1
Fort Collins, Colorado 80523-5060
(970) 491-6303
FAX: (970) 491-7736
POSITION ANNOUCEMENT
File Reference: 2016-15
Position Title: Assistant District Forester
Location: Franktown, Golden, Grand Junction, and Woodland Park, Colorado (4 positions), with a potential for additional Assistant District Forester Positions in other locations.
Salary: $44,000 – $46,000, commensurate with experience
Employment Status: This full-time regular appointment will be a Colorado State
University Administrative Professional employee.
Closing Date: Applications will be accepted until the position is filled; however, applicants should submit all application materials by 11:59pm on February 6, 2017 for full consideration.
Job Summary: This position is supervised by the District Forester on the respective districts. These positions will be the lead and serve as the representative for one or more of the following program areas:
• Community Wildfire Protection Plans
• Firewise
• Forest agriculture
• Forest management
• Forest stewardship planning
• Grant program management
• Insect and disease
• Outreach programs
• Pile burning on state lands
• State parks forest management
• State trust lands
• Urban and community forestry
• Wildfire mitigation and fuel treatment
Grant programs these positions will administer include but are not limited to: Colorado Forest Restoration, State & Private Forestry, State Fire Assistance, Community Assistance Funding on Adjacent Lands, and other State and Federal grants.
These positons will provide professional, science-based assistance to local landowners regarding forest health (insects, disease, and wildfire mitigation), and prepare program
2
related reports. In addition, these positions will also provide assistance to other district staff in additional program areas including:
• Forest product sales
• Local government parks and open space projects
• Community/HOA assistance
• Private lands forest management
• Seasonal crew hiring and oversight
• District facilities maintenance
At times, these positions will develop service agreements with landowners by creating scopes of work, assessing district budgets, resources, and personnel, deciding the technical requirements needed for the agreement, administration of science-based forest management activities and obtaining appropriate signatures. These positions will lead district work teams, train and mentor district staff members, develop and manage program and project budgets up to $250,000, create detailed work plans, serve as the acting District Forester in the District Foresters absence, and participate on agency committees. The position must have a thorough knowledge of silviculture, best management practices, insect and disease identification, pest management, wildfire mitigation and basic wildland fire suppression.
These positions are expected to provide professional services, education and outreach to landowners and cooperators/partners through written and verbal communication. Utilizing feedback from relevant sources to evaluate options and implement solutions is also critical to this position.
Purpose of the Department/Work Unit: CSFS districts and field offices provide professional forestry services and outreach to private, state and local government forested landowners and communities. Within CSFS, the district office is the base for field operations and local program delivery with the designated service area. Service and program delivery directly relates achieving stewardship of Colorado’s diverse forest environments for the benefit of present and future generations. The specific program mix is correlated to population, forest type and condition, product markets, and specific local needs.
Description of Work Unit: The Colorado State Forest Service is an agency of Colorado State University, and is housed organizationally, in the Warner College of Natural Resources. The CSFS also staffs the Division of Forestry for the Colorado Department of Natural Resources. The CSFS has 18 district and field offices throughout the state, with a State Office located in Fort Collins on one of the foothills campuses of CSU.
The Franktown District contains Arapahoe, Douglas, Elbert, and Lincoln counties. These districts provide the full range of CSFS services to the counties listed. The Golden District contains Clear Creek, Denver, Jefferson, and the northeast portion of Park counties, immediately west of the Denver metropolitan area of Colorado. The District office is located in the town of Golden. The Grand Junction District contains Delta, Garfield, Mesa, Pitkin, and Rio Blanco counties in western Colorado. The District office is located in Grand Junction. The Woodland Park District contains El Paso, Park and Teller counties. The District office is located in the town of Woodland Park.
3
All Districts utilize a team approach to deliver CSFS programs and services. Individual staff members take the lead on one or more program areas and all staff members are expected to assist as needed for successful, efficient and effective delivery of services and programs.
Decision Making: Under general direction from the District Forester, agency policies, and program guidelines, this position makes decisions on project design, layout, contracting method, funding source, project implementation, grant funding approvals, landowner and partner communications, and daily operations. This position also assists with decisions concerning the allocation of district resources to complete CSFS activities, including the use of seasonal employees, field equipment, and district vehicles.
Position Supervises: This position may occasionally be asked to oversee one to five seasonal foresters.
Diversity Statement: Applicants are expected to possess demonstrated knowledge of and relevant ability with culturally diverse communities among potential target and constituent populations.
Conditions of Employment:
Occasional irregular work hours and periodic long days, evening and weekend service, and off-site meetings.
Ability to safely operate 4-wheel drive vehicles, pull loaded trailers, operate forestry machinery and tools; perform strenuous outdoor work in a variety of weather conditions.
Must have a valid driver’s license or the ability to obtain a driver’s license or access to a licensed driver by the employment start date.
Required Job Qualifications:
Degree Requirements:
• A Society of American Foresters (SAF) accredited Bachelor’s or Master’s degree program option, and
• Four years of professional forestry experience.
OR
• A Bachelor’s degree (or greater) in Forestry or a Natural Resources program option, and
• Five years professional forestry experience, with specific experience in Dendrology, Forest Ecology, Forest Management, Forest Measurements, Silviculture, Urban and Community Forestry, Vegetation Dynamics, or Wildfire Management/Fuels Mitigation.
Preferred Job Qualifications:
• Two years of experience with a state forestry agency.
• Ability to exhibit confidence and competence in public presentations.
• Committed to safety, quality, demonstrated excellent customer service ethic and professionalism.
• Professional experience with participation on teams, committees and other special assignments, as well as the ability to work independently.
• Experience with contracts, agreements, and grant management.
• Program and/or project management experience.
4
• Excellent verbal and written communication and interpersonal skills.
• Proficient with the general Microsoft Suite office software products, ArcGIS, and GPS.
• Ability to perform GIS based data entry; capable of using GIS/GPS units to collect field data.
• Knowledge of western United States forest management techniques in the following areas: Siviculture (e.g., intermediate treatments; even-aged and uneven-aged structure; disturbance regimes and variability; periodic and mean annual increment; diameter distributions; stand legacy; and age structure); forest insect and diseases related to vectors and alternative hosts; sustainable harvesting systems in even-, two-, and uneven-aged forests; forest management planning based on desired future conditions; wildfire hazard mitigation, prevention and suppression in the wildland urban interface (WUI); community forestry in both urban and WUI situations; and outreach and education related to scientific and general public arenas.
• Comprehension of basic field forestry skills (cruising and timber marking) related to timber sale boundaries, harvest plans, silvicultural prescriptions, natural and artificial regenerations methods, road layout, and contract inspections.
• Demonstrated skills in writing forest management plans, timber sale layout and administration, and budget preparation and administration.
• Incident Qualifications Card, or have the ability to obtain one, at the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) qualifications level of Firefighter Type 2 or above.
• Completion of ATV Operator safety training.
• Completion of S-212 Power Saws certification.
Essential Responsibilities and Duties:
Forest Management Administration and Professional Services (80%)
This position provides professional forest management services and science-based forest management information to local federal, state and private landowners and communities in the following general areas:
• Forest Management Planning – When developing forest management plans, forest product sales, or other management practices, this position is responsible for collecting forest inventory using science-based methodologies, statistically valid timber cruising methods, geographical information systems, and global positioning systems. Inventory data is then analyzed using computer programs such as the Forest Vegetative Simulator (FVS) to develop science-based silviculture recommendations based upon landowner objectives. Inventory collected includes site information, stocking levels, forest condition, stand volume estimates, access and more. Street tree and urban inventories collect similar data. Data is used to develop forest management plans, outline timber harvest plans, develop individual stand prescriptions, determine forest growth capabilities, help determine forest regulation methods (uneven-aged or even-aged management) and aid in communications with the forest landowner. Management planning services can be provided to individual landowners, state land agencies, federal agencies, and communities.
• Forest Product Sale Development – Based upon forest inventory, established forest management plans and landowner objectives, this position is responsible for determining forest product volume, monetary value and identifying timber sale locations. The positon is responsible for sale layout, boundary marking and, depending on harvest method
5
chosen, individual tree marking based upon tree condition, species, age, and health all within the framework of landowner objectives. To provide these services the position must have a working knowledge of dendrology, silviculture and harvesting methods, inventory standards, local timber markets, insects and disease, stand regeneration and logging equipment.
• Grant Project Administration – Depending on grant requirements and type (pass-through or non-pass through) this position is responsible for developing service contracts with detailed scopes-of-work, hosting show-me trips, service contract development and coordinating final award with CSU Purchasing staff. Based upon grant specifications, the forester will develop a detailed and specific project plan with the contractor for all non-pass through grant and collect required performance bonds and/or damage deposits. This position is responsible for periodic, often daily, on-site project inspections to ensure contract specifications are being met – this site inspection must be documented and included in the project file. The position will process grant payments based upon specific grant requirements. Finally, the position will be responsible for project close-out.
• Forest Stewardship Program – Typical activities include forest management (stewardship) plan development for private landowners, partners and agencies; planning, set-up, and administration of forest product sales on private lands; cruising; best management practices (BMPs) implementation to protect watershed and water quality; providing professional assistance to private landowners and local governments; promoting the CSFS Seedling Tree Program and providing assistance on proper planning, planting and care of seedlings; management of Colorado’s Forest Agriculture Program; and other associated forest stewardship duties.
• Landowner Services – This position is responsible for providing professional expertise to state and private landowners in the following areas:
o Forest Health – Assist landowners and communities with insect and disease identification and provide control recommendations (chemical and mechanical). Typical activities include providing professional services to state and private landowners on insect and disease monitoring, tree problem diagnosis, tree hazards and recommendations including field surveys, wildfire hazard mitigation grant management. Forest health diagnosis is based upon individual tree and stand level observation, insect and disease sampling, data collection and analysis.
o Forest Management Planning and Implementation – When requested by the landowner or community, CSFS foresters provide forest inventory, develop forest management plans, and assist with plan implementation.
o Wildfire Mitigation and Fuels Treatment – Assist landowners by providing the latest science-based information on wildfire mitigation techniques including fuels reduction, fuel breaks, and defensible space and providing information on post-fire effects, Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPPs) development and implementation and associated forest management practices. Accomplishments are often achieve through collaborative partnerships. Fuels treatment/fuels reduction and defensible space projects based upon knowledge of basic wildland fire suppression techniques and understanding of fire behavior prediction models.
o Outreach and Communication – The position must have the ability to articulate science-based forest management information to various audiences including private landowners, agency partners, homeowner associations, civic groups,
6
environmental organizations, general publics and elected officials by providing the latest scientific-based information on forest management, forest health, insect and disease control, and wildfire mitigation to individual landowners, homeowner groups and partner organizations. Typical activities include presentations, workshops and outreach related to forest management, silviculture, insects and disease, forest health, forest ecology, urban & community forestry, wildfire mitigation, fire prevention, and other forestry topics. These positions may also provide training to private landowners, partners and agencies. This position is expected to effectively communicate with other local agencies, organizations and landowners.
Administration and Supervision (20%)
• Administration – Coordinating with the District Forester, this position will assist with budget development and tracking; work planning; professional development training; agency committee participation; grant administration (project inspections, accomplishment tracking, and reporting); agency representation on internal and external teams; and program associated administration. This position is also expected to oversee various service agreements and forest product contracts and be able to develop project scopes-of-work, conduct project inspections and approve project completion.
• Facilities and Vehicles – Facilities maintenance including snow removal; management of field equipment and district vehicles. Frequent driving of state vehicles in all types of weather and road conditions. May be asked to pull loaded trailers with loaded equipment and may be required to secure DOT driver certifications.
• Supervision – This position is responsible for the daily oversight and guidance of permanent and seasonal staff.
• Leadership/Mentoring – provide leadership to permeate staff in the absence of the District Forester and at their direction. Mentor and train seasonal staff and other staff as needed.
Appointment and Benefit Information about Position. This is an Administrative Professional position at Colorado State University. Insurance benefits are provided, and administrative professionals may select from several options for medical, dental, life, and personal disability insurance, as well as retirement plans.
Full-time administrative professionals earn a full 24 days of vacation and another 15 days of sick leave annually, and have access to additional benefits, such as free employee study privileges of up to 9 credits per year at Colorado State University, and/or a 50-percent reduction of tuition costs for Spouse/Partner and children. CSU does offer Domestic Partner benefits.
Application Information. When applying with the Colorado State Forest Service, applicants are requested to submit the materials listed below through an online process at http://csfs.colostate.edu/employment/.
Search Contact: For questions about this position or the application process, please contact Sarah Badding at csfs_jobs@mail.colostate.edu or 970-491-7293.
7
Required Application Materials: 1) Cover Letter, 2) The résumé, 3) Professional References, 4) College transcripts of your Forestry/Natural Resource degree.
All of these materials must be received for applications to be considered complete by closing date.
Please allow at least two to three weeks after the closing date for us to review your application materials and determine those candidates we plan to invite to interview. If you are not selected for an interview, we will send you notification when the process is complete. Should you be invited to an in-person interview, the Colorado State Forest Service will cover all reasonable travel expenses per candidate. At the time of on-campus interviews, application materials of finalist candidates will be made available to Forest Service and other relevant constituents.
Background Investigations: Colorado State University (CSU) strives to provide a safe study, work, and living environment for its faculty, staff, volunteers and students. To support this environment and comply with applicable laws and regulations, CSU conducts background checks. The type of background check conducted varies by position and can include, but is not limited to, criminal (felony and misdemeanor) history, sex offender registry, motor vehicle history, financial history, and/or education verification. Background checks will be conducted when required by law or contract and when, in the discretion of the university, it is reasonable and prudent to do so.
Colorado State University is committed to providing an environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based on race, age, creed, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, sex, gender, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or pregnancy. Colorado State University is an equal opportunity/equal access/affirmative action employer fully committed to achieving a diverse workforce and complies with all Federal and Colorado State laws, regulations, and executive orders regarding non-discrimination and affirmative action. The Office of Equal Opportunity is located in 101 Student Services.