USFS, Six Rivers National Forest, California

The Great Basin Institute, in collaboration with the U.S. Forest Service is seeking  Forestry Crew Leads to oversee timber sale preparation, vegetation management, and forest restoration projects within Region 5 of the Six Rivers National Forest (Orleans/Ukonom/Lower Trinity Ranger Districts) located in California's Klamath Mountains.

These initiatives support the broader Basin & Range Forestry mission of enhancing forest resilience in the face of changing climate conditions and increasing wildfire risks, directly contributing to healthier and more sustainable forest ecosystems.

The selected Crew Lead will play a key role in vegetation management and fuels reduction efforts addressing important priorities 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 the U.S. Forest Service protocols, compliance standards, and applied field expertise.

Essential Job Functions may include the following:

The Forestry Crew Lead will oversee and participate in a wide variety of activities supporting 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 field team (approximately two crew members).
• Coordinate daily field tasks and project logistics.
• Deliver or assist with field training and maintain communication with both USFS and GBI staff.

Field activities may include:

• Timber sale unit layout including boundary delineation using GPS navigation, flagging, and paint.
• Tree species identification.
• Salvage timber marking and timber cruising.
• Timber and biomass inventory data collection.
• Identification and marking of hazard trees following established protocols.
• Identification of resource concerns related to hydrology, heritage resources, wildlife habitat, and recreation.

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

All procedures will be performed in compliance with silvicultural prescriptions based on forest conditions, treatment types, and land management goals.

Data will be collected using standard forestry instruments, direct measurements, general observations, and on-site inspections.

Project-specific training will be provided in areas including tree species identification, GPS data collection, tree marking, hydrology, entomology/pathology, heritage resource identification, fire/fuels assessments, and other related topics.

Prior experience with 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 (Orleans,Ukonom, and Lower Trinity Ranger Districts)
• The community of Orleans is located along the Klamath River approximately 90 miles east of the Eureka/Arcata area via Highways 96 and 299.
• The Orleans, Lower Trinity, and Ukonom districts are three of five districts on the Six Rivers National Forest and encompass approximately 600,000 acres.
• The district is about 30 air miles from the Northern California coast and experiences coastal climate influences that produce a long summer season.
• Temperatures during summer months range from an average low of 51–56°F and highs of 86–92°F.
• The town of Orleans is a community of approximately 800 people located in Humboldt County. Local services include 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. Additional services are also available in Hoopa (26 miles) and Happy Camp (45 miles).

WORK SCHEDULE

• Projects begin as early as May and may continue as late as October. Seasonal schedules are project-specific.
• Most Forestry Crew positions follow a schedule of four 10-hour workdays per week.
• Temporary Special Assignment (TSA) employees are eligible to receive holiday pay if a partner is approved. TSA holiday schedules will comply with the project partner holiday schedule unless otherwise specified in the employment offer.
• TSA employees working five (5) eight (8) hour days per workweek will receive eight (8) hours of holiday pay for recognized holidays. TSA employees working four (4) ten (10) hour days per workweek will receive ten (10) hours of holiday pay for recognized holidays.
• Other approved workweek configurations may be accommodated accordingly through banked holidays.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

Wage: $26/hour with overtime paid at 1.5× the hourly rate.
Schedule: Full-time, averaging approximately 40 hours per week.

For assignments longer than one year, this full-time onsite position includes company-paid comprehensive medical, dental (with optional upgraded coverage), and vision insurance, as well as a $25,000 Life/AD&D policy.

Voluntary short-term and long-term disability policies are available, along with optional Life/AD&D coverage for family members.

Additional benefits include:

• Employer-provided mental health support resources
• Competitive paid time off (PTO) accrual
• Paid holidays

TSA employees who serve a term under 52 weeks in duration and have a break of 30 days or less between terms, and then sign a second term that cumulatively exceeds 52 weeks of employment, will become eligible for the greater-than-one-year TSA benefits equivalent to regular full-time employees

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 footprints of the 2020 McCash fire, 2022 Campbell fire, and 2022 Ammon fire. Hazards in burned areas may include hazard trees, stump holes, and root holes. Work will consist of marking trees on steep slopes and rugged terrain with areas of dense brush and down woody debris. Environmental hazards may include extreme temperatures, poison oak, ticks, rattlesnakes 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.