Forest Monitoring Crew Lead

Colorado State University

9d•$55,000 - $65,000

About The Position

With direct guidance from the Forest Monitoring Measurement Specialist (FMMS) and Forest Monitoring Program Manager (FMPM), and in coordination with Colorado State Forest Service (CSFS) Forest Planning and Implementation personnel, the Forest Monitoring Crew Lead manages a seasonal field technician crew during the field season. During winter, the position supports monitoring program planning, data maintenance, and training development. The role helps design and implement long-term monitoring projects associated with Forest Restoration and Wildfire Risk Mitigation Grant Program awardees, and supports expansion of monitoring projects to other programs and collaborations. The position conducts forest and natural-resource field measurements, including tree, sapling, and seedling data; vegetation diversity; fuel loading; stand treatments; disturbance delineation; land ownership; and other related data collection. The Crew Lead works with the FMMS to plan and carry out pre- and post-treatment monitoring across Colorado, and with the FMMS and FMPM outside the field season to prepare for upcoming fieldwork, organize and summarize monitoring data, and support expansion of monitoring in the state. The Crew Lead hires and supervises seasonal measurement crews, promotes safe and productive teamwork, plans and assigns fieldwork, applies field quality-control procedures, and oversees crew vehicle, supplies, and equipment maintenance. The position also works with stakeholders, landowners, and managers to obtain access to project areas and ensure operations meet legal and operational guidelines. It involves operating four-wheel-drive vehicles, UTVs, ATVs, and other transportation as needed; using GIS software, maps, aerial imagery, GPS units, and handheld data recorders; and collecting, encoding, summarizing, and uploading measurements to the monitoring database. Fieldwork requires hiking long distances on and off trail over steep or rough terrain at elevations from 3,500 to 12,000 feet. Crew members carry at least 45-pound packs, which can exceed 60 pounds, and work in sun, rain, snow, and rapidly changing temperatures. The position requires a valid driver's license or the ability to obtain one or access to a licensed driver by the employment start date, and legal authorization to work in the United States; visa sponsorship is not available.

Requirements

A bachelor's degree in forestry, forest ecology, botany, or a natural resources program will be considered.
Three years of field experience, including at least one year of supervisory field experience, one year of forestry-specific field experience, and two years of natural-resource field experience.
Experience in road and backcountry navigation using topographical maps, aerial photos, and GPS units.
Analytical and technical skills with GIS software and GIS databases, including importing shapefiles and buffering, clipping, and intersecting layers.
A valid driver's license, the ability to obtain one, or access to a licensed driver by the employment start date.
Legal authorization to work in the United States before the employment start date; visa sponsorship is not available.
Ability to hike long distances on and off trail over steep or rough terrain while carrying a 45-pound or heavier pack, and to work at elevations of 3,500 to 12,000 feet in changing weather conditions.
Ability to operate four-wheel-drive vehicles, UTVs, ATVs, and other transportation as needed.
Ability to use GIS software and datasets, topographical maps, aerial photos, GPS units, and handheld data recorders for navigation and field data collection.

Nice To Haves

Four or more years of monitoring or similar fieldwork experience, such as work in the USFS Forest Inventory and Analysis program.
Ability to troubleshoot IT issues involving Android tablets, Windows 11, Java, internet browser security settings, and off-site storage devices.
Experience using and calibrating inventory tools such as hypsometers, clinometers, lasers, stereoscopes, loggers or diameter tapes, chaining tapes, and increment borers.
Previous experience supervising hourly, seasonal, or temporary employees.
Knowledge of western United States forest management techniques, including silviculture and forest ecology, forest insects and diseases, sustainable harvesting systems, forest management planning, wildfire hazard mitigation and suppression, community forestry, and outreach and education.
Dendrology and vegetation identification coursework or fieldwork.
Commitment to safety, quality, customer service, and professionalism.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
General safety training and experience, including CPR/First Aid and wilderness first responder training.
Comprehension of basic field forestry skills related to timber sale boundaries, harvest plans, silvicultural prescriptions, natural and artificial regeneration, road layout, and contract inspections.

Responsibilities

Navigate to, locate, and conduct extensive forest land inventories across different levels of land ownership.
Collect biometric data on tree species composition, understory vegetation, down dead wood and wildland fuel loading, and forest floor metrics.
Hire and supervise seasonal measurement crews, including at least one seasonal field technician.
Plan daily, weekly, and monthly unit work; assign field tasks; implement field quality-control procedures; and arrange accommodations for crews during extended field travel.
Manage crew time and submit crew reimbursements; address employee complaints, take minor disciplinary measures, and recommend action in more serious cases with supervisor support.
Work with the FMMS to plan and conduct pre- and post-treatment monitoring throughout the state.
Help plan future field seasons, maintain and summarize monitoring data, and contribute to monitoring program planning, training development, and expansion.
Organize, summarize, and produce monitoring project data summaries for collaborators.
Participate in selecting new monitoring projects each year.
Conduct office-based QA/QC of field-collected data.
Communicate with stakeholders, landowners, and managers to secure access to project areas and ensure operations comply with legal and operational guidelines.
Promote safe working practices and productive team development.
Supervise maintenance and upkeep of crew vehicles, supplies, and equipment.