Position summary: The successful candidate will supervise and mentor both permanent and seasonal staff collecting tree data from Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) plots across the country.

Location: Flexible. Potential duty locations include the following states within 1 hour of a major airport: Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana. Successful candidate will be required to travel 40-60% of the year. Employee will be required to have a space within their home where they can complete computer work.

Duration: This is a permanent, year-round position.

Pay: $46,000 – $70,000 / yr, commensurate with experience.

Benefits: Paid vacation, health, and retirement

Minimum qualifications: Applicants must either have 1) A bachelor’s degree in forestry, natural resources, environmental science, biological science, or a related field, or 2) an associate’s degree in one of the aforementioned areas, and 6 months of related experience, or 3) 2 years experience conducting forest inventories.

Company description: Clearwater Forest Analytics (CFA) is a consulting firm based in Rapid City, SD that contracts with the US Forest Service to measure FIA plots across the United States. CFA has also conducted stand exams and marked timber sales for the federal government and has provided forest stewardship plans to private landowners.

CFA has completed forestry projects in multiple states, including MA, RI, MI, MN, SD, ND, NE, WY,  MT, ID, WA, and CA.

FIA program description: FIA is often referred to as the nation’s tree census. FIA data tells us how much timber, wildlife habitat, and carbon is stored in our forests, and how much timber is growing and harvested every year. Tens of thousands of locations are visited annually across the country. More information on FIA data collection and uses can be found here: https://vimeo.com/583539406 and https://vimeo.com/808750391

At each location, a variety of measurements are taken on every tree located within the permanent plot radius, including: diameter, height, timber merchantability, damages (insects, diseases, physical defects, etc), crown position, and others.

Position description: This position is supervisory. The successful candidate will be responsible for training new FIA crewpeople and also managing entire FIA projects, which can span entire states.

• The candidate needs to be located near an area where CFA is currently operating. These locations have been listed above under “Location”. Much of the candidate’s schedule will involve work that is local to their duty station. This local work may consist of 30-70% of the total workload, depending on the duty station. Although some of the local workload may be completed solo, much will be in conjunction with new staff. The candidate will be expected to train and mentor new staff in the FIA protocol. The rest of their workload will involve travel throughout the US to various projects, either working solo or in a team to complete FIA projects.
• Additionally, much of the employee’s time will be spent in their home office, 1) conducting post-fieldwork data processing and submission, 2) gaining permission to access FIA plots on private property using phone, email, and mailed letters, and 3) supervising field employees remotely. This position is roughly  80% field, 20% office.
• This position covers both standard FIA plots, in addition to Urban FIA plots. Standard FIA plots are located in forests throughout the US, while Urban plots are restricted to developed areas and capture the dynamics of city trees. The candidate can expect to spend time in both remote wilderness areas and highly developed urban settings. Hiking off-trail through heavy brush is often required.
• The successful candidate should be proficient with a variety of forestry tools, including a diameter tape, laser, clinometer, compass, GPS, aerial photographs, and portable data recorder (PDR).
• Previous experience measuring FIA plots is strongly desired. However, in lieu of this, a background collecting ecological or natural resource data in the field, paired with strong leadership experience (ie, supervising a field crew, hiring staff, planning work schedules, managing a budget, etc) may be considered.
• Many plot locations are on privately owned land, and the successful candidate will frequently interact with members of the public. A friendly, polite attitude and professional demeanor is a necessity.
• The candidate will need to operate a company vehicle to access work locations. Company will cover travel expenses.

Preferred qualifications:

• Expert knowledge of the FIA protocol, especially in the Northern Research Station (but FIA experience in another research station may suffice)
• Experience using multiple land ownership resources to gain access to FIA plots on private land
• Experience collecting general natural resource data in the field
• Proficiency using the MIDAS data collection software
• Supervisory experience over permanent or seasonal field staff
• Experience working outdoors in inclement weather (rain, heat, snow, etc)