Forestry Technician

Summary You will serve as a Forestry Technician and will plan and implement technical projects and perform duties in support of forestry program activities.

This is a term position (more than 1 year) with an initial appointment expecting to last at least 13 months but may be extended up to a total of ten years, or more based on any changes to regulations governing the number of years term appointments may last, without further competition at management's discretion.

Duties Some of the major duties you will perform include but are not limited to the following:

• Serve as a Project Inspector (e.g., observes contractor progress, observes whether or not compliance specifications are met, provides technical information, ensures quality control, solves logistical or operational problems, and maintains inspection diary) for forest restoration contracts/agreements within the scope of the incumbent's knowledge and authority. Forest restoration contracts/agreements include heavy equipment operations using ground-based and cable yarding methods.
• Use data Geographic Information (GIS) software to plan forest inventory, monitoring, and restoration prescriptions (marking trees for removal/retention; delineating project boundaries, riparian management zones, wetlands, and equipment exclusion zones).
• Implement forest vegetation sampling to characterize and monitor ecosystem response to restoration treatments including timber cruising using variable radius plots, establishing new and remeasuring pre-established vegetation plots, transects and photo points.
• Use database management systems and GIS to store and conduct advanced analysis of large data sets, create reports and maps.
• Conduct hazard tree survey and mitigation, mark trees for retention or removal with industrial timber marking paint while checking for stand density retention targets.
• Lead/oversee lower-graded technicians, interns, and volunteers in performing ecological field studies, vegetation, or restoration projects.

Redwood National and State Parks is located in northern California along the Pacific Northwest coastline. It is recognized as both a World Heritage Site and an International Biosphere Reserve. These designations reflect worldwide awareness of the parks' resources as "irreplaceable." Under the Redwood National Park Expansion Act of 1978, congress expanded the national park and directed the National Park Service to rehabilitate the previously logged lands within the park. Forty years of restoration efforts have culminated in formation of the Redwoods Rising Collaborative. Formalized in 2018, Redwoods Rising is a collaborative, landscape-scale restoration initiative among the National Park Service, Save the Redwoods League, and California State Parks. Together, we are implementing a massive restoration effort to improve forest and watershed conditions across the 120,000 acres of forests in Redwood National and State Parks. This position serves as technician and project inspector for restoration work under the Redwoods Rising banner.

For more information visit:

https://www.nps.gov/redw/index.htm

https://www.nps.gov/redw/redwoodsrisingmain.htm

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-11/18/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement.

To receive credit for experience, your resume MUST state either "full-time" (or "40 hours a week") or "part-time" with the number of hours worked per week to ensure proper crediting of specialized experience. Failure to adequately provide information needed to determine number of hours worked in each position may result in that time not being credited when evaluating qualifying experience. For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the full and/or part-time hours requirement as the service dates will be reflected.

Minimum Qualification Requirements:

To qualify for this position at the GS-9 grade level:

Specialized Experience Requirement: you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-08 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience meeting 4 of the following: 1) Conducting variable plot sampling for assessing forest resources; 2) serving as a Project Inspector, (e.g., contract monitoring) on construction projects and heavy equipment operations specific to silvicultural forest management; 3) delineating riparian areas, wetlands, and equipment exclusion zones; 4) marking trees for removal ahead of forest management operations; 5) Managing, analyzing, and creating project maps using large data sets with GIS; 6) collecting monitoring data including vegetation plots, transects and photo points; 7) leading field crews and training lower-graded employees and interns in forest management activities. You must include hours per week worked.

-OR-

Education: Successful completion of at least 2 full academic years of progressively higher level graduate education or master's or equivalent graduate degree related to the occupation, such as, forestry, range management, agriculture, or a subject-matter field directly related to the position, or 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. You must

include transcripts.

-OR-

Combination of education and experience: Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. To combine education and experience, first take the number of semester hours (or equivalent) earned towards a graduate degree, in excess of 18 semester hours, and divide by 18 semester hours (or equivalent). Then take the number of months of full-time experience and divide by 12 months. Add the percentages together. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. You must include transcripts and hours per week worked on resume.

Volunteer Experience: 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 You must submit a copy of your transcript(s) to support claimed education if substituting education for experience. Transcripts must include your name, school name, grades, credit hours earned, major(s), grade point average or class ranking, and date the degree was conferred, if applicable. A typed list of courses, grades, semester/quarter hours, GPA, etc. will not be accepted. Non-submission may result in being rated not qualified for the position. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work.

Foreign Education: To receive credit for education completed outside the United States, you must show proof that the education has been submitted to a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education has been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education programs. Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | U.S. Department of Education. https://www.ed.gov/about/initiatives/international-affairs/recognition-of-foreign-qualification

Requirements

• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
• Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
• Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service.
• Direct Deposit participation required.
• Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more, visit www.dhs.gov/EVerify/.
• You must be at least (1)18 years old or (2) at least 16 years old and: (a) Have graduated from high school or been awarded a certificate equivalent to graduating from high school; or (b) Have completed a formal vocational training program; or (c) Have received a statement from school authorities agreeing with their preference for employment rather than continuing their education; or (d) Be currently enrolled in a secondary school and either work only during school vacation periods or work part-time during the school year under a formal student employment program.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest will be evaluated.

This probationary period is an extension of the appointment process and therefore requires the agency to determine if continued employment would advance the public interest, meet the organization goals and mission of the agency, and/or otherwise promote the efficiency of the service. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, the agency will consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Under applicable law, the employment of an individual serving a probationary or trial period automatically terminates when that period ends unless the agency affirmatively certifies, in writing, that the individual's employment should continue and that their appointment should be finalized. In the absence of agency action to affirmatively certify continued employment beyond the probationary or trial period, such appointments are terminated.

Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

How you will be evaluated Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g. resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of any additional assessment(s) required for this position.

Your resume must not exceed 2 pages. Only the document submitted as the "Resume" under the Documents section will be used to determine your qualifications/eligibility and for rating purposes. In the event you submit more than one resume, only the latest submission will be reviewed.

Candidates will be rated and ranked using Category Rating procedures. These procedures place candidates with veteran's preference above non-preference eligibles within each category. Veterans with a service-connected disability of at least 10 percent are listed in the highest quality category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level or higher. Under Category Rating, candidates will be rated and ranked into the following categories:

• Best Qualified - applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are highly proficient in all requirements of the job and can perform effectively in the position

• Well Qualified - applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in most of the requirements of the job

• Qualified - applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in some, but not all of the requirements of the job.

You will be assessed in the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

• Forest Management
• Leadership
• Technical Competence
• Technology Application

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires successful completion of additional assessment(s), including a structured resume review. These assessments measure the critical competencies listed above that are required to successfully perform the job.

Current or former displaced Federal employees who are surplus, displaced, or involuntarily separated have special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP). To be considered under CTAP/ICTAP, you must be well-qualified, score at least 85 (i.e., meet the minimum qualification requirements, including any selective placement factors; education, and experience requirements), and be able to perform the duties of the position upon entry.

Providing false or misleading information on your resume or supporting documentation may result in removal from consideration or other action consistent with applicable federal hiring regulations. Applicants who include vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate language or information in their application package will be ineligible for further consideration for this position. How to apply Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply for and be considered for this position, you must complete all required questionnaires, assessments, select appropriate hiring eligibilities, and submit all required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the 11/18/2026--unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement to receive consideration.

The application process is as follows:

• Click the Apply Online button.
• Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. To PREVIEW the application questionnaire, select the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13106499
• Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date.

To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed.

Eligibilities:

Please ensure you complete the Eligibility section of this application. This section determines the hiring paths under which you may be considered for this position. You will only be considered for the eligibilities you select. Applicants are strongly encouraged to reach each eligibility carefully to understand the requirements and select all that apply. For each eligibility selected, you must upload the required supporting documentation. Review the eligibility descriptions to confirm you are providing the correct documents. You may select more than one eligibility, if applicable. If you do not select at least one eligibility, you will not be considered for this vacancy. To learn more about federal hiring paths, visit USAJOBS - Unique Hiring Paths.

To view the announcement status or your application status, visit https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to/application/status.

Applicants who apply under this job opportunity announcement agree to have their application, associated documents and applicable personal information shared with other Bureaus/Offices within the Department of the Interior (DOI) who have vacancies within the same occupational series, grade, full performance level and in the same geographic location(s), including within the same metro/commuting area. Applying to this announcement does not replace the need to apply to other job opportunity announcements for which you wish to receive consideration. Other information Additional vacancies may be filled using this job announcement.

Term positions do not convey permanent status in the Federal service. The agency retains sole discretion and without further competition, the right to extend the duration of this appointment after selection and/or appointment, based on changes to the term appointment regulation(s). No extension to a term appointment shall be granted to a selectee/employee to an amount of time that exceeds the maximum number of years authorized under any present or current regulation, unless such regulation expressly allows such action.

Physical Demands: The work ranges from sedentary when completing duties in the office to frequent field work requiring a considerable amount of walking, riding, stooping, bending, and lifting. Field work may occasionally require the incumbent to climb ladders and trees.

Work Environment: Office work is performed in adequately lighted, heated, and air-conditioned offices. Much of the time is spent in the field where exposure to extremes of heat and cold, rough terrain, insects, snakes, and other hazards are common. The work may occasionally require working at heights. The incumbent carefully adheres to all safety procedures to mitigate hazards encountered.

All Department of Interior (DOI) employees, their spouses, and minor children may not acquire or retain any claim, permit, lease, small tract entry, or other rights granted by the Department in Federal lands, with limited exceptions. Additional ethics prohibitions can be found here, https://www.doi.gov/ethics/ethics-prohibitions.

The duties of this position are suitable for telework only during an emergency or natural disaster.