Sustainable Forestry Specialist

The NorthWoods Stewardship Center is a non-profit environmental education and conservation organization located in East Charleston, Vermont. Our land management program has been active for over 2 decades in assisting private landowners in forest management planning and implementation, providing educational workshops and other resources, and carrying out research and forest management on the NorthWoods site.

Position Overview:

The NorthWoods Stewardship Center is now seeking a Sustainable Forestry Specialist, to serve a primary role in its newly created Forest Stewardship Institute (FSI). This full time position will be dedicated to advancing several goals of the FSI; including development of infrastructure and resources, educational programming, and applying sustainable forestry practices on the NorthWood's 1,480-acre demonstration forest.

Responsibilities:

This staff person will work closely with the NorthWoods Operations Director, Stewardship Americorps member, and other staff and will be a primary staff person implementing the goals of the new Forest Stewardship Institute. Responsibilities of the position will include:

Demonstration Sites (30% of time):

• Work with NorthWoods staff and external organization partners in the development and implementation of 6+ sustainable forestry demonstration areas on the NorthWoods parcel, and identify additional demonstration forests off-site for public workshops
• Assist in the completion of Timber Stand Improvement, Crop Tree Release, and commercial timber harvest activities on the NorthWoods site.
• Envision and research new demonstration opportunities
• Complete pre and post-treatment surveys at demonstration sites and analyze/ present data from these surveys

Outreach/Education (30% of time):

• Assist NorthWoods education staff in developing and presenting lesson plans that teach sustainable forestry concepts and are aligned with Vermont educational standards
• Envision and organize/ facilitate/ present public workshops with various sustainable forestry topics, including workshops geared to foresters and other resource professionals
• Assist in the development of a Northeast Kingdom Family Forest program to recognize and promote landowners that are implementing exemplary forest management practices

FSI Infrastructure and Resource Development (20% of time):

• Assist in trail and trailhead improvements, including directional signage
• Develop and install educational signage
• Assist in tree harvest, milling, and construction of bunkhouse
• Complete forest inventory and assist in drafting new Forest Management Plan for the NorthWoods demonstration forest
• Envision and develop other new FSI sustainable forestry resources

Landowner Assistance (10% of time):

• Conduct site visits to educate landowners and provide management recommendations
• Develop new resources for landowners
• Seek new ways to assist other area foresters and natural resource professionals in engaging more landowners in sustainable forestry practices

General NorthWoods staff responsibilities (10% of time):

• Staff meetings
• General facility upkeep support
• Greet visitors and promote NorthWoods programs and mission
• Attend/ participate in fundraisers and trainings

Qualifications:

The primary qualifications for this position are a background in forestry, a proven work ethic, and strong interpersonal and teaching skills. The successful applicant will have completed a 2 or 4-year degree program in forestry at an accredited college OR have some forestry coursework coupled with at least 4 years of forestry work experience. Other qualifications desired include;

• Experience successfully implementing management for income with other non-timber goals such as ecosystem services, wildlife habitat, water quality, and/or recreation.
• Proven effectiveness teaching multiple age groups- preferably content related to forest management
• Proven ability to develop and implement projects with minimal oversight
• Ability to work well with others including supervisors, peers, interns, and volunteers
• Strong organization and time management skills, and attention to detail
• Impeccable professionalism and interpersonal skills
• Ability to collect and enter data accurately and efficiently
• Computer skills, preferably including experience with GIS (ArcView v9.2), Microsoft Excel, and forestry databases
• Enthusiasm, flexibility, and ability to problem solve

Compensation: The Sustainable Forestry Specialist is a full-time position, currently funded for 20 months (November, 2012 through June 2014), with the potential for extended employment, dependent on additional funding. Start and end dates are flexible within 1-2 months. This position is hourly, with a 38-hour work week and a pay rate of $11.50/hour. On-site housing in a shared staff cabin (valued at $250/month or $3,000/year) is also available, as are the use of NorthWoods recreational equipment when available (canoes, Nordic skis, snowshoes, etc).

To Apply:

Please submit by e-mail:

1. A brief cover letter describing your interest in this position and your most pertinent qualifications.
2. A current resume.
3. Name, title/relationship, and up-to-date contact information of at least 3 references.
4. Current e-mail, mailing address, and phone number(s) where you can be reached. Please indicate if certain days of the week/ hours of the day are preferred for contacting you.

Closes 9/26/12.