management or related field, with coursework and experience that demonstrates an understanding of the principles of forestry; OR
• Six months of professional fieldwork experience.

Required:

• Capacity to collect and maintain field data in an organized manner that is easily understood and accessible to other resources staff;
• Ability to communicate effectively, both written and orally, with a diverse audience;
• Ability to navigate and collect data using handheld GPS units;
• Experience using a compass and topographic map to navigate;
• Possess a clean, valid, state-issued driver’s license;
• Ability to live and work in rural and remote field and office setting; and
• Physically fit to work outdoors, carry up to 50 pounds of personal and/or field equipment, and withstand the rigors of a forested and/or high desert environment in all seasons.

Preferred:

• Familiarity with cruising and marking techniques;
• Familiarity with, and interest in, resource management issues of western states and the ecology of the Sierra Nevada ecoregion;
• Familiarity with the mixed conifer forests typical of eastern California, including common plants (woody and herbaceous), wildlife, geology and topography;
• Ability to safely operate and maintain a 4WD vehicle on and off paved roads;
• Ability to understand, implement and adhere to established data collection, inventory, assessment and monitoring protocols; and
• Experience using ArcGIS to create maps, GPS data collection, tree-species identification, timber marking and cruising, identifying hydrologic concerns, recognizing forest entomology/pathology issues, identifying heritage sites and experience with fire/fuels assessments or related field tasks.