Forestry Engineer Sr (TI-47270)

Confederated Tribes Of The Colville Reservation; United States; On-site; USD 55,000 - 64,000; Full time

Job summary

Confederated Tribes Of The Colville Reservation seeks a Forestry Engineer Sr. to manage planning for harvesting/transportation on the Colville Reservation. The role supports timber operations across multiple stands and watersheds, with a focus on road/bridge design, hydrologic structures, and cost analysis.

Requires advanced forestry/engineering education and strong ArcGIS capability. The position is located reservation-wide in Washington state.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in civil or forest engineering with related engineering experience.
• Bachelor’s degree in forestry or natural resource management with several years of forestry work.
• Experience with stream hydraulics, road infrastructure, and land management practices.

Responsibilities

• Plan and oversee timber harvesting/transportation operations on the reservation.
• Apply forest land management principles and cost analyses to projects.
• Coordinate with Fire Management and other resources on harvesting plans.
• Design and evaluate forest roads, bridges, culverts, and hydrologic structures.
• Conduct production and financial analyses for harvesting operations.

Skills

Stream Simulation design

Hydraulic design

Road infrastructure design

Public land policy knowledge

Forest road design

Cost analysis

Surveying & mapping

LiDAR remote sensing

Education

Master's degree in civil or forest engineering

Bachelor’s degree in forestry / forest management / natural resource management

Tools

ArcGIS

Job description

Position Details

Job Location: Reservation Wide – WA
Salary Range: $39.86 – $46.20 per hour (DOE). CLOSING DATE: Open until filled with biweekly reviews. Position: Forestry Engineer Sr. (Non‑Exempt). Reports to Forestry Manager. Location: Forestry – Reservation Wide, WA.

Basic Functions

Incumbent serves as principal resource management assistant in a combination first and second level organization representing the Branch of Forestry on planning issues that have an impact on timber harvesting/transportation operations. The Branch of Forestry is responsible for harvesting approximately 77 million board feet of timber from approximately 660,418 acres of commercial forest land within the 1.4 million acre Colville Reservation. The revenue from this harvest constitutes approximately ninety percent of the operating revenue for the Colville Confederated Tribes. The land base is composed of varying landforms with a complex forest stand structure requiring a variety of advanced harvesting systems that must operate economically within diverse watersheds. Such operations require sophisticated infrastructure that has a direct impact on the forest ecosystem and often creates conflicts with other resources.

Qualifications

• Education and Training
  • Master’s degree in civil or forest engineering AND three (3) years of engineering experience in the transportation or forest engineering field, with a working knowledge of Stream Simulation design, hydraulic design principles, and design of road infrastructure.
  • Bachelor’s degree in forestry, forest management, Natural Resource Management and a minimum of five (5) years of professional experience in forestry, forest management, Natural Resource Management, or closely related field.
• Licenses and Certifications
  • Valid Washington State driver’s license, maintained throughout employment.
  • Subject to pre‑employment drug testing, reasonable suspicion and post‑accident drug testing, and background clearance maintenance for the duration of employment.
• Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
  • Professional knowledge in forest land management principals, concepts, theories, and practices for intensive forest resource management.
  • Professional knowledge in forestry, including forest ecology, silviculture, mensuration, engineering, surveying, mapping, entomology, pathology, forest soils, wildland fire; and familiarity with related fields such as watershed and stream habitat protection, wildlife habitat management, landscape architecture and other resources associated with the forested ecosystem.
  • Knowledge of federal and tribal policies and regulations affecting forest management activities including federal statutes, tribal codes, the Colville Tribal Integrated Resource Management Plan and other local Colville Agency policies.
  • Knowledge and specialized training in logging systems, logging system analysis, skyline analysis, and payload analysis of various harvesting equipment.
  • Ability to designate the appropriate application of sophisticated harvesting equipment based on terrain, economics, environmental factors, and equipment operating specifications.
  • Knowledge in conducting production analysis, empirical cost analysis, and financial analysis of harvesting operations, including evaluation of new technological developments.
  • Knowledge and experience in civil engineering for the design of forest roads, bridges, complex culverts, and other hydrologic structures.
  • Specialized knowledge in watershed hydraulics, complex culvert design, bridge design, and associated financial cost analysis.
  • Knowledge of federal timber sale contracts, contract writing, subsequent contract administration, and contract mediation.
  • Knowledge of public land survey methods per USDI Bureau of Land Management Manual of Surveying Instructions.
  • Knowledge of cadastral surveys for locating land survey corners, property corners, and property lines on various property types.
  • Knowledge of land easements, rights‑of‑way, and necessary documents for obtaining legal right to cross other land ownerships with tribal timber transport.
  • Ability to use ArcGIS products to assess remote sensing information such as LiDAR, DEMs, and digital imagery to identify, map, and digitize transportation systems.
  • Ability to observe and record critical hydrologic and stream data.
  • Ability to develop cost and production models based on manufacturer specifications, dealer information, research studies, and communication with universities, research stations, and contractors operating off the reservation.
  • Ability to administer the development and construction of high‑cost infrastructure including critical blasting operations.
  • Ability to represent Forestry when conflicts arise with other resources concerning harvesting/transportation issues and make recommendations or changes that may require new methods or procedures.
  • Ability to coordinate timber harvesting/transportation plans with Fire Management ensuring proper fire suppression access and prescribed fire activities following harvesting operations.
  • Ability to participate in multi‑discipline management planning for the development or revision of natural resource management codes.
• Physical Abilities and Working Conditions
  • Must function outdoors in varying elemental and terrain conditions, including temperatures ranging from -20°F to over 100°F, deep snow requiring snowshoes, severe topographic relief, extreme dust conditions, and exposure to bears, cougars, bees, and poisonous snakes and plants.
  • Requires ambulatory ability to sit for varying periods, utilize microcomputers and peripheral equipment, and move about various campus locations.
  • Requires near‑vision to read printed materials.
  • Requires auditory ability to carry on conversations in person and over the phone.
  • Requires sustained repetitive motions and manual/finger dexterity to write, use pointing device, keyboard, operate microcomputer, and other office equipment.
  • Work performed outdoors in varying weather and terrain with extensive safety considerations.
  • Incumbent also works around active logging operations and forest road construction involving active blasting operations.

Additional Requirements

• Tribal member and Indian preference will apply; preference also given to honorably discharged veterans who are minimally qualified.
• Pursuant to Tribal Policy, if this position is safety sensitive it is subject to pre‑employment drug testing. The position may also be subject to reasonable suspicion and post‑accident drug testing.