The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is dedicated to preserving, protecting and perpetuating fish, wildlife and ecosystems, while providing sustainable recreational and commercial opportunities dependent on viable fish and wildlife populations. Each day, WDFW employees facilitate fishing, hunting and wildlife viewing opportunities for millions of residents and visitors. WDFW’s employees–field and laboratory biologists, geneticists, research scientists, hatchery professionals, policy experts, fully commissioned law enforcement officers, land stewards, lab technicians, property acquisition specialists, customer service representatives and others work throughout the state. WDFW employees protect and restore critical habitat, strive to facilitate species recovery when necessary, and manage hundreds of fish and wildlife species. WDFW employees maintain nearly a million acres of public wildlife lands. They interpret, apply and enforce state and federal laws and collaborate with stakeholders to protect fish and wildlife resources. Find out more about us and the important work we are a part of at www.wdfw.wa.gov.
This position provides forest project design and management on wildlife areas in North Central Washington including local forest management planning, project planning and project implementation.
Under the supervision of the Statewide Forester in Ellensburg, this position (Forester) supports the Department’s mission and goals by implementing sound ecological forest management within the constraints of policy, applicable legal requirements.
Duties
Manage forests on wildlife areas in Chelan, Okanogan and northern Kittitas counties.
- Project design and preparation.
- Identify treatment units (commercial or pre-commercial)
- Assist the Statewide Forester in presenting projects to the district team
- Coordinate scheduling of cultural resource surveys with agency archeologist
- Project layout including locating unit boundaries, implementing leave tree strategies (marking and/or operator select prescription), identifying harvest road and maintenance needs, designing roads, identifying harvest systems, laying out regulatory buffers (Riparian Management and Wetland Management Zones), identifying wildlife mitigation measures and timber cruising.
- Prepare necessary documents to implement the project including Forest Practice Applications (FPA), State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) Checklist, project advertisements and contracts
- Identify post-thinning follow up treatments (slash burning, prescribed fire, slashing, etc.) as needed.
Evaluate the effectiveness of forest habitat manipulation strategies.
- Under the supervision of agency biologists, utilize ecological integrity monitoring approaches to evaluate project effects.
- Conduct tree seedling stocking surveys to ensure compliance with Forest Practices reforestation standards.
- Under the supervision of agency biologists, evaluates wildlife benefits as necessary.
Qualifications
Education/Experience:
Bachelor’s degree in forest management.
Experience and competencies
- One year of professional forest management experience with an associate’s degree in forest management or 6 months of professional forest management experience with a bachelor’s degree in forest management.
- Knowledge of current forest management strategies and timber management planning.
- Working knowledge of Forest Practices rules and other regulatory laws and practices.
- Understanding of logging and forest road construction equipment.
- Ability to inspect, instruct and work with contract crews to ensure compliance with contract(s).
- Ability to navigate and take measurements using GPS, maps, aerial photos, compass, clinometer, relaskop, radio and laser rangefinder.
- Ability to traverse unit boundaries and accurately create a map.
- Proficient computer skills including MS Word, MS Excel, ARC-GIS ARC-View, with aptitude for learning new software programs.
Preferred/Desired Qualifications:
- Understanding and/or experience developing and implementing forest restoration projects (commercial and pre-commercial) for wildlife habitat, forest health, wildfire risk abatement and hazard reduction.
- Experience in young stand establishment (tree planting) and maintenance (pre-commercial thinning) contract compliance.
- Demonstrated ability to work independently and as part of a team.
- Understanding and/or experience with prescribed burning and implementation.
- Demonstrated ability to present proposed projects to public user (stakeholder) groups in a public meeting venue.
- Possess good listening and speaking skills, with the goal of positive interactions with neighboring landowners.
- Demonstrated written communication skills.
- Record of accomplishments demonstrating strong project development and management skills in college and/or on the job.
- Observational and analytical skills to detect and assess problems in field settings, and ability to develop practical solutions to those problems.
- Experience with the operation and maintenance of essential equipment used in this position including various hand and power tools.
- Tree felling certification*
- Understanding or experience of grant application process.
- National Wildfire Coordinating Group PM-310-1 Red Card certified or able to meet certifications*
- General understanding of Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife – Lands Division policies and procedures.
- Ability to safely operate motor vehicles on primitive roads and in inclement weather, including snow.
(* The successful candidate will be provided the necessary training to obtain this required certification)Supplemental Information
Working Conditions
The work schedule will typically be 40 hours per week, 10-hour days Monday through Thursday, but applicants must be able and willing to work alternative work schedules including nights, weekends, and overnight stays.
The successful candidate must be willing and able to:
- The position demands a mix of office and field work.
- Safely work in all weather conditions including extreme heat or snow and sometimes over difficult terrain and surfaces up to 50% of the time.
- This job is physically demanding and the incumbent must be able to work year round in varying weather conditions, hike streams and through rugged, steep terrain carrying moderately heavy loads.
- Work schedule is typically 7:00 AM – 5:00 PM, Monday – Thursday. It may include some evening and weekend hours and travel on fairly short notice, with travel up to 50% of the time.
- Transport equipment weighing up to 30 pounds over long distances and uneven terrain.
- Travel by vehicle up to 200 miles per day to survey locations.
- Safely operate motor vehicles.
- Work both independently and in a team environment.
- Communicate effectively with co-workers, other agency staff, and the public.
- Must be able to work comfortably and safely along busy roadways.
Union
This position is in the bargaining unit represented by the Washington Association of Fish & Wildlife Professionals and is subject to the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the State of Washington, Department of Fish & Wildlife, and the Washington Association of Fish & Wildlife Professionals.
How to Apply
To apply for this position you MUST complete your profile at www.careers.wa.gov.
If you do not fill out the application profile employment history section and provide references in the application profile, then please attach the following to your profile before completing the online application:
- A current resume (please make it succinct)
- Three professional references (personal references do not count as professional)
Please ATTACH a cover letter describing how you meet the qualifications of this position (generic cover letter will not be accepted). Failure to attach a cover letter will eliminate you from continuing to compete for the position.
Please note: Failure to follow the above application instructions will lead to disqualification. Please do not include any attachments other than the ones requested above. E-mailed documents will not be accepted after the closing of the recruitment or in lieu of attaching your documents to the online profile.
Upon submission of your online application, you will immediately receive a confirming e-mail. You will then be notified via e-mail of your status during the process. In addition to the e-mail notifications, you can check the status of your application at any time by visiting your online profile at www.careers.wa.gov. Due to the high volume of applications that we receive, we ask your understanding and encourage you to use the online process and avoid calling for information.
Please note that initial screening will be solely based on the completeness of application materials submitted and the contents and completeness of the “work experience” section of your application in NeoGov. A resume will not substitute for the “work experience” section of the application. The information provided in your application must support your selected answers in the supplemental questions. Responses not supported in your application may disqualify you from consideration for employment in this position. All information will be verified and documentation may be required.
The Department of Fish and Wildlife is an equal opportunity employer. We strive to create a working environment that includes and respects cultural, racial, ethnic, sexual orientation and gender identity diversity. Women, racial and ethnic minorities, persons of disability, persons over 40 years of age, disabled and Vietnam era veterans and people of all sexual orientations and gender identities are encouraged to apply. Persons needing accommodation in the application process or this announcement in an alternative format may call (360) 902-2276 or the Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD) at (800) 833-6388.