Forestry Operations Manager

Eastern Shore Forest Products, Inc.; Salisbury (MD); On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation package

Job summary

Eastern Shore Forest Products, Inc. is seeking an experienced Forestry Operations Manager to lead timber harvesting across the Delmarva Peninsula.

This hands-on field role oversees company crews and independent contractors, ensuring safe, efficient, and profitable harvesting from tract release to closeout. The ideal candidate blends practical logging experience with forestry knowledge and strong people leadership, capable of field decision-making across multiple active sites and coordinating

Qualifications

• 7–10+ years of progressively responsible experience in timber harvesting and logging operations.
• Hands-on leadership of logging crews and independent contractors.
• Experience with tree-length logging and whole-tree chipping preferred.
• Bachelor’s degree preferred but not required; extensive practical experience may substitute.

Responsibilities

• Lead harvesting operations – Direct and coordinate three company-owned logging crews and multiple independent logging contractors.
• Plan and execute harvests – Evaluate tract conditions, timber types, access, deck locations, skid trails, environmental considerations, and landowner requirements.
• Drive productivity and cost performance – Monitor tons produced, logging cost per ton, equipment utilization, crew productivity, contractor performance, downtime.
• Maximize timber utilization and value – Ensure proper merchandising, product recovery and wood quality for company facilities or outside markets.
• Develop crews and people – Set expectations, coach leaders, identify training needs, and promote safety and accountability.
• Coordinate equipment and maintenance – Work with maintenance to maximize equipment availability and minimize downtime.
• Coordinate wood flow and transportation – Forecast production and trucking needs; ensure reliable wood supply to facilities.
• Manage forestry and environmental performance – Ensure compliance with harvest boundaries, BMPs, wetlands, and environmental standards.
• Represent the company in the field – Maintain relationships with landowners, foresters and contractors; address field concerns.
• Lead safety performance – Promote a strong safety culture and enforce safety requirements.

Skills

Field leadership

Logging operations

Budget & cost control

Environmental compliance

Safety leadership

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Forestry

Job description

Join Our Team as a Forestry Operations Manager

Eastern Shore Forest Products is seeking an experienced Forestry Operations Manager to lead timber harvesting operations throughout the Delmarva Peninsula.

This is a hands-on field operations leadership position, not primarily an office or administrative forestry role. The Forestry Operations Manager will oversee company-owned logging crews and independent logging contractors and will be responsible for the safe, efficient and profitable execution of harvesting operations from the time a purchased tract is released for harvest through final tract closeout and delivery of wood products.

The successful candidate will combine practical logging experience, forestry knowledge and strong people leadership. This individual must be comfortable making decisions in the field, managing multiple active harvest sites, developing logging crews, and working closely with procurement, transportation and manufacturing operations.

Eastern Shore Forest Products utilizes both traditional Southern-style tree-length logging and whole-tree chipping operations, including the production and movement of pulpwood, sawlogs, other roundwood products and whole-tree chips.

• Lead harvesting operations – Direct and coordinate three company-owned logging crews and multiple independent logging contractors. Assign tracts, schedule operations, coordinate equipment moves and manage multiple active harvest sites.
• Plan and execute harvests – Evaluate tract conditions, timber types, access, deck locations, skid trails, environmental considerations and landowner requirements, and develop practical harvest plans for crews and contractors.
• Drive productivity and cost performance – Monitor tons produced, logging cost per ton, equipment utilization, crew productivity, contractor performance, downtime and overall operational efficiency.
• Maximize timber utilization and value – Ensure proper merchandising, product recovery and wood quality while directing harvested products to the appropriate company facilities or outside markets.
• Develop crews and people – Establish clear expectations for company logging crews; coach and develop crew leaders and equipment operators; identify training and performance needs; and promote accountability for safety, productivity, equipment care, timber utilization and quality.
• Coordinate equipment and maintenance – Work closely with maintenance personnel to maximize logging equipment availability, prioritize repairs and preventive maintenance, and minimize production losses from equipment downtime.
• Coordinate wood flow and transportation – Forecast wood production and trucking requirements and work closely with Transportation, Procurement and plant management to maintain reliable wood flow to company manufacturing facilities.
• Manage forestry and environmental performance – Ensure compliance with harvest boundaries, thinning prescriptions, residual-stand requirements, forestry BMPs, wetlands and stream-crossing requirements, and other environmental standards.
• Represent the company in the field – Maintain professional relationships with landowners, consulting foresters and logging contractors and promptly address concerns involving roads, fields, gates, boundaries, site conditions and harvest quality.
• Lead safety performance – Promote a strong field safety culture and hold company crews and contractors accountable for company safety requirements and safe operating practices.

Who You Are

We are seeking an experienced logging and forestry operations leader who understands how to get wood harvested safely, efficiently and professionally while maintaining high standards for the landowner and the forest.

The ideal candidate will have 7–10+ years of progressively responsible experience in timber harvesting, logging operations, forestry operations or related forest-products operations, including substantial hands-on responsibility for logging crews and harvesting operations.

Relevant backgrounds may include Forestry Operations Manager, Logging Manager or Superintendent, Operations Forester, Procurement Forester with significant harvesting responsibility, Timber Buyer with logging responsibility, Logging Contractor or Logging Company Manager, or similar field operations leadership experience.

Strong candidates should demonstrate practical knowledge of logging equipment and harvesting systems, timber utilization and merchandising, thinning and silvicultural practices, forestry BMPs and environmental requirements, production and cost management, and leadership of experienced field personnel and contractors.

Experience with both tree-length logging and whole-tree chipping is preferred. Existing relationships within the Delmarva forestry and logging community are also preferred.

A bachelor’s degree in Forestry, Forest Management, Natural Resources or a related field is preferred but not required. Extensive practical forestry, logging and operations-management experience may substitute for formal education.

How Success Will Be Measured

This is an accountable operating position. Performance will be measured by harvest volume versus plan, logging cost per ton, crew and contractor productivity, equipment utilization and availability, timber utilization and product recovery, wood quality, residual stand quality, environmental/BMP compliance, landowner satisfaction, safety performance and continuity of wood supply to company manufacturing facilities.

The position requires regular travel throughout the Delmarva Peninsula and significant time at active logging sites in varying terrain and weather conditions.

• Competitive Compensation Package Including Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance