Forester (Silviculture)

These positions may be filled at one or more of the duty locations included in this announcement. Final determination of the duty location will be made at the time of the job offer. Positions will be filled at the GS-09, GS-09/11, or GS-11 level, depending on location.

For additional information about the duties of this position, please contact Erica Taecker at Erica.Taecker@usda.gov.

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.

Basic Requirement:
GS-0460:
Successfully completed a degree that included a major field of study 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 been sufficiently diversified to include courses in each of the following areas:

• 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.
• 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.
• 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 A 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 24 semester hours were in forestry. The requirements for diversification of the 24 semester hours in forestry are the same as shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

In addition to meeting the basic requirement, you must also possess experience and/or directly related education in the amounts listed below.

Specialized Experience Requirement:
GS-09: One (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-07 level in Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as one or more of the following:

• Assisted with timber sale contracts, ensuring that all contract provisions were enforced in accordance with contract objectives; conducted cruises of timber stands to determine volume of merchantable timber, species composition, accessibility, and environmental constraints;
• Performed related timber sale preparation, timber stand improvement, and reforestation duties;
• Collected timber compartment and stand prescription, or presale information data; and/or
• Participated on dispersed and developed recreation, oil, gas, special uses, and lands projects.

OR A Master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related.

OR An equivalent combination of specialized experience and education (only graduate education in excess of 18 semester hours may be used to qualify applicants for this grade level).

GS-11: One (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-09 level in Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as one or more of the following:

• Performed vegetation management duties including timber management, harvesting, reforestation, timber stand improvement, and fuels management;
• Assisted in analyzing technical issues and provided advice or assistance on forestry resource management policies and practices; and/or
• Assisted in reviewing or developing standard plans for well-established programs or projects or recommended short-range plans for a component of a forestry resource management program.

OR 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree (coursework directly related to the position being filled).

OR An appropriate combination of specialized experience and graduate level education (beyond what is required for a master's degree, i.e., more than 36 semester/54 quarter hours leading to a Ph.D.). The education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work 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.

TIME IN GRADE REQUIREMENT: If you are a current federal employee in the General Schedule (GS) pay plan and applying for a promotion opportunity, you must meet time-in-grade (TIG) requirements of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled. This requirement must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

Salary : $61,722