Forester

The Forester:

• Serves as a member of ID team that develops and designs projects for the forest management program. He/she would identify forest management activities on specific tracts which result in the Field Office meeting its ASQ and RMP commitment. The forester serves as a Field Office harvesting and logging systems technical specialist. He/she prepares viable and acceptable logging and harvest plans. Identifies and finds solutions to road location harvesting logging site preparation fire protection fuels/slash treatment and environmental protection problems and concerns.
• Prepares a variety of timber sale and silvicultural service contracts. Contracts must fully implement accepted plans agency policies and multiple resource management objectives. Contracts must be legally exacting clearly specified and readily enforceable. Designs contract provisions based upon field conditions knowledge of past practices and policy and guidelines.
• Evaluates timber sale requirements and ongoing operations to insure that resource management and environmental protection goals are achieved.
• Inspects operations to ensure contract compliance and interprets contract provisions consistently. Makes on-the-spot decisions and gives instructions to operators to resolve sale issues. The forester prepares all correspondence documentation and bills for each sale.
• Prescribes silvicultural and site preparation treatments based on field exams of stand conditions and other resource values.

- Duties will be developmental in nature when filled below the full performance level.

Salary Ranges for Grant Pass Klamath Medford North Bend Prineville Roseburg Springfield and Tillamook Oregon:
GS-07: $50460- $65599
GS-09: $61722 - $80243

Salary Ranges for Salem Oregon:
GS-07: $54370 - $70682
GS-09: $66505 - $86461

• Must provide proof of U.S. citizenship.
• Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
• Males born aftermust be registered for Selective Service.
• Direct Deposit participation required.
• Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more visit possess and maintain a valid drivers license throughout employment.
• You cannot hold an active real estate license nor can you have an interest or hold stocks in firms with interest in Federal Lands.
• As a condition of employment for accepting this position you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest will be evaluated.
• This probationary period is an extension of the appointment process and therefore requires the agency to determine if continued employment would advance the public interest meet the organization goals and mission of the agency and/or otherwise promote the efficiency of the determining if your employment advances the public interest the agency will consider:
  • your performance and conduct;
  • the needs and interests of the agency;
  • whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
  • whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.
• Under applicable law the employment of an individual serving a probationary or trial period automatically terminates when that period ends unless the agency affirmatively certifies in writing that the individuals employment should continue and that their appointment should be the absence of agency action to affirmatively certify continued employment beyond the probationary or trial period such appointments are terminated.
• Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification in writing that your continued employment advances the public interest.

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-07/29/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. All candidates must also meet Time-in-Grade requirements.

In order to qualify you must meet the education and/or experience requirements described below. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience. If qualifying based on education a copy of your unofficial transcripts must be provided with your application.

Basic Educational Requirements:
Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelors or higher degree that included the following major field of study and specific course requirements as stated below:

• A. Degree: Forestry; or a related subject-matter field that included a total of at least 30 semester hours in any combination of biological physical or mathematical sciences or engineering of which at least 24 semester hours of course work was in forestry. The curriculum must have been sufficiently diversified to include courses in each of the following areas:
  • Management of Renewable Resources -- examples of creditable courses in this area include silviculture forest management operations timber management wildland fire science or fire management utilization of forest resources forest regulation recreational land management watershed management and wildlife or range habitat management
  • Forest Biology -- examples of creditable courses in this area include dendrology forest ecology silvics forest genetics wood structure and properties forest soils forest entomology and forest pathology.
  • Forest Resource Measurements and Inventory -- examples of creditable courses include forest biometrics forest mensuration forest valuation statistical analysis of forest resource data renewable natural resources inventories and analysis and photogrammetry or remote sensing.

• B. Combination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major in forestry or at least 30 semester hours in any combination of biological physical or mathematical sciences or engineering of which at least 24 semester hours were in forestry. The requirements for diversification of the 24 semester hours in forestry are the same as shown in A above plus appropriate experience or additional education.

ADDITIONAL QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS FOR EACH GRADE: To be considered minimally qualified for this position you must demonstrate that you have the required specialized experience and/or education for the respective grade level in which you are applying:

GS-07:
Specialized Experience: Applicants must have one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-05 grade level in the Federal service (obtained either in the private or public sectors) performing three or more of the following in a developmental capacity: (1) assisting with the development or implementation of forest management plans such as timber sale planning logging system reforestation timber stand improvement or landscape forestry; (2) preparing/analyzing logging and harvest plans silvicultural treatments or timber sale contracts to ensure compliance; and (3) interacting with various groups of people to investigate exchange or report information related to forest programs

-OR-

Education: Have successfully completed 1 full year of graduate level education. This education must demonstrate the knowledge skills and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. NOTE: Applicants must submit a copy of transcripts.

-OR-

Superior Academic Achievement (SAA): Successfully completed a bachelors degree in a directly related field AND meet one of the following: (1) Class Standing: rank in the upper 3rd of the graduating class in the college university or major subdivision based on the completed courses; OR (2) Grad-Point Average (GPA): earn a GPA of (a) 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 (B or better) based on 4 years of education or based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum -or- (b) 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 (B or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses completed during the final two years. Note: GPA will be rounded to one decimal place for example 2.95 3.0 2.94 2.9; OR (3) Membership in a National Scholastic Honor Society.


GS-09:
Specialized Experience: Applicants must have one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service (obtained either in the private or public sectors) performing three or more of the following: (1) preparing and/or implementing timber sale or silvicultural service contracts; (2) executing long range forest management plans such as logging systems road layout harvesting and tree improvement; (3) developing forest management plans such as: forest inventory analysis environmental assessments or forest history reports; and (4) preparing data briefings or trainings to explain and exchange forest management information.

-OR-

Education: Have 2 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a masters degree or masters or equivalent graduate degree that included a major field of study or specific course requirements generally as stated in the basic requirements. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge skills and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. (NOTE: You must submit a copy of your transcripts as proof of any claimed education).

-OR-

Combination education and experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) beyond the first year (total graduate semester hours minus 18) by 18. Add the two percentages. Note: You must submit a copy of your transcripts.