Forestry Crew Lead (Tahoe National Forest)

USFS, Tahoe NF, California

The Great Basin Institute, in collaboration with the USFS, is seeking a Forestry Crew Lead to oversee timber sale preparation, vegetation management, and forest restoration projects within the USFS Region 5 Tahoe National Forest (Sierraville Ranger District), located in California's Sierra Nevada mountain range. These initiatives support the broader Basin & Range Forestry mission of enhancing forest resilience amid evolving climate conditions and increasing wildfire risks, directly contributing to healthier, more sustainable forest ecosystems.

Essential Job Functions may include the following:

Forestry Technicians will perform a wide variety of activities to support all stages of project work. Forestry duties may include, but are not limited to: 

• Ensure crew safety and provide leadership and oversight to a small team (approx. 3 members).
• Coordinate daily tasks and project logistics, deliver or assist with training, and maintain communication with both USFS and GBI staff.
• Execute various forestry activities, including:
  • Timber sale unit layout: boundary delineation (using GPS navigation, flagging, and painting).
  • Tree species identification.
  • Green and salvage timber marking and cruising.
  • Conduct timber and biomass plot cruising.
  • Collect stand examination data and general silviculture data.
  • Identify resource concerns related to hydrology, heritage, wildlife, and recreation.

This role is ideal for experienced forestry professionals passionate about making a tangible impact on forest management and resource conservation.

All procedures will be performed in compliance with silvicultural prescriptions based on forest and treatment type and land management goals. Data will be gathered using standard instruments, direct measurements, general observations and on-site inspections. Project-specific training will be provided on tree-species identification, GPS data collection, tree marking, hydrology, entomology/pathology, heritage, fire/fuels and other elements. Prior experience in basic GIS skills, GPS data collection, tree-species identification, timber marking and cruising, identifying hydrologic concerns, recognizing forest entomology/pathology issues, identifying heritage sites and experience with fire/fuels assessments or related field tasks is preferred.

Requirements/Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, employees must be able to satisfactorily carry out each essential duty. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable employees with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree in Forestry (preferred), natural resource management or related field, with coursework (by position start date) AND one year of forestry related field work OR three years of professional fieldwork experience