The Forest Society is seeking a Field Forester to work on our team of Foresters and Land Management staff overseeing the important forestry work across our 200 forest reservations covering 60,000 acres throughout New Hampshire. The Forest Society is the State’s oldest and largest land trust and manages its conservation lands for multiple uses including sustainable forestry, habitat, and recreation. This full-time position works in our Forestry Department to develop and implement management plans, oversee forestry projects, and work as part of the larger lands team managing our lands.
We are open to training the right person who may be just beginning a career, or someone who brings relevant experience and knowledge to our team.
If interested, please e-mail your cover letter, resume and references to Sarah Alsamaraee, Forestry & Stewardship Administrative Coordinator at salsamaraee@forestsociety.org.
The Forest Society is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer.
No phone calls please.
FIELD FORESTER
Reports To: Managing Forester
Salaray Range: $40,000-$55,000*
*Dependent on qualifications/experience
This position is Full-Time, Non-Exempt, Permanent
Position Summary:
This position works as a team member in the day-to-day and long-term management of the Forest Society lands. Primary responsibilities include collecting forest inventory data & drafting management plants, timber sale administration, habitat project management, managing & analyzing data, developing & implementing new inventory methodologies as needed. Field Foresters ensure that property management plans are relevant and current and include actionable items such as ready to implement stand prescriptions. Field Foresters also manage the annual boundary line maintenance schedule, which includes the supervision of summer interns. Other duties include representing the Forest Society on State or Regional forestry related task forces, overseeing stewardship projects with other staff & volunteers, and assisting with educational content for field trips & volunteer training.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
• Collect forest inventory data along with other pertinent natural resource information.
• Analyze and interpret field data and prepare management plans and other related timber reports.
• Periodically update and implement new inventory methodologies.
• Work closely with other Lands staff in the field and office to collect, manage and organize data properly and accurately.
• Produce maps within ArcGIS that layer field data with other information sets for display within management plans or in other Forest Society digital or hardcopy publications.
• Initiate timber sale projects and provide supervision of said projects in coordination with consulting foresters.
• Plan, layout and administer timber sales where appropriate and when not overseen by a consulting forester.
• Periodically inspect and assess potential new fee reservation acquisitions and produce accurate reports and recommendations of such property visits.
• Assist in accomplishment of land management goals related to recreation management, facilities installation, construction and maintenance, and other manual labor duties as required.
• Perform and manage the Boundary Line Maintenance program.
• Supervise temporary summer interns.
• Maintain GIS data and other lands data, and field data collection hardware and software.
• Represent the Forest Society on state or regional task forces and committees such as the Prescribed Fire Council, Forest Pest Advisory Group, Tree Farm, Society of American Foresters, and others as directed by the Managing Forester.
• Oversee projects as needed such as infrastructure projects, volunteer workdays, ecological projects, habitat projects, and trail projects.
• Provide professional input for public field trips and education such as harvest tours, nature walks, land steward training and other education/outreach as needed.
• Assist Lands staff with the successful resolution of property encroachments and other stewardship issues.
• Provide content for forestry and land management related publications and website such as articles, blog posts and story maps.
• Periodically perform tree removal utilizing chainsaws and other power equipment. Maintain such equipment in working order.
Contributions/Outcomes:
• Goals for inventory and management planning are met.
• Goals for annual Boundary Line Maintenance are met.
• Data is properly and efficiently collected.
• Maps are accurate, well-organized and provide meaningful information to the user.
• Management plans are completed to Forest Society specifications.
• Interns are well-trained, work safely, gain valuable experience and accomplish work that is needed by reservation stewardship.
• Inventory field methods, reporting, and software/hardware is up-to-date and efficient.
• Represents the Forest Society to the public in a professional manner through actions and words at field trips, presentations, and other special activities.
• Maintain professional working relationships with outside contractors and consulting foresters.
Qualifications and Skills required:
• Bachelor’s Degree (or higher) in Forestry or a Forestry-related field.
• Possesses NH Professional Licensed Forester credential, or capable of attaining this license.
• Attentive to detail, highly organized and responsive.
• Field experience collecting timber data, or in other forestry-related activities under a variety of environmental conditions.
• Ability to work alone and unsupervised in the woods in all seasons, and weather and in rugged and remote terrain.
• Experience and confidence using compass, maps, GPS, Biltmore, clinometer, prism, electronic data collectors and other field tools.
• Experience using ArcGIS, MS Access, Word, and Excel.
• Strong communications skill – both written and verbal.
• Ability to work independently and/or as part of a team.
• Ability to effectively communicate with colleagues and the public about forestry.
• Valid drivers license, proof of acceptable automobile insurance and reliable transportation.
• Some flexibility in work schedule (occasional overnight stays or weekend work).
Working Conditions:
Approximately 65% of time will be spent in the field and 35% of time in the office. Occasional weekend or evening work required. Environmentally sustainable office building within walking distance of wooded trails. Must be willing to work strenuous days and occasional weekends.
Physical Requirements:
Field work on Forest Society Reservations may be physically demanding in various weather conditions year-round. Reservations are located throughout the State of New Hampshire in sometimes difficult and remote terrain. Field Foresters carry their own daily supplies and may work alone on long distances from roads.
Direct Reports:
Temporary summer stewardship interns
Equity, Inclusion & Collaboration:
The Forest Society is an equity-based employer. We value a diverse staff and an inclusive culture. We value staff that work for the good of the whole; that can effectively collaborate to achieve shared goals of their department, as well as the organization. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, veteran status, or any other protected status as required by applicable law.