Forester - Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs : Job Details

Summary This position is located with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Superintendent, Fort Apache Agency in Whiteriver, Arizona. To assist in providing protection and overall enhancement of forested lands on the White Mountain Apache reservation. This is a Bargaining Unit position, for more information see USA Jobs What are bargaining units? Responsibilities This position will perform under the general supervision of the Supervisory Forester. Your duties will include, but are not limited to: Forest Management Inventory and Planning: Determine Forest inventory sampling method and design; and coordinate or prepare forest management, fire management, and resource management plans. Forest Protection: Monitor management units to detect potential damage and loss to forest resources from insects or diseases. Forest Development: Develop forest development plan to identify program goals and objectives. Timber Sales/Presales: Design timber sale layout that include logging and transportation plan. Growth & Management: Works with tribal representatives and specialists from other disciplines to write portions of the management plan. This position is OPEN UNTIL FILLED and may be extended or closed prior to the current closing date. Applications will be reviewed every two weeks; the first cut-off date for applications is 10 business days from the opening date and every two weeks thereafter. Applicants with 10-point Veterans' Preference who submit a complete application after each two week cut-off date, but before the List of Eligible(s) is issued, will be considered and referred on the List, if qualified. Applications will remain active for 3 months. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS: (OPM Operating Manual, Qualification Standards for Professional and Scientific Positions). INDIVIDUAL OCCUPATIONAL REQUIREMENTS BASIC QUALIFICATIONS: 1. Degree: 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: OR 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. 2. Combination of education and experience: 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 in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: Minimum Qualification GS-5: Basic Qualifications meets the GS-5 requirements. Minimum Qualification GS-7: One (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-5 grade level: Work involving timber sale preparation; delineation of stand boundaries and harvest operability; designation of timber for harvest; stand examination and timber cruising; & preparation of documents relating to timber sale packages and other forestry matters. Or One (1) full year of graduate level education OR Superior Academic Achievement in undergraduate studies. Or A combination of education and specialized experience listed above totaling at least 100%. For example, 6 months of specialized experience (50% of the experience requirement) and 9 hours of graduate study (50% of the education requirement) would qualify an applicant for this position. Minimum Qualification GS-9: One (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-7 grade level: Work involving timber sale preparation; delineation of stand boundaries and harvest operability; designation of timber for harvest; stand examination and timber cruising; preparation of documents relating to timber sale packages and other forestry matters; administering the sale of timber through contract procedures; professional application of forest management principles; & training Forestry Technicians and Tribal employees in the technical and professional application of various techniques and procedures in Forestry. Two (2) years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree OR master's or equivalent graduate degree. A combination of education and specialized experience listed above totaling at least 100%. Only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours is creditable as a substitute for specialized experience. For example, 9 months of specialized experience (75% of the experience requirement) and 27 hours of graduate study (25% of the education requirement) would qualify an applicant for this position. Only education in excess of the first 18 semester hours of a graduate course of study is creditable. All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. Merit Promotion candidates must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the announcement closing date. Preference in filling vacancies is given to qualified Indian candidates in accordance with the Indian Preference Act of 1934 (title 25, USC Section 472). Additional selections may be made from this announcement if identical vacancies occur in the same location within 90 days from the closing date. Education If you are qualifying based on your education, you MUST provide transcripts or other documentation to support your educational claims. Unless otherwise stated: (1) official or unofficial transcripts are acceptable, or (2) you may submit a list with all of your courses, grades, semester, year, and credit for the course. All materials must be submitted by the closing date of the announcement. If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) were taken on a pass/fail basis, your claim of superior academic achievement must be based upon class standing or membership in an honor society. One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study. If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education which shows the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: FOREIGN EDUCATION Additional Information The full performance level of this position is GS-9. Promotion potential in this announcement does not constitute a commitment or an obligation on the part of management to promote the employee selected at some future date. A career ladder promotion is at the discretion of management, and in no way guaranteed. CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS: These programs apply to employees who have been involuntarily separated from a Federal service position within the competitive service or Federal service employees whose positions have been deemed surplus or no longer needed. To receive selection priority for this position, you must: (1) meet CTAP or ICTAP eligibility criteria; (2) be rated well-qualified for the position with a score of 85 or above; and, (3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP or ICTAP eligibility. For more information visit: . LAND MANAGEMENT WORKFORCE FLEXIBILITY ACT: If applying under the Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act, you must provide documentation to support your eligibility (SF-50) and performance (references and/or performance appraisal). Under the Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) two groups of individuals are eligible to apply under this announcement: current and/or former employees serving or who have served under time-limited competitive appointments at land management agencies. Land Management Agencies include: Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, and U.S. Forest Service. Current appointees: 1) must have been hired under competitive examining procedures to a time limited appointment with a land management agency; 2) must have served under one or more time limited appointment(s) by a land management agency for a period totaling more than 24 months without a break in service of 2 or more years; AND 3) must have performed at an acceptable level during each period of service. Former appointees: 1) must have been hired under competitive examining procedures to a time limited appointment with a land management agency; 2) must have served under one or more time limited appointment(s) by a land management agency for a period totaling more than 24 months without a break in service of 2 or more years; 3) must have separated for reasons other than misconduct or performance; AND 4) must have performed at an acceptable level through the service period. SPECIAL APPOINTING AUTHORITY: Certain candidates may be eligible to apply under a special hiring authority including those for disabled individuals, Peace Corps employees, Foreign Service employees, veterans, etc. For more information, visit the following OPM websites: USAJOBS Information Center: Vets Info Guide: VOLUNTARY SEPARATION INCENTIVE PAYMENT: Former Federal Employees are required to indicate whether they received a Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment (VSIP) buyout in their previous employment with the Federal government, and are required to submit a copy of the applicable Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) regarding the VSIP. Most individuals who accept reemployment with the Federal government within 5 years of receiving the VSIP amount, must repay the gross amount of the separation pay prior to reemployment.