Forestry Crew Lead (Tahoe National Forest)

USFS, Tahoe NF, California

The Great Basin Institute, in collaboration with the USFS, is seeking a Forestry Crew Lead to oversee timber sale preparation, vegetation management, and forest restoration projects within the USFS Region 5 Tahoe National Forest (Sierraville Ranger District), located in California's Sierra Nevada mountain range. These initiatives support the broader Basin & Range Forestry mission of enhancing forest resilience amid evolving climate conditions and increasing wildfire risks, directly contributing to healthier, more sustainable forest ecosystems.

Essential Job Functions may include the following:

Forestry Technicians will perform a wide variety of activities to support all stages of project work. Forestry duties may include, but are not limited to: 

• Ensure crew safety and provide leadership and oversight to a small team (approx. 3 members).
• Coordinate daily tasks and project logistics, deliver or assist with training, and maintain communication with both USFS and GBI staff.
• Execute various forestry activities, including:
  • Timber sale unit layout: boundary delineation (using GPS navigation, flagging, and painting).
  • Tree species identification.
  • Green and salvage timber marking and cruising.
  • Conduct timber and biomass plot cruising.
  • Collect stand examination data and general silviculture data.
  • Identify resource concerns related to hydrology, heritage, wildlife, and recreation.

This role is ideal for experienced forestry professionals passionate about making a tangible impact on forest management and resource conservation.

All procedures will be performed in compliance with silvicultural prescriptions based on forest and treatment type and land management goals. Data will be gathered using standard instruments, direct measurements, general observations and on-site inspections. Project-specific training will be provided on tree-species identification, GPS data collection, tree marking, hydrology, entomology/pathology, heritage, fire/fuels and other elements. Prior experience in basic GIS skills, GPS data collection, tree-species identification, timber marking and cruising, identifying hydrologic concerns, recognizing forest entomology/pathology issues, identifying heritage sites and experience with fire/fuels assessments or related field tasks is preferred.

Requirements/Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, employees must be able to satisfactorily carry out each essential duty. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable employees with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree in Forestry (preferred), natural resource management or related field, with coursework (by position start date) AND one year of forestry related field work OR three years of professional fieldwork experience;
• Experience leading crews in the field, including oversight of crew safety, communication, fidelity to methods and data quality;
• Proficiency in navigation using GPS, topographic map and compass;
• Experience with cruising and marking techniques;
• Possess a clean, valid, state-issued driver’s license with the ability to safely operate and maintain a 4WD vehicle on and off paved roads;
• Ability to work effectively in a team setting with USFS staff, GBI staff, interns, volunteers, academic, state, and federal partners;
• Ability to work safely and productively in remote field settings under adverse conditions. This includes occasionally overnight camping in remote areas for consecutive nights;
• Ability to understand, implement and adhere to established data collection, inventory, assessment, and monitoring protocols;
• Strong organizational skills and ability to work cooperatively as well as independently;
• Strong communication skills with a diverse audiences, both written and oral; and
• Physically fit to work outdoors, carry up to 50 pounds of personal and/or field equipment, and withstand the rigors of a forested and/or high desert environment in all seasons.

Preferred:

• Familiarity with and interest in resource management issues of western states and the ecology of the Sierra Nevada ecoregion;
• Familiarity with the mixed conifer forests typical of eastern California, including common plants (woody and herbaceous), wildlife, and/or geology/topography is desirable;
• Capacity to collect and maintain field data in an organized manner that is easily understood and accessible to other resources staff; and
• Advanced skill using specialized software such as Microsoft Office Suite, ArcMap GIS, and Google Earth.

LOCATION

This position is based out of the Sierraville Ranger District of the Tahoe National Forest (TNF). Field work will be conducted in various locations across the Sierraville and Truckee Ranger Districts of the TNF. Field work will typically require traveling to remote sites, with occasional office work for data entry and reporting. 

The Tahoe National Forest is located in the northern Sierra Nevada (east of Sacramento) and extends from the foothills across the Sierra Crest to the California state line. It includes over 850,000 acres of public land interspersed with 350,000 acres of private land. Rivers, snow-capped peaks and dense forests offer outstanding recreation year-round. A complex set of ecosystems are found as the terrain ascends from 1,500 feet along the western boundary to over 9,000 feet along the crest. The Sierraville Ranger District office is located in Sierraville, California, a small town on scenic Highway 89 located at approximately 5,000 feet in elevation. Communities within 30 minutes of Sierraville include Truckee, Loyalton, Calpine, and Portola.

WORK SCHEDULE

Projects begin as early as March and end as late as November. Season schedules are project specific. 

Most Forestry Crew positions follow 10 hour days, 4 days a week schedule. 

Temporary Special Assignment employees are eligible to receive holiday pay, if partner approved. TSAs holiday schedule will comply with the project partner holiday schedule, unless otherwise specified in their employment offer. TSAs working five (5) eight (8) hour days per workweek will be paid eight (8) hours for all holidays. TSAs working four (4) ten (10) hour days per workweek will be paid ten (10) hours for all holidays.  Same with other approved/allowable workweek configurations; these can be accommodated accordingly with Banked Holiday(s).

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

Wage: $26/hour with overtime at 1.5x hourly rate. Full time, average 40 hours per week

In addition to a competitive base salary, this full-time, onsite position includes company-paid comprehensive medical, dental (with option to upgrade in coverage), and vision insurance, as well as $25,000 Life/AD&D policy. Voluntary short-term and long-term disability policies are available, and voluntary Life/AD&D policies for family members.  Mental health support resources are employer provided, competitive PTO accrual, and paid holidays. This exciting role contributes to GBI’s significant positive impacts within the fields of environmental research, education, and conservation.

TO APPLY

Please submit an up-to-date resume, a one-page cover letter that details your interest in the position, and any qualifications not fully outlined in your resume, and contact information for three professional references. Qualified applicants will be contacted to schedule an interview. For questions regarding this position, please contact bcarlile@gbinstitute.org

PHYSICAL DEMANDS  

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable employees with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, use hands, stand, walk, bend, and have specific vision abilities to include close and distance vision, and ability to adjust focus working with computer business equipment and other job/industry specific equipment. The noise level in the work environment is usually low.

NOTE:  This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive. Employees may perform other related duties as negotiated to meet the organization's ongoing needs.

Disclaimer: Although the organization has attempted to accurately and thoroughly describe this position, GBI reserves the right to change the same, including to change, add to or subtract from the duties outlined, within the sole discretion of the organization, at any time, with or without advance notice.