Forestry Technician (Sequoia NF, Kernville Ranger District)

GREAT BASIN INSTITUTE • Kernville, CA

1d • $21 - $21 • Onsite

About The Position

The Great Basin Institute, in cooperation with the USFS, is recruiting Forestry Technicians to perform timber sale-preparation, vegetation management and restoration projects on the Sequoia National Forest - Western Divide Ranger District out of Springville, CA . These projects all serve the Basin & Range Forestry program’s greater mission of helping the USFS in their critical goal of improving forest resilience in the face of worsening climate conditions and increased wildfire threats. The work that you will do directly improves the quality of these forests helping ensure they continue to thrive for generations to come. Technicians will serve vegetation management and fuels reduction efforts, supporting initiatives for healthy, productive, and resilient forest landscapes and resources. Project work may include post fire recovery efforts. Essential Job Functions may include the following: Forestry Technicians will perform a wide variety of activities to support all stages of project work. Forestry duties may include, but are not limited to: Timber sale unit boundary delineation and layout (GPSing, flagging, painting); Tree species identification; Green and salvage timber marking and cruising; Timber and biomass plot cruising; Collection of stand examination data; General silviculture data collection; Identification of various resource concerns including hydrology, heritage, wildlife and recreation. In addition to providing professional experience in natural resource management, this position provides opportunities to support stewardship of public lands and to contribute to the conservation, management and restoration of natural ecosystems and native wildlife in the southern Sierra Nevada.
LOCATION The incumbents will be based out of the Kernville Ranger District (Kernville, CA) of the Sequoia National Forest (SNF), which is one of 19 National Forests in California and takes its name from the giant sequoia, the world's largest tree. The SNF's landscape includes soaring granite monoliths, glacier-carved canyons, roaring whitewater, and more than 30 groves of sequoia trees in the forest's lower elevation slopes. Elevations range from 1,000 feet in the foothill region to peaks over 12,000 feet in the rugged high country, providing visitors with some of the most spectacular views of mountainous landscape in the entire west. WORK SCHEDULE This position will begin in mid-May and end as late as mid-November. Season start and end dates are project and weather dependent and may change slightly. Forestry Crew positions follow 10 hour days, 4 days a week schedule. Temporary Special Assignment employees are eligible to receive holiday pay, if partner approved. TSAs working four (4) ten (10) hour days per workweek will be paid ten (10) hours for all holidays. Same with other approved/allowable workweek configurations; these can be accommodated accordingly with Banked Holiday(s). COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS Wage: $21/hour with overtime at 1.5x hourly rate. Full time, average 40 hours per week In addition to a competitive base salary, this full-time, onsite position includes company-paid comprehensive medical, dental (with option to upgrade in coverage), and vision insurance, as well as $25,000 Life/AD&D policy. Voluntary short-term and long-term disability policies are available, and voluntary Life/AD&D policies for family members. Mental health support resources are employer provided, competitive PTO accrual, and paid holidays. This exciting role contributes to GBI’s significant positive impacts within the fields of environmental research, education, and conservation.

Requirements

• Capacity to collect and maintain field data in an organized manner that is easily understood and accessible to other resources staff
• Ability to communicate effectively, both written and orally, with a diverse audience
• Ability to navigate and collect data using handheld GPS units
• Experience using a compass and topographic map to navigate
• Possess a clean, valid, state-issued driver’s license
• Ability to live and work in rural and remote field and office setting
• Physically fit to work outdoors, carry up to 50 pounds of personal and/or field equipment, and withstand the rigors of a forested and/or high desert environment in all seasons
• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university in forestry (preferred), natural resource management or related field, with coursework and experience that demonstrate understanding of the principles of forestry
• Six months of professional fieldwork experience

Nice To Haves

• Familiarity with cruising and marking techniques
• Familiarity with, and interest in, resource management issues of western states and the ecology of the Sierra Nevada ecoregion
• Familiarity with the mixed conifer forests typical of eastern California, including common plants (woody and herbaceous), wildlife, geology and topography
• Ability to safely operate and maintain a 4WD vehicle on and off paved roads
• Ability to understand, implement and adhere to established data collection, inventory, assessment and monitoring protocols
• Experience using ArcGIS to create maps is a plus

Responsibilities

• Timber sale unit boundary delineation and layout (GPSing, flagging, painting)
• Tree species identification
• Green and salvage timber marking and cruising
• Timber and biomass plot cruising
• Collection of stand examination data
• General silviculture data collection
• Identification of various resource concerns including hydrology, heritage, wildlife and recreation

Benefits

• company-paid comprehensive medical, dental (with option to upgrade in coverage), and vision insurance
• $25,000 Life/AD&D policy
• Voluntary short-term and long-term disability policies are available, and voluntary Life/AD&D policies for family members
• Mental health support resources are employer provided
• competitive PTO accrual
• paid holidays

What This Job Offers

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