Forester 2 - Management Forester

State of Montana • Plains, MT

5d • Onsite

About The Position

The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation's mission is to help ensure that Montana's land and water resources provide benefits for present and future generations. The DNRC believes employees are their most important asset. The DNRC empowers employees to exercise professional judgment in carrying out their duties. Employees are provided with the training and tools necessary to achieve the mission. Both team effort and individual employee expertise are supported and sustained. The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation’s Forestry and Trust Land Division recognizes that building a collaborative, professional, and inclusive work environment is critical to fulfilling our mission of managing, protecting, and promoting stewardship of Montana’s forests and lands for the benefit of current and future generations and our trust beneficiaries. We hold ourselves to these high standards as we are accountable to the people of Montana. We value and respect each other. We create collaborative work environments. We build and maintain strong relationships. We practice accountability. We celebrate our successes and take pride in our work. This position performs advanced professional forest management activities under the general supervision of the Unit Forest Management Supervisor. The incumbent independently plans, coordinates, and implements projects necessary to sell timber or related products from trust lands to provide income to the various trusts. These projects are complex and must be designed on a case-by-case basis to conform to numerous constraints and respond to multiple issues. Each project must be analyzed under Montana Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) rules and will require the preparation of document(s) disclosing the adequate level of analysis for each project and may require preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement. This position would serve as the Project Leader for preparation of complex, large-volume forest product sales, timber permits, and other forest product sales.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Forest Management or a relation resource management field.
• 3-4 years of progressively responsible job-related professional experience in forest management.
• Knowledge of forest management principles and practices.
• Knowledge of equipment and techniques used in forest management projects and operations.
• Knowledge of forest practices and hazard reduction laws, Administrative Rules, standards, guidelines, policies and procedures related to forest management operations and activities.
• Skills in the use and operation of tools, equipment and vehicles used in wildland fire control, forest management activities and field office operations.
• Skills in operation of 4-wheel drive vehicles, ATVs/UTVs.
• Skills in use of computer hardware and software related to forest management business operations (word processing, spreadsheets, internet, e-mail and smart devices) and specialized resource management software.
• Ability to pass an arduous pack test as well as be capable of vigorous physical activity in all types of weather.
• Ability to navigate using a map and compass.
• Ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing to individuals, groups and representatives from other organizations.
• Ability to coordinate and direct multiple resources to complete work objectives, work on multiple projects simultaneously.
• Candidates must be eligible to work in the United States.
• A valid driver's license is required with less than 12 conviction points in the most recent completed 36 months

Responsibilities

• Independently plan, coordinate and evaluate activities on state endowment trust lands and other state and federal lands to maximize net revenue, to provide for the sustainable use of the land and associated resources, and to ensure adherence to state and federal laws and regulations.
• Coordinate and perform inventory monitoring to identify and prioritize timber sales and maintain Trust Land databases by extracting reports, performing GIS analysis, and conducting fieldwork to verify and update records.
• Implement timber sales by serving as Montana Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) project leader (documentation, public comment, assessment) and negotiating and administering contracts.
• Analyze data to develop permits, resource protection plans, resource improvement projects, or implement compliance actions.
• Establish project boundaries, negotiate access easements.
• Design specifications for aerial and/or ground-based logging systems.
• Design /maintain road systems, stream crossings and bridges or reconstruction specifications for state land and or/adjacent ownership.
• Supervise implementation of timber-volume cruise designs and marking with seasonal forestry technicians and supervise and participate in other sale layout activities.
• Implement the habitat conservation plan and ensure compliance with silvicultural prescriptions
• Inventory and monitor land resources to assess conditions, trends and concerns, and complete statistical analyses, technical research, and financial analyses to determine the highest returns.
• Manages and evaluates Ag & Grazing, minerals and recreation leases/projects on state trust lands.

Benefits

• Paid Vacation, Sick Leave and Holidays
• Health, Dental, Prescription, and Vision Coverage
• Retirement Plans
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) – Employment with the State of Montana may qualify you to receive student loan forgiveness under the PSLF.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level