FORESTER

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including time-in-grade restrictions, specialized experience and/or education, as defined below. TIME-IN-GRADE REQUIREMENTS: Merit promotion applicants must meet applicable time-in-grade requirements to be considered eligible. One year at the GS-09 level is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-11 level. One year at the GS-11 level is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-12 level. (Please submit your SF-50 that shows Time-in-Grade eligibility and reflects your title, series, and grade. No Award or General Adjustment SF-50’s will be accepted). Time-in-grade requirements also apply to VEOA applicants having held a GS position in the past year. See ‘Additional Information’ section. Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement. Basic Education Requirement: Degree: Bachelor’s degree or higher in forestry; or a related subject-matter field that included a total of at least 30 semester hours in any combination of biological, physical, or mathematical sciences or engineering, of which at least 24 semester hours of course work were in forestry. The curriculum must have been sufficiently diversified to include courses in each of the following areas: Management of Renewable Resources — study of the science and art of managing renewable resources to attain desired results. Examples of creditable courses in this area include silviculture, forest management operations, timber management, wildland fire science or fire management, utilization of forest resources, forest regulation, recreational land management, watershed management, and wildlife or range habitat management. Forest Biology — study of the classification, distribution, characteristics, and identification of forest vegetation, and the interrelationships of living organisms to the forest environment. Examples of creditable courses in this area include dendrology, forest ecology, silvics, forest genetics, wood structure and properties, forest soils, forest entomology, and forest pathology. Forest Resource Measurements and Inventory — sampling, inventory, measurement, and analysis techniques as applied to a variety of forest resources. Examples of creditable courses include forest biometrics, forest mensuration, forest valuation, statistical analysis of forest resource data, renewable natural resources inventories and analysis, and photogrammetry or remote sensing. (You must submit transcripts.) OR Combination of Education and Experience: Must have courses equivalent to a major in forestry, or at least 30 semester hours in any combination of biological, physical, or mathematical sciences or engineering, of which at least 24 semester hours were in forestry. The requirements for diversification of the 24 semester hours in forestry are the same as shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. (You must submit transcripts.) Applicants who meet the Basic Education Requirement meet the minimum qualification requirement for the GS-05 level. In addition to meeting one of the Basic Requirements listed above, applicants must meet the following Minimum Qualifications Requirement in order to be considered: MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: To be considered minimally qualified for this position, you must demonstrate that you have the required specialized experience and/or education for the respective grade level(s) in which you are applying: GS-11 Specialized Experience: One or more full-time years (12-months) of specialized work experience, equivalent to at least the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service, performing the following duties: Collaborating with clients and team members to implement conservation plans related to soil and forest productivity; Assisting in developing conservation or watershed planning and alternatives for woodland areas; Utilizing organizational standards, specifications, and field inventory data to develop technical materials about forest land conservation practices; and Providing on-the-job and formal training activities in areas of forestry techniques. (Your resume must CLEARLY demonstrate this experience) OR Substitution of education in lieu of specialized experience: Must have successfully completed at least three full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in a field such as forestry, dendrology, silviculture, conservation or other directly related field of study that provides the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. (You must submit transcripts.) OR Combination of Education and Experience: Must have a percentage of the education and experience as described above that totals 100% when combined. When combining education with experience, first determine total qualifying education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level; then determine experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level; finally add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100% to qualify an applicant for that grade level. (Note: Only education in excess of two years (36 semester hours) is qualifying when calculating education percentage). (You must submit transcripts.) GS-12 Specialized Experience: One or more full-time years (12-months) of specialized work experience, equivalent to at least the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service, performing the following duties: Collaborating with clients and team members to implement conservation plans related to soil and forest productivity; Advising on forestry-related research data and reports to develop program policy and guidance; Monitoring programs and policies to inform supervisor of potential conflicts or opportunities; Developing and implementing conservation plans to install forestry-related practices; and Developing and implementing training for woodland-related resource assessment, conservation planning, and best practices for management. (Your resume must CLEARLY demonstrate this experience) Note: There is no education substitution for the GS-12 level. IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s). Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. The OPM Qualification Standards for this position can be found at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/#url=List-by-Occupational-Series
This position is located in the Tennessee State office, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), US Department of Agriculture (USDA). The purpose of this position is to provide all services related to forestry and involves development, planning, contracting, and application of the woodland resource management systems which optimize environmental conditions favoring development best suited to the site.