Tree Warden

City of Medford, Medford, MA 02155; Medford (MA); On-site; USD 15,000 - 17,000; Full time

Job summary

The City of Medford seeks a Tree Warden to lead the Forestry Division, oversee care, planting, and assessments of public shade trees, and manage tree-related projects and grants.

This full-time role requires a strong background in arboriculture, ISA/MCA certification, and experience directing staff, issuing permits, and coordinating with city departments to maintain Tree City USA status.

Qualifications

• Associates degree in arboriculture, urban forestry, or equivalent.
• 5 years relevant experience, 8 preferred.
• Valid driver’s license.
• MCA or ISA Certified Arborist certificate.

Responsibilities

• Direct the Forestry Division and oversee projects and tasks to provide care and control of public shade trees.
• Direct and oversee pruning of trees for public safety and health.
• Direct and oversee removal of dead or dying trees.
• Issue permits for removal of public shade trees and coordinate hearings.
• Identify planting locations for new tree plantings and oversee planting.

Skills

Arboriculture knowledge

Tree inventory

Public tree care

Project supervision

Leadership and staff supervision

Education

Associates degree in arboriculture, urban forestry, or equivalent

Massachusetts Certified Arborist (MCA) or ISA Certified Arborist

Job description

POSITION:

Tree Warden #J2026-0042

DEPARTMENT:

DPW - Forestry

HOURS OF WORK

Full-time (40 hours/weekly) Monday to Friday: 7:00 AM – 4:00 PM; nights and weekends may be required

SALARY

Weekly: $1,518.31 - $1,694.84 (Non-Union NPW17)

BASIC FUNCTION

The Tree Warden is responsible for carrying out the tasks and projects required for the care, preservation, maintenance, inventory, control, planting, and assessments of public shade trees as well as other City of Medford trees per the direction of the Commissioner of Public Works. The Tree Warden is the head of the Forestry Division of the Department of Public Works

RESPONSIBILITIES

The essential functions or duties listed below are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the position.

• Direct the Forestry Division and oversee projects and tasks to provide care and control of public shade trees, and trees located on municipal property.
• Direct and oversee pruning of trees for public safety and tree health.
• Direct and oversee the removal of trees that are dead or dying.
• Issue permits for the removal of public shade trees, including coordinating and holding tree removal hearings pursuant to M.G.L. Ch 87.
• Identify appropriate planting locations for new tree plantings
• Direct and oversee the planting of new trees.
• Perform and submit regular updates and revisions to the GIS based tree Inventory in coordination with the Engineering Division using electronic field equipment such as smart phones, tablets, or other device to capture GPS location and field data.
• Perform inspections and assessments of trees to determine potential hazards
• Oversee arboricultural operations of utility companies working on municipal trees.
• Supervision of Forestry Division staff.
• Prepare bid packages for contract tree work including new plantings.
• Manage projects and contracts relating to tree work and associated grants including accepting tree work by contractors and authorizing payments.
• Prepare grant proposals to obtain additional funding for improving or providing care to municipal tree assets.
• Manage work orders and tasks assigned to the Forestry Division
• Adhere to ANSI safety standards.
• Maintain Medford’s Tree City USA status.
• Perform other related job duties as required.

Education & Experience

Any equivalent combination of the below-listed education, training, certification, and experience, is qualifying:

• Associates degree in arboriculture, urban forestry, or equivalent.
• 5 years relevant experience, 8 preferred.
• Valid driver’s license required.
• Massachusetts Certified Arborist (MCA) or International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) Certified Arborist certificate.

Knowledge, Skills & Licenses

• Excellent knowledge of relevant Massachusetts General Laws related to essential functions; tree pruning and care methods. Excellent knowledge and skills on tree identification, including both the common and scientific names of species and varieties. Knowledge of arboriculture and state laws concerning pesticides and herbicide application.
• Strong communication, problem solving and customer service skills. Strong computer and technology skills. Strong management skills. Strong leadership skills. Strong supervisory skills.
• Ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing. Ability to maintain good public relations and to maintain effective collaborative working relationships with City of Medford staff, department heads, fellow employees, officials and general public. Respond to inquiries in a courteous and professional manner. Ability to meet deadlines. Ability to work independently without daily direction. Ability to use smart phones or other tablet style devices while in the field

Physical Requirement

• While performing the duties of this position, an employee is regularly required to sit, talk or hear, in person and by telephone, use hands to finger, handle, feel or operate standard office equipment (such as calculators, copiers, typewriters, fax and personal computers) and reach with hands and arms. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and the ability to adjust focus to ready and use typically used tools during the work assignment, including smart phones and tablets
• Standard indoor office environment, and field work via a vehicle on city streets, parks, and other municipally controlled land. The noise level in the work environment is usually low to moderate.
• Vehicles driving and field crew supervision in an urban environment with expected environmental conditions such as vehicle and pedestrian traffic, weather extremes such as high and low temperatures, high concentrations of dust, dirt, grease, fumes, smoke, or intense odors; and loud noises, where continued attention must be given to safety protocols; during emergency situations, work may be performed under considerable pressure.
• Uses moderate physical strength and effort occasionally, such as moving, lifting, carrying, and stacking heavy objects, and pulling, pushing, standing, or walking for extended periods of time.
• Routinely reads documents for general understanding and analytical purposes, including handwriting, maps, blueprints, and forms; inspects surroundings and fine details to assess conditions of materials, equipment, landscapes, and buildings; and reviews detailed information displayed on a computer screen.

The City of Medford is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action/504 Employer Residents of the City of Medford, Women, People of Color, Veterans and Persons with Disabilities are encouraged to apply.