STATE OF CONNECTICUT EXECUTIVE BRANCH JOBS

Environmental Protection Forester 2 (35 Hour)

Hybrid

Recruitment #231012-7616EE-001

Introduction


Are you a forestry professional, looking to grow your career? If so, read below and apply today!

The State of Connecticut, Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), has an exciting opportunity for a Service Forester (Environmental Protection Forester 2), with Connecticut's Central District, housed in the Private and Municipal Lands Unit of the Forestry Division.

  

What we can offer you
  • The opportunity to work for a Forbes top company: 'ForbesState of Connecticut Ranked One of the Best Employers of 2023 - State of CT Receives National Recognition for Offering Job Growth, Competitive Benefits, and Flexible Schedule.
  • A Platinum Healthcare Plan, the nation’s best for state employees and dependents, according to a report by Georgetown’s Center on Health Insurance Reform and article by Ellen Andrews, Ph.D., along with comprehensive benefit offerings.
  • State of Connecticut is an eligible Public Service Loan Forgiveness employer, meaning you may be eligible to have qualifying student loans forgiven after 10 years of service.  Click here for more information.
  • Extensive pension plan and supplemental retirement offerings;
  • Paid time off - including 13 paid holidays per calendar year;
  • Professional growth and paid professional development opportunities; and
  • A healthy work-life balance for all employees! 
Position highlights
In this role as a Service Forester, you will provide technical forestry assistance, outreach, and education to private and municipal woodland owners. You will work closely with program partners statewide to ensure woodland owners have the most accurate information and guidance needed to make informed decisions that ultimately steward an important shared resource. For example, you will play a key role in engaging Connecticut’s private and municipal woodland owners on the topics of climate science, disturbance ecology, stand development, and forest management, amongst other things. A focus of your engagement will be on highlighting the role forests play as a natural solution to climate change and the benefits of forest management in this context.  As a Service Forester you will work with program partners to facilitate an increase in the number of stewarded private and municipal wooded acres, with a current emphasis on the promotion of climate smart forest management.
Responsibilities may also include:
  • Providing forest resource management activities on assigned areas of State owned lands;
  • Leading the work of foresters and other forest workers including review of completed land management and cutting plans;
  • Providing professional services to private land owners, primary processors of forest products and towns regarding most effective use of forest resource management principles;
  • Writing and reviewing reports, environmental impact statements, correspondence, bids and contract specifications as required;
  • Maintaining records; and
  • Developing and implementing forest management and related programs.
You will also have the opportunity to:
  • Direct and coordinate special projects related to forestry;
  • Coordinate or direct fire fighting, protection and control activities, and oversee the work of logging and construction contractors;
  • Speak before interested groups and plan and conduct workshops, programs, informational meetings or tours; and
  • Develop educational and informational materials for public or private groups.

This position is based out of Marlborough, CT and covers the central one-third of Connecticut, which includes part of Hartford County, and all of Middlesex and New Haven counties. It is one of three service forestry positions, which collectively cover the entire state. 

This full-time position is 35 hours per week, Monday through Friday. Some evening and weekends may be required. Teleworking opportunities may be available.

About us
At DEEP, we are dedicated to conserving, improving and protecting our natural resources and the environment- and increasing the availability of cheaper, cleaner and more reliable energy.  The mission of the Bureau of Natural Resources is to conserve and enhance Connecticut’s fish, wildlife and forest resources and to enhance opportunities for public use and appreciation. The Bureau of Natural Resources is made up of three Divisions (Fisheries, Forestry and Wildlife) and a central office. 
 
DEEP's Forestry Division encourages the long-term practice of responsible and sustainable forest management. We accomplish this by;
  • Protecting Connecticut's forest resources from the effects of fire, insects, disease, and misuse. 
  • Providing accurate and timely information about Connecticut's forest resources.
  • Certifying forest practitioners.
  • Managing the State Forests, in which exist many large blocks of unfragmented forest land.
  • Engaging municipalities and citizens in the work of urban forestry.
  • Providing guidance and technical support to private forestland owners.
The Forestry Division has several units of focus, each specializing in achieving these goals as relevant to their programs. These units include State Lands Management, Private & Municipal Lands, Forest Protection, Forest Planning, Forest Practices Act, and Utilization and Marketing. 

With over 70% of forest land in Connecticut owned by private landowners, Service Forestry seeks to assist these woodland owners to take an active interest in what occurs in their forest, and implement a program of forest management. Collectively private woodland owners have an enormous influence over the quality and extent of our forests, and play a critical role in the success of forests functioning as a natural climate change solution. 

              
 

Selection Plan

Special Notice: Incumbents in this class will be required to possess and retain certification as a Forester in accordance with Section 23-65h of the Connecticut General Statutes unless already certified by another reciprocating state. Applicants not currently certified as a If not already a licensed practitioner, the Service Forester must take the certification exam on March 6, 2024. Exam pre-registration is required by February 6, 2024.
Before you apply:
  • In order to be considered for this job opening, you must meet the Minimum Qualifications as listed on the job opening. You must specify your qualifications on your application.
  • The minimum experience and training requirements must be met by the close date on the job opening, unless otherwise specified.
  • Ensure that your application is complete and detailed before submitting it. In order to comply with Public Act 21-69, the State of Connecticut is no longer asking for resumes during the initial application process. You will not be able to make revisions once your application is submitted into the JobAps system.
  • All application materials must be received by the recruiting agency by the time specified on the job opening for the position for which you are applying. Late applications may not be submitted and will not be considered. Exceptions are rare and limited to documented events that incapacitate a candidate during the entire duration of the job posting time period. It is the candidate’s obligation and responsibility to request an exception and provide a legally recognized justification to accommodate such exception. Requests should be made to DAS.SHRM@ct.gov.
Important information for after you apply:
  • This posting may require completion of additional referral questions (RQs). You can access these RQs via an email that will be sent to you after the posting's closing date or by visiting your JobAps Personal Status Board (Certification Questionnaires section). Your responses to these RQs must be submitted by the questionnaire's expiration date. Please regularly check your email and JobAps Personal Status Board for notifications. Please check your SPAM and/or Junk folders on a daily basis in the event an email provider places auto-notification emails in a user's spam.
  • Although applicants will receive correspondence via email, as a backup they are also encouraged to sign on to their Personal Status Board on a daily basis to monitor their status, view all emailed notices and complete tasks required in the recruitment process.
  • Note: At any point during the recruitment process, applicants may be required to submit additional documentation which support their qualification(s) for this position. These documents may include: a cover letter, resume, performance reviews, attendance records, supervisory references, licensure, etc., at the discretion of the hiring agency.
  • The immediate vacancy is listed above, however, applications to this recruitment may be used for future vacancies in this job class.
Questions about this position should be directed to Mackenzie Robinson at mackenzie.robinson@ct.gov.

PURPOSE OF JOB CLASS (NATURE OF WORK)

In the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, Division of Forestry this class is accountable for acting as a working lead and/or for performing the most complex tasks in forest resource management and protection activities.

EXAMPLES OF DUTIES

  • Works independently providing technical assistance to private and municipal woodland owners for the Division of Forestry;
  • Develops and implements USDA Forest Stewardship, assists with Urban and Community Forestry plans. Prepares and inputs grant narrative accomplishments;
  • Coordinates and conducts educational workshops for interested groups regarding various aspects of forest management, current-use woodland taxation, climate change, forest carbon, forest health, insects and disease, and other natural resource interests and issues;
  • Acts as a Department representative at technical and professional meetings;
  • Provides statewide coverage to the USDA Forest Stewardship Program through the collection and reporting of forest management plans written to USDA Forest Stewardship Plan writing standards in SMART, the USDA national reporting database;
  • Assists managing USDA Forest Legacy program including public outreach, technical assistance, and annual easement monitoring;
  • May assist Land Acquisition Division and Forest Planner with natural resource assessments and resolution of easement violations;
  • May lead and assist in fire prevention and control activities including the training and direction of fire wardens and crews; may be required to assist other states or federal agencies on emergency assignments; performs related duties as required;
  • Performs miscellaneous administrative duties: uses personal computer (write reports, databases, GIS);
  • Responds (e.g., written & orally) to correspondence & inquiries;
  • Provides recommendations to supervisor & staff on assessment of programs to improve efficiency; reviews plans & documents prepared by others;
  • Applicants must have and maintain the agility, endurance and physical ability to perform the required work. A physical examination may be required prior to and/or during employment in this class;
  • Incumbents in this class may be exposed to some risk of injury or personal harm from on-site field conditions and a moderate degree of discomfort from year-round weather conditions;
  • Incumbents in this class may be required to travel.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILL AND ABILITY

  • Considerable knowledge of the principles and practices of silviculture and forest resource management, silvics, forest mensuration, aerial photogrammetry, forest products marketing and utilization, forest surveys and type-mapping, forest recreation, forest diseases and insects; 
  • Knowledge of
    • laws and regulations pertaining to forest lands, arboriculture, and related resources; 
    • forest land tax classification laws; 
  • Skills
    • interpersonal skills; 
    • oral and written communication skills; 
  • Considerable ability to keep records and make reports; 
  • Ability to
    • develop short and long range forest management plans and programs; 
    • review and evaluate forest management plans; 
    • coordinate and oversee forest fire prevention and control; 
    • utilize computer software; 
    • lead.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - GENERAL EXPERIENCE

Seven (7) years of experience performing technical analysis in forest management.

NOTE: Forest management is defined as professional level forestry work requiring a knowledge of such scientific fields as dendrology, silvics and silviculture, engineering, forest economics, forest influences, and forest pathology and entomology and the application of their principles to the production of goods and services.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - SUBSTITUTIONS ALLOWED

  • College training in forestry, forest management as defined or arboriculture may be substituted for the General Experience on the basis of fifteen (15) semester hours equalling one-half (1/2) year of experience to a maximum of four (4) years for a Bachelor's degree.
  • A Master's degree in forestry or forest management as defined may be substituted for one (1) additional year of the General Experience.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

  • Experience in the application of principles and practices of silvics, silviculture, forest mensuration, private forest land management, municipal forest land management, and forest products marketing. 
  • Experience with developing and implementing forest management plans.
  • Experience in applying written and oral communication to convey the principles and practices of climate science, forest ecology, forest health and resilience, carbon forestry, or urban and community forest management.
  • Experience with working independently and with others to develop and implement a project specific to vocational duties. 
  • Experience with interpreting laws pertaining to forest lands, including forest land tax classification laws.
  • Experience with developing and implementing adult education.
  • Experience utilizing computer software, forestry and natural resource management phone apps, geographic information systems, and electronic field data collection.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

  • Incumbents in this class must be willing to accept assignment or transfer to any area of the state.
  • Incumbents in this class may be required by the appointing authority to possess and retain appropriate current licenses, permits and/or certification including a standard first aid certificate. Incumbents may be required to perform emergency first aid as needed.
  • Incumbents in this class must obtain a Commercial Supervisory Certificate for the application of pesticides issued by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection within one (1) year of appointment.
  • Incumbents in this class will be required by the appointing authority to possess and retain certification as a Forester in accordance with Section 23-65h of the Connecticut General Statutes.
  • Incumbents in this class may be required to travel.
  • Incumbents in this class may be required to possess and retain a valid Motor Vehicle Operator’s license.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

  • Incumbents in this class must have and maintain adequate physical strength, stamina, physical agility, and visual and auditory acuity, and must maintain such physical fitness as to be able to perform the duties.
  • A physical examination may be required.

WORKING CONDITIONS

Incumbents in this class may be exposed to some risk of personal injury or physical harm from on-site field conditions and to some degree of discomfort from year-round weather conditions.

Conclusion

AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

The State of Connecticut is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and strongly encourages the applications of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

As defined by Sec. 5-196 of the Connecticut General Statutes, a job class is a position or group of positions that share general characteristics and are categorized under a single title for administrative purposes. As such, a job class is not meant to be all-inclusive of every task and/or responsibility.