FORESTER - 42003357

State of Florida; Milton (FL); On-site; USD 55,000 - 85,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual Uniform Allotment

Annual Boot Allotment

Job summary

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Florida Forest Service, is seeking qualified candidates for an open competitive opportunity in forest inventory and field data collection across Florida.

The role focuses on locating and re-establishing permanent forest plots, collecting and encoding data, producing reports, and training staff, with occasional travel and required SAF accreditation or degree in forestry.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Forestry or related field from SAF-accredited college or university
• Anticipated degree receipt within 6 months of closing date
• Foreign degrees must be SAF-accredited or include required forestry courses for equivalency

Responsibilities

• Forestry field data collection and forest plot establishment using specialized tools.
• Encode and summarize forest resource data in digital or paper form.
• Identify land ownership and use GIS/map features for forest inventory.
• Prepare weekly/monthly reports to State FIA Coordinator and USFS personnel.
• Provide on-the-job training and collaborate with state and regional staff.
• Conduct studies to improve forest inventory processes and data collection techniques.

Education

Forestry degree or related field (SAF accredited)

Degree anticipated within 6 months

SAF accreditation or coursework equivalency evaluation (US)

Job description

The State Personnel System is an E-Verify employer. For more information click on our E-Verify Website .

FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND CONSUMER SERVICES

FLORIDA FOREST SERVICE

***OPEN COMPETITIVE OPPORTUNITY***

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

A bachelor’s (4 years) and/or master’s (6 years) degree in Forestry or a related field from a Society of American Foresters accredited college or university; or

Anticipated receipt of a bachelor’s and/or master’s degree in Forestry or a related field from a Society of American Foresters accredited college or university within six (6) months of the closing date of this advertisement.

NOTE

Applicants in this category will not be appointed until they have acquired and provide final proof of receiving the required degree.

A bachelor’s and/or master’s degrees in Forestry or a related field obtained outside the United States must either: 1) be obtained from a Society of American Foresters accredited college or university; or 2) curriculum must include at least two (2) of the following four (4) courses: Silviculture, Dendrology, Forest Mensuration or Forest Management.

NOTE

Applicants will provide an academic equivalency evaluation obtained in the United States showing the required courses.

NOTE: ALL POSITIONS WITHIN THIS CLASS REQUIRE POSSESSION OF A VALID DRIVER LICENSE

***ATTENTION CANDIDATES***

• All fields in the Candidate Profile must be completed (an attached resume is not a substitution for the information required on the candidate profile).
• Work history, duties and responsibilities, hours worked, supervisor, and formal education fields, etc. must be filled out to determine qualifications for this position.
• Responses to Qualifying Questions must be verifiable in the Candidate Profile.

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services values and supports employment of individuals with disabilities. Qualified individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

Must obtain Forest Inventory and Analysis certification from the US Forest Service with an 80% test score within 12 months of appointment and maintain at least an 87% check score average as determined by the US Forest Service through check plots.

Moderate to frequent travel required.

Position may respond to emergencies, including natural disasters or other type incidents requiring travel, as needed.

To maintain fairness and integrity, applicants are required to provide honest and authentic responses during all stages of the evaluation and selection process. Applicants must rely on their own personal knowledge, thoughts, and impressions. A candidate’s use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools to answer qualifying questions or participate in interviews will be taken into consideration when determining qualification for the position.

JOB DUTIES

This work is in forest management and inventory of forestlands in Florida as prescribed under the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service (FS) Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) Program.

Locates and/or relocates and re-establishes permanent forest plots using specialized forestry tools and equipment. Gathers, encodes, summarizes and downloads/uploads forest resource data in digital form and/or hard copy, as needed, using computerized field data recorders and computers. Specific coding of land uses, stand history, forest classification, vegetative type, ecosystems and other must be determined and encoded. Identifies forest land ownership in each county through various map features, plats, aerial photography, courthouse visits and site visits. Operates motor vehicles including, but not limited to, cars and trucks necessary to transport personnel to forest and non-forest plot locations. Responsible for fully conducting Forest Inventory and Forest Health Monitoring, Forest Utilization studies, and Timber Product Output surveys, in the state of Florida as assigned.

Produces, develops and incorporates weekly and/or monthly reports, correspondence, verbal communications, records, etc., to the State FIA Coordinator and/or US Forest Service personnel conveying information on the progress, problems, changes and/or other factors affecting the collection of forest resource data.

Provides on-the-job training for field personnel temporarily assigned to forest resource data collection. Meets periodically with others of this job description (in state and out of state) to convey and resolve problems in local, county, state and regional forest resource data collection processes, and shares updated techniques and information critical to data collection.

Conducts various studies to supplement and improve forest data collection, statistical modeling and forest inventory processes.

Attends periodic training sessions through state, federal and private sources, as determined, to improve and update forest resource data collection techniques and to improve job productivity.

Performs other related duties as assigned.

The Following Special Benefits for this Position Include

• Annual Uniform Allotment
• Annual Boot Allotment

The Benefits of Working for the State of Florida

Working for the State of Florida is more than a paycheck. The State’s total compensation package for employees features a highly competitive set of employee benefits including:

• Annual and Sick Leave benefits;
• Nine paid holidays and one Personal holiday each year;
• State Group Insurance coverage options, including health, life, dental, vision and other supplemental insurance options;
• Retirement plan options, including employer contributions (For more information, please visit www.myfrs.com ;)

For an estimate of the total compensation package for this position, please visit the “Total Compensation Estimator Tool” located above under the “Posting Closing Date.”

SPECIAL NOTES

Candidates requiring a reasonable accommodation, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, must notify the agency hiring authority and/or People First Service Center (1-866-663-4735). Notification to the hiring authority must be made in advance to allow sufficient time to provide the accommodation.

The State of Florida supports a Drug-Free workplace. All employees are subject to reasonable suspicion drug testing in accordance with Section 112.0455, F.S., Drug-Free Workplace Act.

VETERANS’ PREFERENCE

Pursuant to Chapter 295, Florida Statutes,candidates eligible for Veterans’ Preference will receive preference in employment for Career Service vacancies and are encouraged to apply. Certain service members may be eligible to receive waivers for postsecondary educational requirements. Candidates claiming Veterans’ Preference must attach supporting documentation with each submission that includes character of service (for example, DD Form 214 Member Copy #4) along with any other documentation as required by Rule 55A-7, Florida Administrative Code. Veterans’ Preference documentation requirements are available by clicking here . All documentation is due by the close of the vacancy announcement.

Location

MILTON, FL, US, 32570 MILTON, FL, US, 32583 MILTON, FL, US, 32572

For assistance, call the People First Service Center at [phone] Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Eastern time. Pursuant to Florida Law, 110.211 F. S., the State of Florida is an EEO employer.