Employment with the Forest Service?

[TFerguson]

I recently graduated with a Masters of Science in Forest Management and was recently hired at the NRCS as a soil conservationist. I don't think I can get enough experience with the NRCS to get certified with the state or SAF. I'm still wanting a career in forestry anyways and have been looking at timbersale technician positions. I should be able to get my SAF certification there right? Is it possible to move up from a technician position to a full forester position?

 

[Jacob J.]

With your education you'll easily be able to move into a professional forester position if that's the route you want to go. The field is pretty crowded so be prepared to move around a bit. You'll need to go through and graduate timber cruising school, which is a requirement.

The Forest Service actually makes a lot of the training publicly available. See here: https://www.fs.fed.us/forestmanagement/products/measurement/training/index.shtml

Slowp was a forester with the agency for many years. She can give you pointers on getting into the professional forester series.

 

[Ted Jenkins]

My opinion is that you just have to get hired and go from there. You will have to do what ever is required and hope for the best. I have always been good with my hands and great welding skills. So I apply for a fleet maintenance position , but they need good engineers to produce timber sales. They say no one needs fleet maintenance, but timber sales yes. I tell them my college was related to mechanical engineering not civil engineering. They tell me good enough. They provided some wonderful things in a beautiful place free of charge near a town that hated the USFS personnel. So much so a fellow was murdered in a tavern and none of the locals would say a word thus no convictions. I work with some resource people now and they all have degrees, but can not see them leaping ahead real fast. It sounds like you have already made commitments so just jump in and see what you can accomplish as hard workers do get noticed. Unless you are a minority. I was asked to be part of a FF team and I said sure. Soon I had experience on a hot shot crew and heli tack crew. I used my knowledge setting up pumping stations planning various issues related to FF. Thanks

 

[TFerguson]

The other questions I have is would I be able to still get certified if I stay put at the NRCS? Its not forestry work but I am writing management plans, with the occasional forest management plan.

 

[ATH]

couldn't pay me enough to work for USFS full time...

I worked for Ohio Division of Forestry and it was pretty good, but had some "government job" headaches. What I saw from folks who work with USFS, (besides some of the researchers) it seems like is all they get. More time filling out one more form just so maybe you can do a timber harvest without the plaintiff trying to stop the harvest winning the law suit...but they probably still will and the gov gets to pay their legal fees (again).

 

[Ted Jenkins]

I worked on many projects that were rejected from the start. Managment did not seem to care. It was basic math to go to a area cruise the timber calculate road contruction add a profit margin then determine if it was feasible. About 90% of the time they were not. We had a budget and that was all that mattered. As I went allong my involvement in FF operations gew, but timber sales diminished. We had a much bigger budget for Fire Suppression than projects that had high lead requirements.I went from a guy who had a plan to continue in to a field of fleet maintenance to a guy that was planning access to forest fires. It took time to be respected before I had any value. As time went on I wanted to make the USFS a life time career, but a person of color took my position so decided to move on. Thanks