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Colorado State University
Fort Collins, Colorado 80523-5060
(970) 491-6303
FAX: (970) 491-7736
POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT
File Reference: 2014-8
Position Title: Forester I
Location: Alamosa, Colorado
Salary: $32,000
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 4:30 p.m. MDST, August 1, 2014 for full consideration.
General Position Description and Duties: Under direct supervision of the District Forester, the position will assist other district personnel within the following areas: forest management, outreach, and administration. This Forester I will perform program duties under the direction of the District Forester; and is expected to develop and implement program recommendations. This position is expected to assist district staff with providing service to, educating, and providing outreach to landowners and cooperators/partners through written and verbal communication methods.
The Forester position will primarily be responsible for managing State Lands on the District. This includes developing and administering timber, firewood, post and pole and transplant sales within the parameters of our State Lands Stewardship Plan. The Forester will be the lead and primary point of contact for the conservation seedling program including sales, education and planting assistance.
This position will assist the District Forester working directly with homeowners and subdivisions on reducing fuel loading in the wildland urban interface through education efforts including Firewise Communities, planning fuel reduction projects and implementing grants. Other position duties will include assisting with the following programs: tree insect and disease identification and technical assistance, forest stewardship and management planning, forest management treatment implementation, Forest Agriculture Property Tax, American Tree Farm, community wildfire protection plans (CWPPs), urban & community forestry, including Tree City USA and Project Learning Tree education events. Effective oral 2
and written communication skills and the ability to establish and maintain good relationships with people within and outside the agency are also critical.
Good record keeping, fiscal management and personal organization skills are also desirable. Some public speaking and occasional off-district travel will be necessary. Additionally, the person in this position must be able to work independently without constant supervision and in a team setting to achieve goals and objectives.
Applicants are expected to possess demonstrated knowledge of and ability to work with culturally diverse communities among potential target and constituent populations.
Unique Aspects of this Position:
Irregular work hours and periodic long days, evening and weekend service, and periodic overnight travel.
Minimum Qualifications:
A degree in a curriculum from a Society of American Foresters’ (SAF) accredited forestry school is required (please see accreditation link in the Application Information section of this announcement).
Ability to safely operate 4-wheel drive vehicles, forestry machinery and tools; perform strenuous outdoor work in a variety of weather conditions
Successful applicants must have a valid Colorado driver’s license or ability to acquire one upon employment.
Preferred Qualifications:
Six months of forestry experience.
Capable of using GPS units to collect field data, and use of GIS programs.
Ability to exhibit confidence and competence in public presentations.
Basic knowledge of western United States forest management techniques in the following areas: silviculture; harvesting systems; forest management planning; wildfire hazard mitigation; forest insect and disease detection, prevention, and suppression; community forestry; windbreaks; and outreach.
Comprehension of basic field forestry skills (cruising and timber sale marking).
Excellent verbal and written communication and interpersonal skills.
Proficient with the general Microsoft Suite office software products, ArcGIS.
Committed to safety, quality, demonstrated excellent customer service ethic and professionalism.
Demonstrated experience participating on teams and ability to work independently.
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% reduction of tuition costs for Spouse/Partner and children. CSU does offer Domestic Partner benefits.3
General Information about the Colorado State Forest Service: The Colorado State Forest Service (CSFS) is an agency of Colorado State University, Colorado’s land grant institution of higher education, 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 19 field offices throughout the state, with a State Office located in Fort Collins on one of the foothill campuses of CSU.
Colorado’s elevations range from 3,500 feet to over 14,000 feet. The state’s ecosystems vary from short-grass prairie to alpine tundra, with many forest ecosystems between these treeless extremes. State forestry in Colorado covers a wide diversity of natural environments and human communities. State forestry personnel work with landowners, community representatives, youth, cooperators, and other agencies and disciplines to establish, manage, protect, and restore tree and forest resources. The CSFS utilizes an educational, incentives-based, and customer-service oriented approach, rather than a regulatory approach in working with landowners, cooperators, and partners to implement CSFS programs.
General Information about the Alamosa District: The Alamosa District includes Alamosa, Conejos, Costilla, Mineral, Rio Grande and Saguache counties. The district provides the full range of CSFS services to the San Luis Valley. The District Office is located in Alamosa, a full service community of 10,000 people, including Adams State University and Trinidad State Junior College. Alamosa typically experiences relatively cool summers and long cold winters. Portions of the La Garita, Sangre de Cristo and Weminuche wilderness areas are located within the district and elevation ranges from 7,500 to over 14,000 feet. The San Luis Valley contains rich forest diversity of pinon/juniper vegetation on the valley floor to high country spruce-fir and lodgepole pine forests stretching to tree line. The San Luis Valley is home to the Great Sand Dunes National Park and is a popular tourist and recreation destination for wildlife watching, hunting, fishing and hiking (including a number of fourteeners) and Wolf Creek ski resort.
The District manages various State Trust Land sections including a 30,000 acres parcel at La Jara Reservoir. We also work closely with many Home Owners Associations in developing CommunityWildfire Protection Plans; providing recommendations on defensible space and fire mitigation; insect and disease technical assistance; community forestry assistance and administering a healthy seedling tree program.
The District is currently staffed by one professional forester and a half-time administrative assistant. The District provides a full complement of CSFS programs and services, including private and state land forest management assistance, urban and community forestry support, wildfire hazard mitigation and community wildfire protection plan development, grant programs for local communities, organizations, and landowners, and forestry education and outreach. The District is fortunate to have a good forest resource base that includes some of the most productive forest lands in the state and an established forest industry. CSFS is well respected in the area, and has developed a good working relationship with its many landowners, cooperators, and partners.4
Society of American Forester (SAF)-accredited natural resource/forestry programs and/or schools can be viewed at the following link:
http://www.safnet.org/education/AccreditedForestryUrbanForestryDegreeProgramGuide.pdf
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/pages/employment.html.
Required Application Materials:
1) The letter of application/statement of qualifications should be no longer than four pages (one sided) and include statements describing skills that meet the minimum qualifications; unique aspects of this position; preferred qualifications; and roles and responsibilities described in this announcement.
2) The résumé should be a maximum of three pages (one sided). For communication purposes, please include your physical address and an email address.
3) Professional References should include one page with names, addresses, affiliation, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses for five professional references, including your last three supervisors, if applicable. References will not be contacted without prior notification of candidates.
4) Official college transcripts that show cumulative GPA and the type of degree awarded must be included (photocopies or scanned copies submitted by the applicant will be accepted). Please allow an appropriate amount of time to obtain transcripts if you do not have a copy stating a degree was awarded.
5) (Optional) A list of Continuing Education coursework and activities that describe certifications, continuing education classes and workshops, may be included.
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 a letter 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.
Additional Information: For questions about this position or the application process, please contact Sarah Badding at csfs_jobs@mail.colostate.edu or 970-491-7293. 5
Background Investigations: Colorado State University is committed to providing a safe and productive learning and living community. To achieve that goal, we conduct background investigations for all final candidates being considered for employment. Background checks may include, but are not limited to, criminal history, national sex offender search, and motor vehicle history.
Nondiscrimination Status: Colorado State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, age, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, sex, gender, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression. 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.