Watershed Forester
NYC Dep’t of Environmental Protection
Downsville, NY
Description:
To apply, go to Jobs Home | City of New York (nyc.gov) and enter the Job ID 581018 into the search bar. This job is located in Downsville, NY.
Job Description
The NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) enriches the environment and protects public health for all New Yorkers by providing 1.1 billion gallons of high quality drinking water, managing wastewater and stormwater, and reducing air, noise, and hazardous materials pollution. DEP is the largest combined municipal water and wastewater utility in the country, with nearly 6,000 employees. DEP’s water supply system is comprised of 19 reservoirs and 3 controlled lakes throughout the system’s 2,000 square mile watershed that extends 125 miles north and west of the City.
The Bureau of Water Supply seeks to hire an Associate Project Manager I for a position with the Forestry Program, Natural Resources Division, Watershed Protection Programs Directorate, located in Downsville, New York. The Forestry Program oversees DEP’s City-owned watershed lands tasked with protecting, conserving and enhancing the water quality protection afforded by watershed forests. Forest management work is based on a Watershed Forest Management Plan that documents the extent and characteristics of the City’s forested landholdings and creates goals for the desired state of the forest over the long term to best protect water quality.
Under general supervision, the forester will be responsible for designing, planning, coordinating and directing the implementation of forest management projects and contracts that will include multiple components, such as invasive/undesirable vegetation control, commercial timber harvests, pre-commercial thinning, timber salvage, deer exclusion, and reforestation. The forester must be experienced and familiar with forest ecology, invasive species biology and control, forest restoration,, silviculture, best management practices, and timber harvest administration. Ability to prioritize forest treatments, plan effective projects, initiate procurements, make regulatory submissions, handle environmental reviews, prepare reports, and manage contractors is critical.
The forester will work closely with DEP Foresters and others using shared resources to achieve the goals of DEP’s Forestry Program. The forester will assist in the collective development and review of programatic forest resource management plans, implementation strategies, inventories, and forest assessments and planning. Additionally, the forester will be responsible for individually developing comprehensive forest management project plans and maps that describe all aspects and potential impacts of proposed projects, including current forest conditions, desired forest conditions, silvicultural prescription, timber harvest layout and access, water features, sediment and erosion control, protected species, invasive species, cultural and historical resources, recreation and neighbor impacts, and that include detailed and accurate project maps.
(This is a brief description of what you might do in this position and does not include all the duties of this position.)
Preferred Skills
A baccalaureate degree in forestry, forest science, natural resources management or a directly-related field from an accredited program and two years of full time experience in forest management, or a Master’s degree in the same disciplines.
Knowledge of: forest ecology, dendrology, forest types, stand dynamics, and silviculture of northeastern forests; forest inventory data collection and processing techniques; Best Management Practices to protect water; environmental health and safety practices in forestry operations.
Experience in preparing and implementing silvicultural prescriptions, timber harvest layout and administration, including use of forestry Best Management Practices, preferably in Northeastern forests.
Ability to communicate effectively in oral and written expression; to prepare and use charts, graphs, and tables; to communicate technical forestry concepts effectively to groups, including lay audiences; to work effectively independently as well as in a group; to maintain accurate records; to use independent judgment to make decisions; and to act quickly in emergency situations. Experience interacting with loggers, consultants, regulators, town boards, landowners, abutters, and other stakeholders.
Experience with ESRI (Environmental Systems Research Institute) ArcGIS software. Experience with GPS software, hardware and data collection
Ability to navigate effectively in the woods, and to work alone outdoors in rough terrain during harsh weather conditions, sometimes with limited means of communication.
A pesticide applicator’s certification or license and experience with chemical treatment of terrestrial invasive or interfering vegetation species.
Experience using chainsaws in a safe manner
A Drivers’ License valid in the State of New York.
To apply, go to Jobs Home | City of New York (nyc.gov) and enter the Job ID 581018 into the search bar. This job is located in Downsville, NY.
Additional Information: https://www.nyc.gov/jobs
Contact Name: Seth LaPierre
Contact Email: slapierre@dep.nyc.gov
Contact Phone: (607) 363-7028