Forester

Summary

This announcement is being advertised as a Forest Service National Hiring effort to fill multiple vacancies. Positions may be filled at one or more of the duty locations included in this announcement. Final determination of the duty location will be made at the time of the job offer. For additional information about the duties of this position, please refer to the Additional Information section. USDA Employees: Please refer to the Next Steps section.

Duties

• Duties listed are at the full performance GS-11 grade level.
• Review and appraise timber resources to meet demand and future needs.
• Oversee the timber sale preparation program for consistency with transportation and silvicultural plans.
• Oversee cruising and marking of timber and determine sales volume for a timber management program.
• Coordinate with other disciplines to ensure integration of the timber management plan with other resources and activities.
• Prepare and assemble appraisal packets for a timber management program.
• Write environmental assessments and impact statements for timber sale design.
• Document work progress and accountability of timber resource program activity for a timber management program.
• Establish and communicate guidelines and performance requirements to employees including conducting formal performance reviews and identifying developmental and training needs of employees.
• Perform supervisory duties 20% or less of the time.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment: Must be a U.S. Citizen or National. Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt. Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check. Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution. Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit e-verify.gov The U.S. Government utilizes Trusted Workforce 2.0 to implement Continuous Vetting (CV) as a-whole-of government approach to personnel security. If selected for this position, you will be subject to continuous automated record checks of criminal, financial, and public record databases throughout your period of eligibility or employment, replacing traditional periodic reinvestigations. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Qualifications

In order to qualify, you must meet the eligibility and qualifications requirements as defined below by the closing date of the announcement. For more information on the qualifications for this position, visit the Office of Personnel Management's General Schedule Qualification Standards. Your application and resume must clearly show that you possess the experience requirements. Transcripts must be provided for qualifications based on education. Provide course descriptions as necessary. Basic Requirement: GS-0460 Series: 1. Degree: Forestry; or a related subject-matter field that included a total of at least 30 semester hours in any combination of biological, physical, or mathematical sciences or engineering, of which at least 24 semester hours of course work were in forestry. The curriculum must have been sufficiently diversified to include courses in each of the following areas: Management of Renewable Resources -- study of the science and art of managing renewable resources to attain desired results. Examples of creditable courses in this area include silviculture, forest management operations, timber management, wildland fire science or fire management, utilization of forest resources, forest regulation, recreational land management, watershed management, and wildlife or range habitat management. Forest Biology -- study of the classification, distribution, characteristics, and identification of forest vegetation, and the interrelationships of living organisms to the forest environment. Examples of creditable courses in this area include dendrology, forest ecology, silvics, forest genetics, wood structure and properties, forest soils, forest entomology, and forest pathology. Forest Resource Measurements and Inventory -- sampling, inventory, measurement, and analysis techniques as applied to a variety of forest resources. Examples of creditable courses include forest biometrics, forest mensuration, forest valuation, statistical analysis of forest resource data, renewable natural resources inventories and analysis, and photogrammetry or remote sensing. OR 2. Combination of education and experience: courses equivalent to a major in forestry, or at least 30 semester hours in any combination of biological, physical, or mathematical sciences or engineering, of which at least 24 semester hours were in forestry. The requirements for diversification of the 24 semester hours in forestry are the same as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. In addition to meeting the basic requirement, you must also possess experience and/or directly related education in the amounts listed below. Specialized Experience Requirement: For the GS-09: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to a GS-07 in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as one or more of the following: Assisted with timber sale contracts, ensuring that all contract provisions were enforced in accordance with contract objectives; conducted cruises of timber stands to determine volume of merchantable timber, species composition, accessibility, and environmental constraints; Performed related timber sale preparation, timber stand improvement, and reforestation duties; collected timber compartment and stand prescription, or presale information data; and/or Participated on dispersed and developed recreation, oil, gas, special uses, and lands projects. OR Master's or equivalent graduate degree or two (2) full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B or J.D., if related to the position. OR An appropriate combination of specialized experience and education (only graduate education in excess of 18 semester hours may be used to qualify applicants for this grade level). The education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. For the GS-11: You must have one year specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as one or more of the following: Performed vegetation management duties including timber management, harvesting, reforestation, timber stand improvement, and fuels management; Assisted in analyzing technical issues and/or providing advice and assistance on forestry resource management policies and practices; Assisted in reviewing or developing standard plans for well-established programs or projects or recommending short-range plans for a component of a forestry resource management program; Assisted in evaluating programs and performing well-established forestry land use improvement projects; Collected timber compartment and stand prescription data; and/or Conducted cruises of timber stands to determine volume of merchantable timber, species composition, accessibility, and environmental constraints. OR Three (3) years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree (coursework directly related to position being filled); OR An appropriate combination of graduate level education and specialized experience (beyond what is required for a master's degree, i.e., more than 36 semester hours leading to a Ph.D in coursework directly related to position being filled). The education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. TIME IN GRADE REQUIREMENT: If you are a current federal employee in the General Schedule (GS) pay plan and applying for a promotion opportunity, you must meet time-in-grade (TIG) requirements of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled. This requirement must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

See above for education that may be qualifying for the specific grade level. How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated based on your qualifications for this position as evidenced by the experience, education, and training you described in your application package, as well as the responses to the Assessment Questionnaire to determine the degree to which you possess the competencies listed below: Forest Management Oral Communication Supervision Writing Your application, including the online Assessment Questionnaire, will be reviewed to determine if you meet (a) minimum qualification requirements and (b) the resume supports the answers provided to the job-specific questions. Your resume must clearly support your responses to all the questions addressing experience and education relevant to this position. If you meet the qualification requirements and are determined to be among the best qualified, you will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration. Noncompetitive candidates and applicants under some special hiring authorities must meet minimum qualifications to be referred. Accomplishment Record Review: If you are found minimally qualified, a rating panel will review your resume and Accomplishment Record narratives. Note: If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you inflated your qualifications and or experience, your rating may be lowered to more accurately reflect the submitted documentation. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Providing inaccurate information on Federal documents could be grounds for non-selection or disciplinary action. To view the application form, visit: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13107904 Your application will be reviewed to verify that you meet the eligibility and qualification requirements for the position prior to issuing referral lists to the selecting official. If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted. Log in to your USAJOBS account to check your application status. You must choose to turn on email notifications in your USAJOBS profile if you want to receive important email notifications that may impact your applicant experience (e.g. If you start an application and do not submit it prior to the closing date, USAJOBS will send an email reminder that the closing date is approaching and your application is in an incomplete status). Other Information

This position serves as a Forester and has primary responsibility for the planning, implementation, and administration of the timber management program. For additional information about the duties and location(s) of the position, please contact the representative below: Custer, SD - Todd Butler at [email protected] Walker, MN - Kira Kaufman at [email protected] Sheridan, WY - Cordell Perkins at [email protected] Council, ID and Weiser, ID - Paul Klasner at [email protected] Bozeman, MT and Billings, MT - Jennifer Card at [email protected] Alturas, CA and Cedarville, CA - Glenna Eckel at [email protected] Willow Creek, CA - Nolan Colegrove at [email protected] Edgefield, SC - Roderick Alfred at [email protected] Edinburg, VA and Harrisonburg, VA - Mary Yonce at [email protected] Zavalla, TX - Edwin Davis at [email protected] Ketchikan, AK - Catherine Tighe at [email protected] Fall River Mills, CA and Susanville, CA - Bobette Jones at [email protected] Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) or Reemployment Priority List (RPL): To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP candidates must be rated and determined to be well qualified (or above) based on an evaluation of the competencies listed in the How You Will Be Evaluated section. When assessed through a score-based category rating method, CTAP applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100. Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) provides current or former temporary and term employees the opportunity to compete for permanent competitive service positions. Individuals must have more than 24 months of service without a break between appointments of two or more years and the last temporary or term appointment must have been with the Forest Service. Service must be in the competitive service and have been at a successful level of performance or better. Part-time and intermittent service will be credited only for time actually worked. Non-pay status such as leave without pay is credited for up to six months in a calendar year; anything beyond six months is not credited. Applicants are responsible for providing sufficient information/documentation to determine if the 24 month criteria is met. If you are selected for a position with further promotion potential, you will be placed under a career development plan, and may be non-competitively promoted if you successfully complete the requirements and if recommended by management. However, promotion is not guaranteed. The Forest Service may use certain incentives and hiring flexibilities, currently offered by the Federal government, to attract highly qualified candidates. Additional Information is available on the OPM Website. This is a non-bargaining unit position. This position is not eligible for telework. Forest Service daycare facilities may be available. Government Housing may be available. We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies. Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.