Lead Forestry Technician - Tahoe National Forest, American River Ranger District

EPIC • Foresthill, CA

5d • Onsite

About The Position

American Conservation Experience, a nonprofit Conservation Corps, in partnership with the US Forest Service, is seeking 1 lead forestry technician to contribute to the forestry department alongside Tahoe National Forest Staff. For more information about ACE, please visit our website. Start Date: May 4th, 2026 (05/04/2026) Estimated End Date: November 13th, 2026 (11/13/2026) a 16-week minimum commitment is required Location Details/Description: American River Ranger District (Foresthill, California) The Tahoe National Forest is located in the northern Sierra Nevada (east of Sacramento) and extends from the foothills across the Sierra crest to the California state line. It includes over 850,000 acres of public land interspersed with 350,000 acres of private land in a checkerboard ownership pattern. Rivers, snow-capped peaks and dense forests offer outstanding recreation year-round. A complex set of ecosystems are found as the terrain ascends from 1,500 feet along the western boundary to over 9,000 feet along the crest. The forest provides a variety of resources and opportunities and is managed by the Forest Service. The American River Ranger District is located in Foresthill, California. Foresthill is a beautiful mountain community, located 17 miles east of Auburn and Interstate 80. Foresthill is surrounded on the south and west by the Auburn State Recreation Area, on the north by BLM lands, and on the east by National Forest. The American River Ranger District is distinguished with a portion of Granite Chief Wilderness, the North Fork American Wild River and Placer County Big Trees (northernmost grove of Giant Sequoias). For more information about the American RIver Ranger District, please visit the Tahoe National Forest website. Position Overview: The ACE Lead Forestry Technician will lead a small marking crew performing a variety of timber sale preparation (TSP) duties that include-but are not limited to-timber marking, timber cruising, and sale layout of both ground and aerial systems as part of the forest health partnership. Breakdown: Timber Sale Layout (75%): Flagging, boundary marking, GPS tracking, and using silvicultural prescriptions to mark timber Timber Cruising (15%) Various Office Tasks (10%) This individual placement is meant to facilitate professional development and promotes exposure to land management agencies and networking with professionals. This could include gaining experience in different conservation fields and shadowing different work groups. Project Objectives: Monitors and leads prep crew in performing unit layout and marking and cruising of timber. Independently applies silvicultural prescriptions and marking guides to designate timber. Brings to the attention of responsible individuals, situations on the ground that are inconsistent with guidelines. Acts as a certified timber cruiser and applies the instructions issued in cruise plans. Takes and records tree measurements, and determines defects. Observes and reports areas of possible archeological significance, and sightings of sensitive, threatened or endangered wildlife species Determines and delineates harvest unit boundaries, proper location of roads, and maps units. Planning, decisions, and judgments made in this position affect long term timber management activities, other resources, and forest health. Accuracy of the work affects the quality of residual resource values such as timber stands, visual quality, water quality, and all resources related to timber harvest. Schedule: Monday - Thursday, 7:00am-5:30pm. Occasional Fridays, if necessary. May include staying at barracks (during the work week) near Emigrant Gap, due to the distance needed to travel to some work sites.

Requirements

• Members must be authorized to work in the United States. ACE does not provide sponsorship for employment visas.
• Willing and able to represent ACE and the partner organization in a professional, positive, and enthusiastic manner.
• Ability to be both self-directed/work alone, and be a positive, contributing member of a group.
• A valid driver's license and an insurable driving record (documentation to be provided upon request).
• Members must be 21+ to drive due to ACE's insurance and liability requirements.
• Willing to undergo and must pass the required criminal history checks
• Ability to perform the essential duties of the position with or without reasonable accommodation.
• ACE Members will need to complete bi-weekly timesheets, beginning of term feedback forms, end of term evaluations and for longer terms, a mid-term evaluation.
• Members may not participate in any prohibited activities as listed in the Member Service Agreement.

Nice To Haves

• Competitive applicants for this position can hold or be pursuing any degree in Natural Resources, Forestry, Environmental Science, Biology, etc. And/or have relevant experience in subject areas such as Natural Resources, Forestry, Environmental Science, Biology, etc.
• Responsible for establishing accomplishment priorities, distributing the workload among employees, and reporting on the progress of work.
• Working knowledge of forest practices and techniques, including application of silvicultural prescriptions, GPS, maps, environmental analysis reports, and like guides in order to independently select harvest timber in a variety of stand conditions
• Working knowledge of measuring tree diameters and heights, map reading, compass use, tree species identification, obvious defect recognition and determination, GPS-ing, and the use of tools associated with timber cruising
• Knowledge of regularly used timber cruise computer programs for data collection
• Knowledge of other resource areas, such as wildlife management or archaeology, in order to recognize situations which require specific protection measures
• Proven leadership experience, especially in regards to safety and conflict resolution

Responsibilities

• Monitors and leads prep crew in performing unit layout and marking and cruising of timber.
• Independently applies silvicultural prescriptions and marking guides to designate timber.
• Brings to the attention of responsible individuals, situations on the ground that are inconsistent with guidelines.
• Acts as a certified timber cruiser and applies the instructions issued in cruise plans.
• Takes and records tree measurements, and determines defects.
• Observes and reports areas of possible archeological significance, and sightings of sensitive, threatened or endangered wildlife species
• Determines and delineates harvest unit boundaries, proper location of roads, and maps units.

Benefits

• Living Allowance: The ACE Member is expected to contribute ~40 hours/week and will receive a living allowance of $1,015/week to offset the costs of food and incidental expenses, dispersed bi-weekly.
• Public Land Corps Hiring Authority: Members serving under this agreement may be eligible for a federal hiring authority upon completion of their term of service and 640 hours of service. If the duration of a PLC-eligible term is not long enough for Members to accrue 640 hours of service (~16 weeks), the total hours served at the completion of the term may be eligible to be combined with hours accrued from another PLC-eligible term to meet the 640 hours requirement. PLC projects also include specific eligibility requirements such as age (You must be between the ages of 16 and 30. Some agencies also interpret these guidelines to include veterans up to age 35) and citizenship.
• Housing Allowance of up to $280/week will be available.
• Gear Allowance: New ACE members will have up to $500 to spend on eligible gear purchases, and returning members or FS employees will have up to $250.
• Provided Training/Orientation: ACE members will receive position specific training and an orientation outlining ACE policies and procedures, clear guidance on prohibited activities, and networks for support. Specific training may include timber cruising, and Wilderness First Aid.
• ACE members will have up to $500 to spend on eligible training/professional development opportunities, which must be approved by ACE and Forest Service staff prior to purchase.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed
• Number of Employees: 101-250 employees