Forestry Technician (Research)

Conditions of Employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
• Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service or exempt.
• Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
• Successful completion of one-year probationary period, unless previously served.
• Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
• Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit E-Verify.
• Must possess and maintain a valid driver's license.

Qualifications

In order to qualify, you must meet the eligibility and qualifications requirements as defined below by the closing date of the announcement. For more information on the qualifications for this position, visit the Office of Personnel Management's General Schedule Qualification Standards.



Your application and resume must clearly show that you possess the experience requirements. Transcripts must be provided for qualifications based on education. Provide course descriptions as necessary.



Work Experience: Your resume must clearly document the following for each block of work experience: the beginning day, month and year the work assignment started and ended; the hours worked per week; position title, and series and grade if applicable; and description of duties performed. This information must be provided for each permanent, temporary or seasonal appointment/work assignment or volunteer work and should be clearly documented as a separate block of time. Incomplete, inaccurate or conflicting work history may not be credited for qualifications purposes. This can result in an applicant not being considered for the position.



Minimum Qualifications:



GS-05 Level: One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-4 grade level. Specialized experience at this level is defined as a minimum of 52 weeks performing ALL of the following:

• Collecting natural resource data in a field-based setting
• Assisting with interpretation of standardized procedures and/or protocol in the collection of natural resources data
• Assisting with identification of vegetation using field guides or botanical keys

OR

Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree (a) with major study in forestry, range management, agriculture, or a subject-matter field directly related to the position, or (b) that included at least 24 semester hours in any combination of courses such as forestry, agriculture, crop or plant science, range management or conservation, wildlife management, watershed management, soil science, natural resources (except marine fisheries and oceanography), outdoor recreation management, civil or forest engineering, or wildland fire science. No more than 6 semester hours in mathematics is creditable.



OR

A combination of education and experience listed above.



GS-06 Level: One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-5 grade level. Specialized experience at this level is defined as a minimum of 52 weeks performing at least 3 of the following:

• Collecting forest inventory or forest ecology data in a field-based setting
• Interpreting and applying standardized procedures and/or protocol in the collection of natural resources data
• Identifying plants using botanical keys or field guides
• Summarizing natural resource data in written reports

OR

One full year (18 semester/27 quarter hours) of successfully completed graduate level coursework that is directly related to the work of the position in fields such as Forestry, Ecology, Botany, and Environmental Science. The education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university.



OR

A combination of graduate level education that is directly related to the position and specialized experience as described above.



Notice of working conditions: The work requires strenuous physical exertion such as long periods of standing, driving, and hiking on and off trail over great distances and elevations; walking over rough, muddy, uneven, swampy, or steep terrain; recurring periods of bending, crouching, stooping, stretching, reaching, or similar activities; and lifting of moderately heavy items including navigating rugged, steep terrain carrying a 45+ pound backpack. On and off trail hiking and navigating are required nearly every field work day. The duration of the activity contributes to the strenuous nature of this work. The work requires substantial travel by motor vehicle and occasional travel by pack animal, fixed-wing aircraft, helicopter, ATV, boat and common carrier.



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, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Education

See above for education that may be qualifying for these positions.