LANDS RESOURCE SPEC - PRIVATE FORESTRY SPECIALIST - State of Idaho

Description

Idaho Department of Lands

The Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) is seeking a full-time time Lands Resource Specialist – Private Forester position. This position will be located on the Pend Oreille Lake Area in Sandpoint, ID.

Applications will be accepted through 4:59 PM MST on the posting end date. 

Description

To perform technical, operational, and administrative duties to plan, design, and administer programs or projects associated with land management and/or natural resource protection; perform related work. The Lands Resource Specialist position is used for recruitment and training purposes for the Lands Resource Specialist, Senior. Through various types of on-the-job training, the employee will learn to carry out the duties of a Lands Resource Specialist, Senior. Typically, the Senior level requires 2-5 years of experience as a Lands Resource Specialist or equivalent work experience. Incumbents are expected to apply his/her technical knowledge and training while learning the state laws and department policies and procedures necessary to achieve the expertise and independence of the journeyman level Lands Resource Specialist, Senior.

Responsibilities: 

Provide technical assistance to non-industrial and industrial landowners, logging contractors, and agencies in all aspects of forestry. Conduct inspections on state and private logging operations for compliance with the Idaho Forest Practices Act (FPA). Prescribe corrective actions to address non-compliant logging operations. Provide information and technical assistance to landowners on all aspects of private management. Conduct formal and informal presentations, lectures and discussions with loggers, landowners, and students. Represent IDL on committees and at public meetings. Participate in wildfire suppression response as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

Experience:

• Communicating effectively both verbally and in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience through technical reports, business correspondence, and oral presentations
• Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to produce maps and analyze spatial data

Some Knowledge of:

• State and federal laws, rules and regulations in relation to natural resource management activities
• Methods used to evaluate projects and/or data, analyzing alternatives, and making recommendations
• Public land survey legal descriptions, aerial photos and topographic and property ownership maps
• Financial analysis methods used to consider the relative costs and benefits of potential actions or proposals to choose the most appropriate one

Other:

· Possession of a valid driver's license.

Desired Qualifications

Experience:

• Timber sale layout and administration.
• Timber harvesting systems.
• Identification and management of forest pathogens.
• Delivery of technical forestry assistance to a variety of audiences.
• Ability to work as a productive member of a group.
• ESRI ArcPro GIS program.
• Implementation of forestry Best Management Practices (BMP’s).

Some knowledge of:

• Idaho Forest Practices Act
• Interpreting and understanding timber markets.
• Using and managing databases.
• Timber cruising. 

Other:

• Associate degree or higher in Forestry or a Natural Resource field.

Supplemental Information - Private Forestry Assistance.

• Responsible for administering all aspects of the Idaho Forest Practices Act rules and regulations
• Prioritizing and conducting inspections, writing inspection reports, issuing unsatisfactory reports and pursuing subsequent regulatory procedures to obtain forest practices compliance, and reviewing variance requests to determine if action will meet or exceed all rules and regulations
• Communicate effectively with the ability to resolve conflict in difficult situations

MQ Specialties - Private Forestry Assistance
Some knowledge of:

• Forest management principles
• Silviculture principles
• Forest mensuration
• Dendrology
• Forest harvest methods
• Soils
• Forest engineering principles (road design and construction)
• Writing and reviewing forest management plans
• Forestry best management practices (BMPs) and processes for conducting field inspections, compliance reporting, and implementing corrective action
• Idaho Forest Practices Act and associated administrative rules
• Forest entomology and forest pathology

Nature and Scope

The Lands Resource Specialist is expected to develop the competencies and knowledge necessary to operate at a fully competent Land Resource Specialist, Senior level. The Lands Resource Specialist is required to develop familiarity with scientific theories and a broadening comprehension of involved practices, precedents, facts and conditions to perform routine duties involving standard practices and procedures, working within defined guidelines. Although duties performed are well-defined and follow prescribed procedures, the Lands Resource Specialist independently applies scientific techniques and/or a knowledge or understanding of involved practices and precedents to evaluate cause and effect relationships. In situations not covered by standard practice or guidelines, the Lands Resource Specialist analyzes rules or policies, develops options, and makes recommendations to the supervisor for appropriate action. Decision-making affects the work group and/or project and the impact the project has on long-range or overall program goals and implementation. Lands Resource Specialists may spend a majority of their time performing outdoor work alone or with other people in a variety of conditions including, but not limited to: frequent travel to and from the work site; working in remote geographic locations; operating full size 4x4 vehicles, ATV's or snow machines; walking and climbing over rugged terrain, to include very steep, wet, muddy, rough, uneven or rocky surfaces; lifting and carrying equipment weighing up to 50 pounds without assistance and up to 150 pounds with assistance; other physical exertions such as, bending, crouching, stooping, stretching, reaching, or similar activities; working in all types of weather; and working in environments with heat, smoke, and/or biting and stinging insects. Some positions are subject to fire assignment and must maintain qualifications for Incident Command System (ICS) rating. Some Lands Resource Specialists are involved with the hiring and supervision of temporary and/or permanent staff involved in fieldwork.

Benefits:

The State of Idaho offers a robust total compensation package, including medical, vision, and dental insurance; PERSI retirement benefits; paid sick, vacation, and parental leave; and 11 paid holidays per year. For additional information related to benefits and/or State programs, please visit https://dhr.idaho.gov/StateEmployees/Benefits.html.*

EEO/ADA/Veteran:

The State of Idaho is committed to providing equal employment opportunities and prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals based on their status as protected veterans or individuals with disabilities and prohibit discrimination against all individuals based on their race, color, religion, political affiliation or belief, sex, national origin, genetics, or any other status protected under applicable federal, state, or local laws.

The State of Idaho is committed to access and reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities, auxiliary aids and services are available upon request. If you require an accommodation at any step in our recruitment process, you are encouraged to contact (208) 334-2263 (TTY/TTD: 711), or email ada.coordinator@dhr.idaho.gov.

Preference may be given to veterans who qualify under state and federal laws and regulations.

About the Idaho Department of Lands:

Become part of an organization where you will work with dedicated people who are committed and skilled in managing and protecting Idaho's natural resources.

The Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) believes in its employees and values stewardship, service, accountability and cohesiveness. Our goals emphasize our people and processes, financial stewardship, and customer focus. We strive for a culture in which leadership equips, entrusts and expects employees to make decisions in fulfillment of our mission. View our Strategic Plan here.

Under the direction of the Idaho State Board of Land Commissioners, IDL manages more than 2.5 million acres of state endowment trust land under a constitutional mandate to produce maximum long-term financial returns for public schools and several other State of Idaho institutions. Leases and other contracts are used to authorize revenue generating activities such as timber harvest, grazing, farming, mining, commercial use, residential use, and conservation in a prudent and sustainable manner.

Managing endowment trust lands is only part of our story. We also protect public resources such as water quality, fish, wildlife habitat, and recreation on navigable waterways, and ensure the protection of water quality and other resources by overseeing forestry and mining practices across all ownerships in the state. We also work to reclaim abandoned mines in Idaho. One of our most important resource protection responsibilities is fire prevention and suppression. We also aid landowners in managing their forest lands, work with communities to plant trees in urban settings, help keep working forests working through the Forest Legacy Program, and work with many partners to promote healthy forests on a landscape level. IDL also is the administrative arm of the Idaho Oil and Gas Conservation Commission.