City Forester

City of Elkhart•Elkhart, IN

67d•$0 - $70,000•Onsite

About The Position

Functions as head of the forestry division, responsible for the maintenance of street trees, City nursery, and trees on other City properties. This role involves overseeing personnel, establishing work priorities, developing procedures, and maintaining the City tree inventory. The City Forester is also responsible for tree planting projects, responding to resident inquiries, and the inspection, maintenance, and removal of all City-owned trees. A key responsibility includes enforcing the Tree Board ordinance and being available 24/7 for emergencies such as fallen trees and limbs.

Requirements

Bachelor of Science in Forestry or a closely related field.
ISA Certified Arborist credential, or willingness to obtain one within your probationary period.
ISA Tree Risk Assessment Qualification (TRAQ), or willingness to obtain one within your probationary period.
Good verbal and written communication skills.
Ability to lead and manage a diverse group of tree care workers.
Ability to select and order materials, tools, and other supplies.
Knowledge of occupational hazards, safety precautions, and practices used in the tree care industry.
Knowledge of high voltage electrical power lines.
Ability to perform arithmetic calculations involving fractions, decimals, and percentages.
Ability to carry out detailed written and verbal instructions independently.
Body agility is emphasized using feet, legs, hands, arms, and body.
Maintain body equilibrium to prevent falling, the amount of and kind of balancing exceeds that needed for ordinary maintenance of body equilibrium.
Vision requirements (with or without correction): clear vision at arm’s length and distances up to 100 feet.
Excellent depth perception and ability to observe up or down, to the right and left while eyes are fixed on a given point.
Must be able to identify common trees and shrubs for inventory and work orders.

Nice To Haves

A Class "A" Commercial Driver's License, or the ability to obtain one if required.
ISA Certified Urban Forest Professional credential.
ISA Board Certified Master Arborist credential.
Society of American Foresters Certified Urban and Community Forester credential.
Indiana Commercial Pesticide Applicator license (Right-of-Way category or similar).
Spanish language skills preferred.

Responsibilities

Oversees and schedules subordinate personnel.
Establishes work priorities.
Develops and implements departmental procedures.
Maintains and updates City tree inventory using databases, GIS, and GPS equipment.
Oversees tree planting projects on City properties.
Responds to inquiries from City residents concerning street trees and other forestry responsibilities.
Responsible for the inspection, maintenance, and removal of all Trees owned, in any percentage, by the City, including but not limited to Street Trees.
Plants and transplants trees, shrubs, and other plant material.
Sits on the Elkhart Tree Board as a non-voting member.
Enforces the Tree Board ordinance, including approval of blanket permits and all work requested under tree care permits.
Must be available 24 hours a day, seven (7) days a week to assess and/or remove fallen trees and limbs from streets and properties.
Assists the department with snow removal from downtown streets and parking lots.
May be assigned to assist in Public Buildings & Grounds.
Maintains equipment and tools.
Performs other duties as assigned and required.