Forester-Silvirculturist (II, III, IV)

BASIC FUNCTIONS OF WORK

The Forester/Silviculturist functions under the general direction of the Forest Program Manager and is in charge of all phases of Presale/Silvicultural programs on all Kalispel Tribe forested lands. Major areas of responsibility include identification and preparation of harvest units, timber stand improvement prescriptions, meeting annual allowable cut (AAC) targets, developing and maintaining annual and 5 year harvest schedules, planning and directing Forest management and inventory planning programs, and ensuring all forestry activities meet the requirements of the National Environmental Protection Act and Tribe cultural clearances. The incumbent recommends, designs, and implements forest management and habitat restoration/enhancement projects to improve forest habitat conditions for wildlife benefit on all Kalispel Tribal mitigated lands based on individual stand exam assessments. Prepares and administers contracts related to timber sales and timber stand improvement projects including planting, cone collection, mastication, and pre-commercial thinning. A Silviculturist IV (federally NASP certified) may serve as the Lead Silviculturist on the interagency “Trails” TFPA. Minor duties include development of programmatic prescriptions on USFS, WADNR, and Kalispel Tribal lands, development of site specific prescriptions in context with “Trails” programmatic EA, coordination with USFS, WADNR, and participating private landowners, and public presentations to interested/affected parties on proposed silvicultural prescriptions.

SUPERVISION RECEIVED

The Forester/Silviculturalist performs work under the general supervision of the Forest Program Manager with substantial latitude for exercise of independent judgment and decision making.  Work is reviewed by the Forest Program Manager through reports, meetings and one-on-one discussions. 

SUPERVISION EXERCISED 

The Forester/Silviculturist supervises two full-time Forestry Technicians who work in Forestry and Fire.

REPRESENTATIVE EXAMPLES OF WORK

Organizes and works closely with staff foresters and biologists to conduct forest stand and habitat assessment studies; determines extent of sampling necessary for prescribed standards of accuracy; performs independent office and/or field investigations.

Selects standardized statistical and research procedures; evaluates and analyzes collected data; formulates conclusions and writes summaries; drafts technical report sections for review by supervisory biologists;

Is responsible for all presale activities on the Kalispel Indian Reservation and fee land;  Sets up sale parameters including determination of cruise design, silvicultural prescriptions, harvesting methods and layout, new road location and design, timber appraisal, post-harvest treatments, volume to be harvested annually, and length of time of sale contract.

Prepares and updates 5-year plan annually that considers forest health conditions, landscape level harvest impacts, Tribal direction, and harvest levels recommended in the current Forest Management Plan and  works with all KNRD disciplines as needed.  Maintains harvest history spatially in ArcGIS and a rolling numerical tracking of past and future harvesting against the AAC.

Negotiates with landowners to protect forest habitat and forest health to obtain management of access agreements; provides technical consultation to Tribal members, landowners, businesses, agency personnel and other interactions with commercial or industrial activities; consults with other governments and agencies; land use planners and mangers.

Works closely with other departments such as roads, archeology, planning, and other departments to ensure timber sale requirements are met.

The incumbent is responsible for the detection and prevention/mitigation of insect and/or disease outbreaks.  Recommends procedures and management actions for best control methods to mitigate forest health issues.

Initiates and leads interdisciplinary team process for review and conditioning of all proposed harvest actions; ensures compliance of all actions with Tribal management plans and forest habitat protection regulations (e.g., SEPA, NEPA, NHPA, Hydraulics code, Shoreline Management Act, Forest Practices Code) and other applicable plans, laws and regulations are applied and implemented.

Ability to correctly write and prepare NEPA documents (CATEX, EA), WADNR Forest Practices permits and county (Spokane, Pend Oreille, and Bonner) forest management plans.

Directs the marking, cruising, and quality control of all allotted and Tribal timber.

Directs the writing of all timber sale documents, including but not limited to contracts/permits, prospectus, NEPA documents, prescriptions, Forest Officers Reports and advertisements.

Plans, prepares and directs forest health and forest development contracts such as planting, cone collection and processing, and pre-commercial thinning.

Incumbent is responsible for training foresters and technicians in proper field procedures to ensure silvicultural guidelines and ID Team recommendations are followed.

Maintains oversight on the Forest Inventory Analysis (FIA) and the Forest Management Plan (FMP) for all Kalispel Tribal and allotted lands.

Captures data and updates silvicultural and forest health themes utilizing GIS, GPS, or other tools.  In coordination with GIS Manager, maintains and updates silvicultural GIS layers to ensure accurate information is generated and mapped.

Is responsible for preparing and documenting timber appraisals requested by the housing department.

Recruiting Indicators (Knowledge, Skills and Abilities)

Knowledge of:

Practical and technical knowledge of vegetation sampling and monitoring methods, procedures, and technology, and skill to apply that knowledge with only general supervision to solve practical problems in a wide range of functions.

Knowledge of Kalispel Reservation flora and plant community types found.  Ability to quickly and correctly identify habitat types found on Kalispel Tribal lands.

Practical knowledge of statistics and sampling techniques.

Strong working knowledge of ArcGIS to develop and update geographic data bases reflecting vegetation monitoring, vegetation change, forest health identification and monitoring, and growth and mortality trends.

Knowledge of and experience utilizing GPS and handheld data recorders to locate and record field plots and collect stand, plot, and tree data for timber sales, timber appraisals, and reconnaissance projects.

Technical expertise in MBG TOOLS (or another cruise compilation software), Microsoft Word, Access, Excel, PowerPoint, FVS Or FPS (or another growth and yield modeling software), and GPS interface software such as Trimble Pathfinder and/or Avenza.

Ability to: write and speak clearly and effectively including the ability to synthesize research findings and formulate effective strategy for ecosystem restoration, including maintaining and increasing the presence of historically critical plant species to the Kalispel Tribe, to a variety of audiences; organize, schedule and implement plant communities and plant association research or management studies, including the ability to coordinate, lead or supervise technical or nontechnical volunteer or staff in performing variety of outdoor work tasks in inclement weather. Must be able to work effectively in a multi-cultural environment.

Minimum Qualifications (Education and Training)

Forester/Silviculturist II

A Bachelors degree in forestry, natural resources management, environmental science, or related field and minimum of 2 years of professional experience in silviculture and all phases of forestry management with experience writing silvicultural prescriptions. Applicants having experience working with habitat types located in Northeast Washington or the Idaho Panhandle will be given preference. 

A master’s degree in the applicable science may be substituted for 2 years of required experience.

Forester/Silviculturist III

A bachelor’s degree in forestry, natural resources management, environmental science, or related field and 6 years of professional experience in silviculture and all phases of forestry management with experience writing silvicultural prescriptions. Applicants having experience working with habitat types located in Northeast Washington or the Idaho Panhandle will be given preference. 

A master’s degree in the applicable science may be substituted for 2 years of required experience.   

Experience running and interpreting forest growth projection models (e.g., FVS, FPS, etc.) and volume estimation programs (e.g., MBG Tools).

Completion of a certified Silvicultural training program; NASP or CEFES.

Silviculturist/Forester IV

A bachelor’s degree in forestry, natural resources management, environmental science, or related field and 8 years of professional experience in silviculture and all phases of forestry management with experience writing silvicultural prescriptions. Applicants having experience working with habitat types located in Northeast Washington or the Idaho Panhandle will be given preference. 

A master’s degree in the applicable science is preferred.   

Experience running and interpreting forest growth projection models (e.g., FVS, FPS, etc.) and volume estimation programs (e.g., MBG Tools).

Completion of a certified Silvicultural training program; NASP or CEFES.

Completion of a silvicultural prescription defense and federal certification by a regional review panel.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The work environment for Natural Resources staff is multifaceted. Outdoor conditions make it necessary to be able to work and hike in inclement weather conditions and over variable and rugged terrain. Potential exists for interactions with wild animals, bees, and other natural hazards.   Indoor work can require long periods of sedentary work interfacing with others in meetings or completing reporting or data entry at a computer station. Work may also require specific specialized equipment operation (i.e., snow machines, tractors, etc…), regional travel, and overnight stays.

BENEFITS OF WORKING FOR THE KALISPEL TRIBE

The Kalispel Tribe offers the following competitive benefits for qualified employees:

• Free training and opportunity for tuition reimbursement
• Quarterly on-site financial planner to assist with financial goals
• Medical, dental and vision insurance
• Holiday pay
• Discretionary 401(k) matching contributions
• Life insurance and AD&D
• Employee Assistance Program
• Birthday rewards program
• Years of service program
• Discounts at select Kalispel Tribe-owned venues
• Discretionary Bonuses

Disclaimer: Certain Licenses and Certification requirements can be obtained once hired.