Land Resource Specialist – GNA

IdahoPTV; Ketchum (ID); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

The Idaho Department of Lands seeks a full-time Lands Resource Specialist – GNA to work from the Sawtooth National Recreation Area Office in Ketchum, Idaho. This role supports vegetation management and fuels reduction projects across federal forest lands, with remote work in a team setting to plan and administer restoration activities.

The position requires GIS capabilities, project management, and knowledge of state and federal natural resource laws.

Qualifications

• Experience communicating effectively both verbally and in writing for technical reports and presentations.
• Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to produce maps and analyze spatial data.

Responsibilities

• Prepares timber sale projects in the field including silvicultural prescriptions.
• Determines logging systems and designs/maintains road networks.
• Timber marking and cruising.
• Prepares forest improvement projects including planting, broadcasting, thinning, road maintenance.
• Documents project descriptions, maps, costs, and contract terms.
• Develops a hazard management plan and coordinates with GNA partners.
• May supervise seasonal personnel and participate in fire programs.

Skills

Communication

GIS analysis

Education

Bachelor’s degree in forestry or related discipline

Tools

ArcPro GIS

Job description

Posted 2 days ago | Apply before October 13, 2026

Description

Idaho Department of Lands

The Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) is seeking a full time Lands Resource Specialist – GNA. This position will be located at the Sawtooth National Recreation Area Office in Ketchum, ID.

Applications will be accepted through 11:59 PM MST on the posting end date.

Description

The Lands Resource Specialist position is used for recruitment and training purposes for the Lands Resource Specialist, Senior. Through various types of on-the-job training, the employee will learn to carry out the duties of a Lands Resource Specialist, Senior. Typically, the Senior level requires 2-5 years of experience as a Lands Resource Specialist or equivalent work experience. Incumbents are expected to apply his/her technical knowledge and training while learning the state laws and department policies and procedures necessary to achieve the expertise and independence of the journeyman level Lands Resource Specialist, Senior.

This position will support the GNA program performing technical, operational and administrative duties in execution of forest and watershed restoration projects occurring primarily on the Sawtooth National Forest and Bureau of Land Management Lands in the South-Central Idaho Region. This position may also assist with restoration projects on the Salmon-Challis National Forest. Successful candidate will work remote while maintaining a team environment to Plan, implement and administer vegetation management and fuels reduction projects including both commercial and non-commercial harvest and thinning projects as well as post fire rehabilitation and reforestation projects.

Responsibilities

Prepares timber sale projects in the field to include:

• Developing silvicultural prescriptions
• Determining logging systems
• Designing /maintaining road systems
• Timber marking and cruising

Prepares forest improvement projects in the field to include:

• Planting
• Broadcast burning
• Pre-commercial thinning
• Road maintenance
• Land Surveying

Prepares timber sale and forest improvement project documentation to include:

• Writing project descriptions and task orders
• Building GIS project maps
• Compiling timber cruise data
• Determining logging and road construction costs
• Timber sale appraisal
• Preparing contract packages and contract terms
• Developing a hazard management plan
• Acts as primary outreach to GNA partners (Sawtooth NF) and fosters collaboration to achieve Agreement objectives
• Administers timber sale, non-commercial thinning, planting projects, road maintenance & construction, timber sale layout and timber cruising contracts and other service contracts for compliance with management objectives, contract terms, Department policy and applicable laws
• May supervise seasonal personnel
• May participate in fire suppression and prescribed burn programs

Minimum Qualifications

Experience:

• Communicating effectively both verbally and in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience through technical reports, business correspondence, and oral presentations
• Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to produce maps and analyze spatial data

Some Knowledge of:

• State and federal laws, rules and regulations in relation to natural resource management activities
• Methods used to evaluate projects and/or data, analyzing alternatives, and making recommendations
• Public land survey legal descriptions, aerial photos and topographic and property ownership maps
• Financial analysis methods used to consider the relative costs and benefits of potential actions or proposals to choose the most appropriate one

Other: Possession of a valid driver's license.

Minimum Qualification Specialties

• Dendrology, Systemic Botany, or Plant Identification
• Forest entomology and Pathology
• Soils, Physical Geology or Soil Ecosystems

Desired Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in forestry or related discipline
• Experience working in ArcPro GIS platform
• Experience writing or administering forest management plans
• Experience setting up, writing, and administering timber sales
• Experience with supervising others
• Experience with Project Management and budgeting including priorities, developing project budgets, allocating resources, monitoring progress and evaluating results
• Experience with timber markets
• Experience using and managing databases

Nature and Scope

The Lands Resource Specialist is expected to develop the competencies and knowledge necessary to operate at a fully competent Land Resource Specialist, Senior level. The Lands Resource Specialist is required to develop familiarity with scientific theories and a broadening comprehension of involved practices, precedents, facts and conditions to perform routine duties involving standard practices and procedures, working within defined guidelines. Although duties performed are well-defined and follow prescribed procedures, the Lands Resource Specialist independently applies scientific techniques and/or a knowledge or understanding of involved practices and precedents to evaluate cause and effect relationships. In situations not covered by standard practice or guidelines, the Lands Resource Specialist analyzes rules or policies, develops options, and makes recommendations to the supervisor for appropriate action. Decision-making affects the work group and/or project and the impact the project has on long-range or overall program goals and implementation. Lands Resource Specialists may spend a majority of their time performing outdoor work alone or with other people in a variety of conditions including, but not limited to: frequent travel to and from the work site; working in remote geographic locations; operating full size 4x4 vehicles, ATV's or snow machines; walking and climbing over rugged terrain, to include very steep, wet, muddy, rough, uneven or rocky surfaces; lifting and carrying equipment weighing up to 50 pounds without assistance and up to 150 pounds with assistance; other physical exertions such as, bending, crouching, stooping, stretching, reaching, or similar activities; working in all types of weather; and working in environments with heat, smoke, and/or biting and stinging insects. Some positions are subject to fire assignment and must maintain qualifications for Incident Command System (ICS) rating. Some Lands Resource Specialists are involved with the hiring and supervision of temporary and/or permanent staff involved in fieldwork.

The State of Idaho offers a robust total compensation package, including medical, vision, and dental insurance; PERSI retirement benefits; paid sick, vacation, and parental leave; and 11 paid holidays per year. For additional information related to benefits and/or State programs, please visit https://dhr.idaho.gov/StateEmployees/Benefits.html.*

EEO/ADA/Veteran:

The State of Idaho is committed to providing equal employment opportunities and prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals based on their status as protected veterans or individuals with disabilities and prohibit discrimination against all individuals based on their race, color, religion, political affiliation or belief, sex, national origin, genetics, or any other status protected under applicable federal, state, or local laws.

The State of Idaho is committed to access and reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities, auxiliary aids and services are available upon request. If you require an accommodation at any step in our recruitment process, you are encouraged to contact [phone] (TTY/TTD: 711), or [e-mail].

Preference may be given to veterans who qualify under state and federal laws and regulations.

About the Idaho Department of Lands

Become part of an organization where you will work with dedicated people who are committed and skilled in managing and protecting Idaho's natural resources.
The Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) believes in its employees and values stewardship, service, accountability and cohesiveness. Our goals emphasize our people and processes, financial stewardship, and customer focus. We strive for a culture in which leadership equips, entrusts and expects employees to make decisions in fulfillment of our mission. View our Strategic Plan here.
Under the direction of the Idaho State Board of Land Commissioners , IDL manages more than 2.5 million acres of state endowment trust land under a constitutional mandate to produce maximum long-term financial returns for public schools and several other State of Idaho institutions. Leases and other contracts are used to authorize revenue generating activities such as timber harvest, grazing, farming, mining, commercial use, residential use, and conservation in a prudent and sustainable manner.
Managing endowment trust lands is only part of our story. We also protect public resources such as water quality, fish, wildlife habitat, and recreation on navigable waterways , and ensure the protection of water quality and other resources by overseeing forestry and mining practices across all ownerships in the state. We also work to reclaim abandoned mines in Idaho. One of our most important resource protection responsibilities is fire prevention and suppression. We also aid landowners in managing their forest lands, work with communities to plant trees in urban settings, help keep working forests working through the Forest Legacy Program, and work with many partners to promote healthy forests on a landscape level. IDL also is the administrative arm of the Idaho Oil and Gas Conservation Commission.