Forester 4 - Good Neighbor Authority

Natural Resources; Alaska; On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

The Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry & Fire Protection, is recruiting for a Forester 4 to be located in Ketchikan, Juneau, Anchorage, or Fairbanks. You will manage the statewide Good Neighbor Authority program, lead forest management projects on federal lands, and build cross-boundary partnerships with federal colleagues.

This role requires strong project management, policy advisory skills, and the ability to travel extensively across Alaska’s remote landscapes.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in forestry, natural resources, or closely related field with at least 24 semester hours or 36 quarter hours in forestry.
• One year of professional advanced-level experience in forestry, natural resources, or a closely related field (e.g., Forester 3/Natural Resource Specialist 3 with the State of Alaska) or equivalent.
• Three years of professional journey-level experience in forestry, natural resources, or a closely related field (e.g., Forester 2, Fire Management Officer, NR Specialist 2 with the State of Alaska) or equivalent.
• Substitution: four years of post-secondary education with 24+ sem hours / 36 quarter hours in forestry and journey-level experience may substitute for the bachelor's degree.
• NWCG certifications (ICT2/PSC2/OSC2/LSC2) within the preceding three years may substitute for the required education.

Responsibilities

• Manage statewide Good Neighbor Authority (GNA) program and implement forest management such as timber sales and restoration on federal lands.
• Develop and maintain partnerships to increase cross-boundary forest management across federal and state lands.
• Develop multi-year work plans and manage federal funds to support land management and shared stewardship priorities.
• Administer GNA timber sales from reconnaissance through contract closeout.
• Provide policy recommendations to support statewide forest management objectives as the State Forester's advisor on GNA policy.

Education

Bachelor's degree in forestry, natural resources, or related field with 24 semester hours or 36 quarter hours in forestry

Job description

Job Description

The Department of Natural Resources, Division of

Forestry & Fire Protection,

is recruiting for a

Forester 4 to be located in one of the following locations: Ketchikan, Juneau, Anchorage, Fairbanks

What You Will Be Doing:

In this role, you will manage DFFP’s statewide Good Neighbor Authority (GNA) program and implement forest management such as timber sales and restoration projects on federal lands, including the Tongass and Chugach National Forests. You will develop and maintain partnerships to increase the pace and scale of cross-boundary forest management, working closely with federal colleagues as well as collaborating with DFFP coworkers to ensure coordinated implementation of complementary projects on federal and state lands. You will strategically develop multi-year work plans and manage federal funds to support federal land management and shared stewardship priorities. You will develop, prepare, and administer GNA timber sales from initial reconnaissance through contract closeout. You’ll play a key leadership role as the State Forester's advisor on GNA policy issues and provide policy recommendations that support statewide forest management objectives.

Mission and Values/Culture:

The mission of the Division of Forestry & Fire Protection’s forestry branch is to develop, conserve, and enhance Alaska’s forests to provide Alaskans with a sustainable supply of forest resources. We are leaders in forest management, forest practices, wildland fire management, and cooperative forestry programs across the state. Our influence crosses ownership boundaries through leadership of all-risk incident management teams, management of federal timber resources under the Good Neighbor Authority and Shared Stewardship Agreements, and up-to-date best management practices that apply to all commercial forests.

Benefits of Joining Our Team:

You will join a dynamic team overseeing a wide range of forestry operations, with opportunities for advancement and professional development, as well as year-round full-time employment. The work provides exposure to Alaska's unique physical and cultural environment. This position and environment will offer many opportunities to adapt lessons learned elsewhere and to develop new approaches in contemporary forest management. Demand for active management of all land by the forest industry is significant. Staffing in the organization is lean, offering broad exposure to our range of missions and multiple options for long-term growth and advancement. Career-long training and innovation are building blocks of our culture.

The Working Environment You Can Expect:

This position may be filled in Ketchikan, Juneau, Anchorage, or Fairbanks. For the right fit, the position could potentially be relocated to another DFFP office. Regardless of duty station, this position requires significant multi-day and extended travel to project locations, many of which are remote in Southern Southeast Alaska.

This role offers a blend of in-office and field work across Alaska’s remote landscapes and may involve travel by ATV, snowmachine, small aircraft, helicopter, or boat. Fieldwork can include rugged terrain, wildlife encounters, hazardous materials, and year-round work in challenging weather conditions. Candidates who enjoy dynamic, hands‑on work in both natural and active construction environments will thrive here.

We are looking for a candidate who possesses the following position-specific competencies.

Forest Management: Knowledge of the concepts, principles, and theories of silviculture and forest ecology, forest use, management, harvesting, conducting inventories, regeneration, sustainability, and conservation; and the role of disturbances in timberland resources.

Project Management: Knowledge of the principles, methods, or tools for developing, scheduling, coordinating, and managing projects and resources, including monitoring and inspecting costs, work, and contractor performance.

Teamwork: Encourages and facilitates cooperation, pride, trust, and group identity; fosters commitment and team spirit; works with others to achieve goals.

Federal Funds Processing: Knowledge of methods and procedures for processing direct and reimbursable program funds (for example, automatic and funded reimbursements, interagency agreements, transfer appropriations), grants, loans, and credit programs.

Oral and Written Communication: Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing oral and written presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately.

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor's degree from an accredited college in forestry, natural resources, or a closely related field that includes a minimum of 24 semester hours or 36 quarter hours in forestry or closely related curricula.

AND EITHER

One year of professional advanced-level experience in forestry, natural resources, or a closely related field. The required experience includes work such as Forester 3 or Natural Resource Specialist 3 with the State of Alaska, or the equivalent with another employer.

OR

Three years of professional journey-level experience in forestry, natural resources, or a closely related field. The required experience includes work such as Forester 2, Fire Management Officer, State Logistics Center Coordinator, or Natural Resource Specialist 2 with the State of Alaska, or the equivalent with another employer.

Substitution:

Four years in any combination of post‑secondary education from an accredited college that includes a minimum of 24 semester hours or 36 quarter hours in forestry, natural resources, or a closely related field AND journey‑level experience in the technical aspects of forest management and practices such as fire prevention, suppression, timber sales, reforestation, or inventory may substitute for the required bachelor's degree. (2.67 semester or 4 quarter hours of post‑secondary education are equal to one month of experience). The experience includes work such as Wildland Fire and Resource Technician 3, Wildland Forestry Technician 2, or Wildland Fire Dispatcher with the State of Alaska, or the equivalent with another employer.

Certification from an accredited vocational technical school in forestry, natural resource management, or a closely related field and three years of experience in the technical aspects of forest management and practices such as fire prevention, suppression, timber sales, reforestation or inventory may substitute for the required bachelor's degree. The experience includes work such as Wildland Fire and Resource Technician 3, Wildland Forestry Technician 2, or Wildland Fire Dispatcher 2 with the State of Alaska, or the equivalent with another employer.

Certification via NWCG (National Wildfire Coordinating Group) Incident Qualification Card (AKA 'red card') within the preceding three (3) years in any of the following will substitute for the required education:

1. 1. Incident Commander Type 2 (ICT2),
2. 2. Planning Section Chief Type 2 (PSC2),
3. 3. Operations Section Chief Type 2 (OSC2), or
4. 4. Logistics Section Chief Type 2 (LSC2)

For NWCG Incident Qualification Card certification information, see: National Incident Management System (NIMS): Wildland Fire Qualification System Guide (PMS 310‑1).

Special Note:

Closely related curricula and work experience include fields such as: geosciences, geography, natural resources, environmental sciences, soils, hydrology, wildlife habitat management, forest engineering, remote sensing, vegetation classification, natural resource biometrics, and wildland fire control.

One year of work experience equals 12 months of seasonal work.

Positions may require travel both in and out-of-state for fire suppression assignments; may be on stand‑by or recall status during the fire season; may be a