HF&G is seeking a Forest Health Coordinator for the Great Lakes Basin Forest Health Collaborative. 

The long-term objective of the Great Lakes Basin Forest Health Collaborative (GLBFHC) is to expand and accelerate the identification, production, and planting of pest-resistant trees to provide improved seed sources for restoration plantings by public and private landowners across the Great Lakes basin. The GLBFHC coordinator works collaboratively with the U.S. Forest Service to support participatory resistance-breeding activities for tree species threatened by insects and diseases (including ash, elm, hemlock, and beech) with the goal of restoring affected areas in the region.

The coordinator’s primary mission is to facilitate the growth of resistance-breeding programs by serving as a liaison between research and on-the-ground implementation among a wide array of partners (state and municipal agencies, NGOs, private landowners, citizen groups, tribal nations, and universities). Responsibilities include raising awareness of resistance breeding and its value in managing invasive pests, recruiting partners to participate in all phases of the breeding process, and providing training based on protocols developed and validated through research.

Position Details:

• Exempt, Full-Time position
• Grant funded position through December 2026 with the potential for renewal

The coordinator must understand all phases of a breeding program which include:

• Monitoring, identifying and reporting potentially resistant trees
• Propagation and conservation of such candidate trees
• Establishing and maintaining plantings from seed or vegetative propagules for preservation of germplasm for testing field performance of genotypes (which requires data collection)
• Selection of parent trees suitable for seed orchard development.
• Develop protocols as needed for all phases of breeding. In some species protocols are not yet fully optimized by researchers, and some species may require more than one generation of breeding to achieve a sufficient level of resistance.

The coordinator is responsible for facilitating the creation of Regional Breeding Networks among Collaborative members that in some cases may require finding new partners or contractors to fill gaps in skillsets or necessary infrastructure to carry out all aspects of a breeding program. The coordinator will work with the breeding networks to identify funding sources, write grants and/or find a partner or FS researcher to consult. Members of a breeding network may play different roles in the breeding process but work together to create a complete pipeline from identifying resistant trees to installing test plantings, to achieve the common goal of developing an improved genetically diverse seed orchard appropriate for restoration plantings in a specific, defined region within the southern Great Lakes Basin. Multiple Regional Breeding Networks will be necessary to cover the range of each species over the long term.

Key Responsibilities of the Forest Health Coordinator include but are not limited to:

• Communicate with land managers, researchers, nursery managers and restoration specialists to always have current state of knowledge of research & breeding program progress for all species. Arrange to attend in person training when needed to learn new techniques.
• Identify partners and their interests and capabilities (volunteers, land for plantings, facilities for propagation, seedling production, etc.) through various outreach and education activities.
• Organize and lead educational meetings, training sessions and workshops as needed
• Build Regional Breeding Networks consisting of partners with shared interests and long-term mutually beneficial goals (ie improved genetically diverse, regional seed orchard)
• Facilitate goal setting for Regional Breeding Networks and coordinate with researchers (including the Executive Committee and Technical Assistance Committees when appropriate) for assistance in sourcing rootstock, assistance with vegetative propagation techniques, and planting design for various types of plantings, etc.
• Goals of Regional Breeding Networks should include one or more of the following types of plantings of propagated trees or seedlings selected as presumably having increased levels of resistance: preservation plantings, research test plantings, restoration plantings, and seed orchards within the Great Lakes Region.
• Work with Breeding Networks to assist in developing grant proposals and finding funding sources for priority projects, especially those that fill a specific need for establishment of plantings such as fencing and site prep for planting installation.
• Work with Holden Arboretum Communications staff and the GLBFHC Executive Board to develop communication tools for targeted and general audiences.
• Interact with citizen science app developers to stay up to date and provide training for partners to use such apps to report candidate resistant trees, and annual monitoring plot data. Review data input from GLBFHC partners and breeding networks annually to update and prioritize candidate trees for scion and/or seed collection.
• Maintain program database that includes all reports and updates of candidate resistant trees, accessioned resistant trees, clone banks, progeny tests, seed collection, germination rates, seed storage, and monitoring data, etc.
• Work with partners to develop Material Transfer Agreements or Memorandum of Understanding when appropriate, prior to beginning projects.

Position Summary:

• Planning Guided by Science (15 percent) 
• Planting and Monitoring (20 percent) 
• Build Partnerships (25 percent)
• Advocacy & Funding (10 percent)
• Project Management (30 percent)

​Qualifications and Skills:

• Minimum of a bachelor’s degree in forestry, horticulture, genetics, entomology, pathology, natural resource management, environmental science or closely related field is required. Graduate degree in a relevant field is preferred.
• A minimum of at least five years of professional experience in forest health, required
• A master’s degree will substitute for two years of experience.
• A PhD will substitute for five years of experience.
• Strong candidates for the position will have: (1) academic training in areas such as tree genetics, silviculture, horticulture, plant breeding, restoration ecology, forest pathology or entomology, (2) excellent communication skills (written and oral), (3) experience with outreach, team-building and facilitating multi-partner projects (4) basic understanding of forest tree breeding/tree improvement and (5) interest in participating in interdisciplinary, team-oriented projects to help forest managers restore key species.
• Ability to publish in peer-reviewed journals is a plus.

Working Conditions

• Primary work location: Holden Arboretum (Kirtland, OH) or USFS office (Delaware, OH).
• Occasional travel between the two locations will be needed for coordination with principal scientists.
• Regular fieldwork in rural and urban forest settings in Ohio, Michigan, and the broader Great Lakes region.
• Periodic travel for partner engagement, training, and coordination meetings.

Some of the reasons Holden Forests & Gardens (HF&G) is a great place to work! 

 Paid Time Off | 8 Paid Holidays a year | Work in a beautiful environment within Greater Cleveland | Discounts in our stores & cafes | Free parking at both campuses anytime we are open | Free admission to many Northeast Ohio Museums | Free Employee Assistance Program | And Much More!