Area Forester-Southern River District

Virginia Information Technologies Agency•Appomattox, VA

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Virginia Department of Forestry is seeking to hire an Area Forester for our Southern Rivers District in the Central Region. Area Foresters spend most of their time outside providing professional forestry advice and assistance to private landowners. This position reports to the District Forester and implements the agency's forest management program at the local level. The Area Forester will be focused on providing services in Appomattox County. This position is part of the Southern Rivers District, which includes the counties of Appomattox, Charlotte, Lunenburg, Mecklenburg, and Prince Edward. Within 6 months of hire, the chosen candidate must reside in Appomattox County or within 30 minutes of the Dillwyn office within the district boundary. This position is classified as having a home-based duty location, however there is a designated DOF office located in Dillwyn that can be used as needed. A take home state-owned vehicle, laptop, smartphone, and mobile printer will be provided.

Requirements

Demonstrated knowledge of silviculture, forest measurements, wildfire suppression, prescribed burning, watershed protection, and forest health
Experience in technical or professional natural resources work
Ability to work independently
Excellent organizational skills
Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with personnel from various state and federal agencies, local planners, cooperators, and the public
Public speaking skills and experience
Demonstrated excellent written, oral, and interpersonal communication skills
Valid driver’s license
Ability to negotiate different types of forested terrain on foot
Ability to travel around the state and stay overnight on occasion
Experience with and ability to use a PC and Microsoft Office software required

Nice To Haves

Experience in technical or professional natural resource management work
Experience using Geographic Information Systems, GPS units, and digital mapping tools
Must be able to obtain a Virginia Commercial Pesticide Applicator's License within 6 months of employment
Must be able to obtain Commercial Driver’s License within 12 months of employment
Must pass moderate physical fitness test, per Federal guidelines. The test consists of walking 2 miles in 30 minutes carrying a 25-pound pack.
Selected candidate is required to be drug tested and pass a criminal background check.

Responsibilities

Providing professional forest management advice to forest landowners through technical assistance and forest management plan development
Administering state and federal cost-share programs to support forest management projects
Assessing and addressing forest health concerns
Establishing and managing riparian buffers to protect streams, waterbodies, and wetlands
Educating the general public and organizations of the benefits of trees and forests
Preventing and suppressing wildland fires, including enforcing Virginia's fire laws
Inspecting logging jobs for compliance with Virginia's Silvicultural Water Quality Law