Assistant Forester (Internal Only)

Please note that references provided at the time of application for staff positions will not be contacted until the applicant has been offered the position.

Description

The primary function of the Assistant Forester is the active implementation of forest management projects on the Berea College Forest and the supervision of the Horse Logging crew with the goal of assisting the College Forester in the management of the College Forest. All knowledge and skills required for the College Forester are required for the Assistant. The position requires less time spent in Department administration. The Assistant may be required to make decisions as Department Head in the absence of the College Forester. This position involves approximately 50% fieldwork and 50% shop/barn work.

Your Key Responsibilities

• As part of the role, the position is the supervisor for the Horse Logging and Barn team. This includes organizing and supervising the crew's activities and daily work, administrative tasks such as time approval and performance management, addressing employee relations issues, assuring safety standards and protocols are followed, assuring all employees follow Berea College policies, and ensuring all employees are fully trained on the tasks they are asked to perform.
• Manages the Forestry Department’s GIS
• Assist in research projects within the College Forest as well as interpretive education for the College community and greater community educational outreach
• Implement management plans for the College Forest; including timber stand improvement, herbicide application, mowing, clearing brush and the construction and repair of fences.
• Conduct logging operations and the implementation of timber stand improvement (TSI) operations.
• Plant trees for reforestation and manage open areas by planting native grassland/prairie species.
• Herbicide applications in TSI, in managing exotic invasive plant species, and in prairie restoration.
• Trail and road maintenance and construction.
• Operate a portable or stationary sawmill.
• Wildfire suppression as well as implementation of prescribed fires.
• Supervise student workers, as assigned, in day-to-day operations.
• Security, neighbor relations, and protection of the Forest.
  
  

What You'll Bring

Education required to ensure success in this position:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Forestry, or similar field, required.
  
  

Experience required to ensure success in this position:

• 3-5 years of hands-on forest management experience in Eastern U.S. hardwood forests, preferred; experience from other regions considered
• 1-3 years of previous experience leading logging teams and organizing the work is preferred.
• Experience with livestock, horses, farm equipment, and/or logging is preferred.
  
  

Special skills, knowledge and abilities:

• Knowledge of forestry and natural resource management
• Tree identification skills
• Skills acquired through construction work, farm work, and mechanical repair work, such as basic chain saw and tree felling skills, and ability to use power equipment and tractors is required.
• Basic computer skills
• Good oral and written communication skills
• Horsemanship skills are desirable.
• GIS software experience is desirable.
  
  

License, certification, or registration necessary:

• Valid Driver’s License
• Will need to attain Pesticide applicator’s license within three months of employment.
• NWCG FFT2 or KPFC Burn Crew Member preferred
• Master Logger certification preferred
  
  

Physical requirements:

• Must be able to lift and carry heavy loads up to 50 lbs.
• Must be able to walk long distances.
  
  

Environmental conditions:

• Must be willing to work outdoors year-round in varying weather conditions.
  
  

Ability to operate the following vehicles or equipment:

• Chainsaw and power tool operation and maintenance.
• Ability to operate and perform minor repairs on tractors and other equipment is desirable.
• Ability to handle and care for horses and their associated equipment is desirable.
  
  

Founded in 1855, Berea College is nationally recognized as the first coeducational and interracial college in the South. Berea has a longstanding commitment to interracial education and is one of the most racially diverse private liberal arts colleges in the United States. With an emphasis on service to Appalachia and beyond, Berea enrolls more than 1,500 students from 44 states and U.S. territories and more than 60 countries. Berea College admits students who are unable to afford tuition and provides every enrolled student with a fully funded degree that covers 100% of tuition, housing, food, supplies, and fees without loans, for all four years. Berea’s students excel in the College’s supportive yet demanding academic environment, and most are the first in their families to attend college. As one of only 10 federally recognized Work Colleges, all Berea students work 10-12 hours weekly in various positions across campus, building professional skills in a real-world learning environment. Washington Monthly ranked Berea College the #1 Best College for your Tuition and Tax Dollars, 2025. Berea also ranks #1 in educational access by The New York Times, 2023 and #1 for lowest educational debt by U.S. News and World Report, 2025 and 2026. Berea College is also the only institution in Kentucky to receive the 5-Star Rating from Money Magazine, 2026.

Located where the Bluegrass Region meets the Cumberland Mountains, the town of Berea (pop. 17,000) lies 40 miles south of Lexington and is approximately two hours from Cincinnati, Louisville, and Knoxville. More information about Berea College is available at www.berea.edu.

Berea College, in light of its mission in the tradition of impartial love and social equality, welcomes all people of the earth to learn and work here.

Our Benefits

Berea College offers a comprehensive benefits package to eligible employees and their families including health care, dental, vision, retirement, health savings accounts, flexible spending accounts, life insurance, short-term disability, long-term disability and an Employee Assistance Program. The benefit package also includes access to the Child Development Laboratory for children of College Staff, ages 6 weeks to 6 years, Seabury Center Membership, Staff Development Funds and Tuition Reimbursement.

Eligible staff employees also receive paid holidays, vacation, and sick leave.

Part-time employees who work an average of twenty-four hours per week over the course of a year, receive benefits on a pro-rated basis.

To learn more details, visit our benefits page at https://www.berea.edu/human-resources/employee-benefits.

Our Unique Culture

Berea College strives to be a place where people with various Christian interpretations, different religious traditions, and no religious traditions work together in support of Berea's Great Commitments.

Over the past century, various leaders of the College have applied the College’s inclusive scriptural foundation and spirit to their expanding world and welcomed those whose beliefs were consistent with the Christian gospel of impartial love. Therefore, Berea College today affirms its inclusive Christian tradition even as it respects the traditions of Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, and Hindus, as well as other faiths, and those holding no religious beliefs. We strive not to ignore our differences, but rather seek to understand each other honestly and respectfully, and together create a climate where anyone can openly discuss what they believe without fear of sanction. To that end, all persons who are willing to share in the spirit and the work of the Great Commitments as shaped by its preamble are welcome to study, to teach, and to work at Berea

Labor Supervision

In support of Berea College’s great commitments, staff and faculty serve as labor supervisors. Our fourth great commitment, The Dignity of Labor, promotes learning and serving in community through the student Labor Program, honoring the dignity and utility of all work, mental and manual, and taking pride in work well done. Student Labor Supervision includes scheduling, assigning, and approving student work, developing students' workplace acumen, and providing tangible work experience. To learn more about the labor program office please see the following link Labor Program Office.