Forestry Technician (FIA Crew Member): Multiple locations in WA, OR and CA

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Agency

US Forest Service

Location

Multiple locations in WA, OR and CA

Job Category

Temporary/Seasonal Positions

Salary

GS-05/06

Start Date

04/10/2022

Last Date to Apply

09/29/2022

Website

http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/rma/fia-topics/data-collection/

Description

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service
Employment Outreach Notice

Forestry Technician (Research)
Temporary Seasonal (1039) PNW FIA Field Crew Member
GS-0462-05/06

Pacific Northwest Research Station
Resource Monitoring and Assessment Program
Forest Inventory and Analysis

Please reply by: September 29th, 2022

The PNW Research Station may hire up to 15 temporary positions as field data collection Crew Members with the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program for the 2023 field season. Positions may be located in Washington, Oregon or California and will be filled based on changes in current workforce. Average wage is $16-$21/hour and dependent on location and grade.

PLEASE NOTE: The purpose of this Outreach Notice is to determine the potential applicant pool for this position. The vacancy announcement for this position, when open, will be posted at the USA Jobs website, the U.S. Government’s official site for jobs and employment information: http://www.usajobs.opm.gov

About the positions:
These are temporary positions (not to exceed 1039 hours), and the duration of work is expected to be ~6 months in length. Targeted start date is flexible from April 10 – June 5, 2023, and the positions are likely to run through the end of October.

The positions are with the Data Collection Team of the PNW Research Station’s Resource Monitoring and Assessment (RMA) Program, Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) unit. The FIA unit is part of a nationwide program which collects, processes, analyzes, evaluates, and publishes comprehensive information on forest and other related renewable resources. Administration for this Data Collection team is located in Portland, Oregon and field crews are remotely stationed throughout Washington, Oregon and California.

These positions will support work sampling field plots located on a systematic grid across all landownerships and will be almost entirely field based. A wide variety of information is collected in the inventory including tree measurements; forest pathogens, understory vegetation composition and structure, stand treatments and disturbances, down woody material measurements, and land ownership.

Crew members work under the direction of a local crew leader and work alongside one to three people. Crews will use maps, aerial photos, and GPS units to navigate to permanent plot locations. Measurements taken by crews include tree/sapling/seedling data (species, diameter, height, defect, insect & disease, damage, etc.); understory vegetation (shrub, herb, grass species and percent cover, etc.); down woody material (line transects, litter depth, and fuels measurement, etc.); and site index and site attributes (site tree selection, slope, aspect, topographic position, distance to water, etc.). Crews use portable, handheld computers to collect data in the field and then process the data later using laptop computers to address any inconsistencies or errors.
Each crew travels frequently and independently within their duty station area. Crews can expect to travel away from home for a significant portion of the field season (40-75% dependent on duty location). Travel will sometimes involve week-long trips while other times crews may need to spend a month away from home. During travel periods, crews will change locations about weekly. Lodging is generally in motel/hotels and car camping, with occasional backpacking required. Individuals will be reimbursed for incurred lodging expenses and travel per diem.

In all areas work conditions are arduous, requiring regular and recurring physical exertion. In many locations, workdays can exceed 10 hours and frequent overtime may be required. Work may be performed in inclement weather (cold, heat, rain, snow) and on rugged, steep, slippery, and/or brushy slopes. Significant amounts of on-trail and off-trail hiking are required. Crew Members must carry a 45lb pack daily, with pack weights sometimes exceeding 60lbs. Exposure to hazards such as poison oak, bears, and insects is common.

Urban FIA:
In addition to these positions, we are outreaching for a 1039 based in Portland, OR whose work will primarily focus on inventorying Urban forested communities in the cities of Portland, OR and San Diego, CA. This work includes extensive landowner outreach and communication, and familiarity with ornamental flora is strongly preferred but not required. The position will start and be based in Portland, with the expectation to work ~2 months in continuous travel status in San Diego. Interested candidates should indicate their preference in the outreach response.

**Government Housing will NOT be available, however employees will be reimbursed lodging and travel per diem for locations outside their duty station**

For more information:
Please visit our team’s website, including an information page on how to join our team!
http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/rma/fia-topics/data-collection/

For more information on the Urban FIA program, please visit:
https://www.fia.fs.fed.us/program-features/urban/

You can send your outreach response electronically to:
SM.FS.pnw_fia_jobs@usda.gov (please use the subject line “1039”) or by regular mail to:

FIA Program Assistant
620 SW Main, Suite 502
Portland, OR 97205

This is a pre-announcement only. Response to this outreach guarantees email notification when the positions are advertised. When the position is advertised, the announcement will be posted on the Office of Personnel Management web site: www.usajobs.gov . The announcement will contain all of the information you need to apply for the position.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD).

To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Ave, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202)720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
To be considered, applicants must be U.S. citizens.

Qualifications

Please see qualifications at: http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/

Contact Person

Dan Durfee

Contact eMail

SM.FS.pnw_fia_jobs@usda.gov

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