The State of Alaska Division of Forestry & Fire Protection seeks a professional forester to join our team, which is focused on providing technical forestry assistance to private forest landowners in the forests of Alaska. The Forest Stewardship Program works with non-industrial private forest landowners to ensure they have information to meet their forest management goals and have access to federal cost-share programs for forest management practices; provides professional forest management advice through written Forest Stewardship Plans; and provides information on emerging opportunities in forest management.
 
Under direction, this position delivers professional forest management assistance to non-industrial private forest landowners in Alaska in accordance with Federal Forest Stewardship Program National Standards and Guidelines while meeting Alaska State Forest Action Plan goals and objectives. The position conducts outreach to promulgate the Forest Stewardship Program to members of the public; conducts field assessments upon request for forest landowners to determine forest stand composition, stand density, timber volume, regeneration status, wildlife habitat, riparian zones, recreation opportunities, and aesthetic values; writes Forest Stewardship Plans describing the current and desired future conditions of each forest stand on a property along with 10-year management plan activities needed to reach those goals; and conducts special projects such as applying for or managing grant projects related to private forest management.
 
Mission and Culture
The mission of the Alaska Division of Forestry & Fire Protection is to protect the lives and property of Alaskans from wildfire and manage Alaska’s forests to provide a sustainable supply of forest resources. We are leaders in forest management, forest practices, wildland fire management, and Cooperative Forestry programs across the state. Our influence crosses ownership boundaries through the leadership of all-risk incident management teams, the management of federal timber resources under the Good Neighbor Authority, and up-to-date best management practices that apply to all commercial forests. Our Cooperative Forestry programs include the Forest Stewardship Program, which is the primary source of technical forestry assistance for Alaskan forest landowners; the Community Forestry Program, which helps communities enhance the benefits of city trees and greenspaces through effective management; and the Forest Health Program, which is the primary source of forest health expertise and assistance in the state.
 
Benefits of Joining Our Team
The work provides exposure to Alaska’s unique physical and cultural environment. Alaska has abundant forest resources. Public lands are mixed with small private ownerships and large Alaska Native corporation ownerships. Forest management is primarily driven by small-scale timber harvesting for local small sawmills, with firewood harvesting also playing a role in commercial forest management. Wildfire risk mitigation through fuel breaks on Alaska Native corporation land, coupled with thinning, pruning, and reforestation for individual private landowners, are key aspects of the forest management recommendations made through the Forest Stewardship Program. Working in this position and environment will provide many opportunities to adapt lessons learned elsewhere and to develop new approaches in contemporary forest management and landowner assistance. Staffing in the organization is lean, providing an opportunity for broad exposure to our variety of missions; there are options for long-term growth and advancement in both the forest resources and fire programs. Career-long training and innovation are building blocks of our culture.
 
The Working Environment You Can Expect
This recruitment is for the position based in the Homer office, which has a seasonally active fire staff located in the same work location. The amount of office time varies seasonally, with the summer field season driving most of the demand for field work and associated office time spent in the colder months developing Forest Stewardship Plans. The balance of office to field work is approximately 60% office / 40% field over the span of the year. Most of the fieldwork is located within nearby communities that will not require overnight travel, with rare exceptions. Travel accommodations are typically in hotels or lodges with occasional remote camps or camping. Most overnight accommodations are in small communities. 
 
To be successful in this position, a candidate will need the following core competencies:

• Ability to identify issues, develop solutions, be a self-starter, and be accountable.
• Experience and competency with basic forestry field work and developing forest management prescriptions based on the landowner’s objectives.
• Knowledge and experience with timber cruising. 
• Proficient skills in written and oral communication and GIS software

Minimum Qualifications

Forester 1 – starting salary $25.88
Bachelor's degree from an accredited college in forestry, natural resources, or a closely related field that includes a minimum of 24 semester hours or 36 quarter hours in forestry or closely related curricula.
 
Substitution:
An Associate's degree that includes a minimum of 24 semester hours or 36 quarter hours in forestry, natural resources, or a closely related curricula from an accredited college and two years journey level experience in the technical aspects of forest management and practices such as fire prevention, fire suppression, timber sales, reforestation, or inventory will substitute for the required bachelor's degree. The required experience includes work such as a Wildland Fire and Resource Technician 3 or Wildland Fire Dispatcher 2 with the State of Alaska or the equivalent with another employer.
 
Substitution:
Certification from an accredited vocational-technical school in forestry, natural resource management, or a closely related field and three years of journey-level experience in the technical aspects of forest management and practices such as fire prevention, fire suppression, timber sales, reforestation, or inventory may substitute for the required bachelor's degree. This experience includes work such as a Wildland Fire and Resource Technician 3 or Wildland Fire Dispatcher 2 with the State of Alaska or the equivalent with another employer.
 
Certification via NWCG (National Wildfire Coordinating Group) Incident Qualification Card (AKA 'red card') within the preceding three (3) years in any of the following will substitute for the required education:

• Single Resource (CRWB, HEQB, HEMG, ENGB, FELB), or 
• Field Observer (FOBS)

For NWCG Incident Qualification Card certification information, see: National Incident Management System (NIMS).
 
Forester 2 – starting salary $29.73
Bachelor's degree from an accredited college in forestry, natural resources, or a closely related field that includes a minimum of 24 semester hours or 36 quarter hours in forestry or closely related curricula.
 
And Either
One year of professional entry-level forestry experience. The required experience is met by service as Forester 1 with the State of Alaska, or the equivalent with another employer.
 Or
Three years of journey-level technical experience in fire or forest resources management. This experience includes work such as Wildland Fire and Resource Technician 3, Wildland Forestry Technician 2, or Wildland Fire Dispatcher 2 with the State of Alaska, or the equivalent with another employer.
 
Substitutions:
A master's degree from an accredited college in forestry, natural resources, or a closely related field that includes a minimum of 24 semester hours or 36 quarter hours in forestry or closely related curricula will substitute for the entry-level experience.
 
Four years in any combination of post-secondary education from an accredited college
that includes a minimum of 24 semester hours or 36 quarter hours in forestry, natural resources, or a closely related field AND journey-level experience in the technical aspects of forest management and practices, such as fire prevention, suppression, timber sales, reforestation or inventory may substitute for the required bachelor's degree. (2.67 semester or 4 quarter hours of post-secondary education are equal to one month of experience). The experience includes work such as Wildland Fire and Resource Technician 3, Wildland Forestry Technician 2, or Wildland Fire Dispatcher 2 with the State of Alaska, or the equivalent with another employer.
 
Certification from an accredited vocational-technical school in forestry, natural resource management, or a closely related field and three years of journey-level experience in the technical aspects of forest management and practices such as fire prevention, suppression, timber sales, reforestation, or inventory may substitute for the required bachelor's degree. This experience includes work such as Wildland Fire and Resource Technician 3, Wildland Forestry Technician 2, Wildland Fire Dispatcher 2 with the State of Alaska or the equivalent with another employer.
 
Certification via NWCG (National Wildfire Coordinating Group) Incident Qualification Card (AKA 'red card') within the preceding three (3) years in any of the following will substitute for the required education:

• Any Strike Team Leader Positions (STCR, STEQ, STEN),
• Incident Commander Type 4 (ICT4),
• Any Unit Leader Position (TIME, PROC, COMP, GSUL, SPUL, PETL, INVL), 
• Any Manager Position (EQPM, HMGB, SENG, HEB2, ATBM), or
• Aviation Position (ASGS, ATGS)

For NWCG Incident Qualification Card certification information see: National Incident Management System (NIMS): Wildland Fire Qualification System Guide (PMS 310-1) or the NWCG Standards for Airtanker Base Operations (PMS 508).