Forestry Crew Lead- Six Rivers (Orleans/Ukonom Ranger District)

Position Description Summary:
USFS, Six Rivers NF, California
The Great Basin Institute, in collaboration with the USFS, is seeking a Forestry Crew Lead o oversee timber sale preparation, vegetation management, and forest restoration projects within the USFS Region 5 Six Rivers National Forest (Orleans/Ukonom Ranger District), located in California's Klamath Mountains. 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.

The selected Lead will play a key role in the USFS’s vegetation management and fuels reduction efforts, which address critical concerns such as wildland urban interface (WUI) fuels reduction, protection of sensitive habitats for endangered species, and watershed conservation. This position also offers significant professional development through exposure to USFS protocols, compliance standards, and field expertise.

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. 2 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.
•  Salvage timber marking and cruising.
•  Conduct timber and biomass inventory.
•  Identify and mark hazard trees following protocol
•  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.

LOCATION
Six Rivers National Forest
The community of Orleans is located along the Klamath river about 90 miles east of the Eureka/Arcata area via highway 96 and 299. The Orleans, Lower Trinity, and Ukonom districts are three of five on the Six Rivers National Forest, encompassing approximately 600,000 acres. The district is about 30 air miles from the Northern Coast of California and subsequently under a coastal influence that produces a long summer season. Temperatures during summer months range between an average low of 51 - 56 and high of 86 – 92 degrees. The town of Orleans is a community of about 800 people located in Humboldt County. Community businesses consist of one grocery/variety store, one service station, and a post office. The town of Willow Creek is located approximately 38 miles south of Orleans and is the closest full-service community. There are also additional services in Hoopa (26 miles) and Happy Camp (45 miles).

WORK SCHEDULE
Projects begin as early as June 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
BENEFITS WILL NEED REVIEW EVERY TIME POSTED (+1 YR OR <1 YR OR <90 DAYS) >1YR duration 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.

TSA employees who serve a term under 52 weeks in duration, and have a thirty (30) day or less break between terms, and then sign a second term that (cumulatively) becomes greater than 52 weeks of employment, will be eligible for the >1-year TSA benefits (equivalent to Regular full-time employees).

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 steep and rugged forested environment in extreme temperatures.

Preferred:
● Familiarity with and interest in resource management issues of western states and the ecology of the Klamath-Siskiyou ecoregion;
● Familiarity with the mixed conifer forests typical of northern 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.

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.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS
Work will take place in the footprint of the 2020 McCash fire. Hazards in burned areas may include hazard trees, stump holes, and root holes. Work will consist of mark trees on steep slopes and rugged terrain with areas of dense brush and down woody debris. Environmental hazards may include poison oak, ticks and yellowjackets. 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.