Outreach

Forestry Technician (Wilderness/Trails)

GS-0462-04/05

Permanent Seasonal Position (13/13)

Blue Ridge Ranger District

Position Information:

The Blue Ridge Ranger District of the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest is planning to fill a Permanent Seasonal Forestry Technician (Wilderness/Trails), GS-0462-04/05, position with a duty station of Blairsville, Georgia. The primary purpose of this position is to serve as a resource advisor and trail/wilderness ambassador to visitors of the National Scenic Appalachian Trail (A.T.) in Georgia and associated Wilderness Areas each spring.
This position explains regulations concerning the Wilderness Act or Forest Orders, inspects assigned areas to determine compliance with regulations or specifications and explains or enforces use regulations according to the Wilderness Act or Forest Orders. The individual patrols wilderness and non-wilderness areas to ensure that areas are operated, used, and maintained in accordance with wilderness, Forest and A.T. management plans. Maintains visitors use records and prepares visitors use information for data processing and performs inventorying and monitoring of specific resources for Limits of Acceptable Change process.

The incumbent will be certified as a Forest Protection Officer and assist agency law enforcement personnel with violation information. This includes collecting evidence and providing documentation for cases of misuse of areas. Documents destruction to or impacts on campsites, trails, and other dispersed recreation areas and analyzes ways to educate users. The position identifies trail and restoration projects and trains crews in trail maintenance, improvement and revegetation techniques. The incumbent also performs and oversees routine maintenance at dispersed recreation sites including site cleanup and naturalizing.
The incumbent conducts education programs addressing Leave No Trace camping, wilderness philosophy and minimal impacts.

The position is also involved in the planning and implementation of wilderness and non-wilderness projects associated with trail maintenance and reconstruction projects. Performs trail log, condition, and prescription surveys. Serves as team member to complete project analysis as required by NEPA and requests for motorized equipment use in wilderness.

Permanent Seasonal Employment Specifics:

As a Permanent Seasonal employee, the incumbent is subject to seasonal release and recall to duty as a condition of employment meaning that the individual is released to nonduty status at the end of the season and recalled to duty the next season. Release and recall procedures will be based on a combination of factors subject to local negotiations.

The minimum period of work that is guaranteed and will be expected is 13 pay periods. The employee may work additional pay periods under a written agreement. After the minimum number of pay periods has been worked, and the employee is placed in nonduty status, any recall to duty for purposes of training or work may be done only with the mutual agreement of you and your supervisor. The minimum period may be reduced, following applicable procedures and notice. The calendar year is the basis for determining the period of employment. The initial year of appointment may involve less than the minimum period depending on the date of appointment.

Service credit under a Seasonal tour is credited in the following manner: “Service credit” is the amount of employment time credited to an employee’s record and determines eligibility for a variety of benefits. The following outlines the amount of service credit allowed during the employee’s nonpay portion of their tour.

1. Leave Accrual, Retirement, and Retention - Service credit is granted for up to a maximum of 6 months of nonpay status in each calendar year.

2. Probationary Period/Trial Period (when applicable) - A maximum of 22 workdays in nonpay status is creditable toward completion of the probationary period. This is 22 in the aggregate, not each time an employee is placed in nonpay status.

3. Career Tenure (Career Conditional Appointments) - The first 30 calendar days of each period of nonpay status is creditable for career tenure.

4. Within Grade Increases for Wage Grade (WG) - One workweek in nonpay status is credited for step 2, three workweeks for step 3, and four workweeks for steps 4 and 5.

5. Within Grade Increases for General Schedule (GS) - Two workweeks in nonpay status are credited for steps 2 thru 4, four workweeks for steps 5 thru 7, and six workweeks for steps 8 thru 10.

A Permanent Seasonal Employee who is expected to work at least 6 months per year (13 pay periods) is eligible for health and life insurance coverage. The employee is responsible for payment of their share of the health insurance premium while in nonpay status. If an employee is in pay status for less than 6 months, their benefits are affected.

Interested applicants should respond by filling out the Outreach Notice Reply Form at the bottom of this document and emailing () or faxing (706-745-7494) it to Andy Baker, District Ranger, by Tuesday, January 12th, 2016.

Eligibility Requirements:

For the GS-04 position, in addition to meeting the basic entry qualification requirements, applicants must have had six (6) months of general experience AND six (6) months of specialized experience equivalent to a GS-3 grade level. Examples of general experience include: Performed farm/ranch labor, such as feeding and tending livestock or general maintenance of farm/ranch facilities; cleaned tools and equipment; worked in a greenhouse or nursery moving, watering, and tending plants and performing other general labor; worked on a landscape or construction crew; other work experience, paid or unpaid, that demonstrates an ability to learn and perform the work of this position. Examples of specialized experience include: Forestry aid or technician work; Engineering, range, or soil conservation technician work that involved the application of cultural, resource conservation, or land management practices on non-forest or ranch lands when combined with knowledge of forestry operations and equipment; Farming or ranching work that involved application of cultural and soil and water conservation practices, including safety and use of equipment, and that provided a basic understanding of land use; Forest or range fire control, prevention, or suppression work.

For the GS-05 position, in addition to meeting the basic entry qualification requirements, applicants must have had one (1) year of specialized experience at least equivalent to GS-04. Examples of specialized experienceinclude: Performed routine maintenance at dispersed recreation sites including site cleanup and naturalizing; contacted user groups to provide wilderness philosophy, regulations, and current camp or fire restrictions; collected monies for sale of maps; issued campfire permits.

Substitution of Education for Experience:

The experience requirements for the GS-04 level may be met by successful completion of 2 years of study that included at least 12 semester hours in any combination of courses such as forestry, agriculture, crop or plant science, range management or conservation, wildlife management, watershed management, soil science, natural resources (except marine fisheries and oceanography), outdoor recreation management, civil or forest engineering, or wildland fire science. No more than 3 semester hours in mathematics is creditable.

The experience requirements for the GS-05 level may be met by successful completion of a four (4) year course of study leading to a bachelors degree or the equivalent. Education must include at least 24 semester/36 quarter hours in any combination of courses such as forestry, agriculture, crop or plant science, range management or conservation, wildlife management, watershed management, soil science, natural resources (except marine fisheries and oceanography), outdoor recreation management with natural resources emphasis, civil or forest engineering, or wildland fire science. No more than 6 semester/9 quarter hours in mathematics is creditable.

Equivalent combinations of successfully completed education and experience may also be used to meet the experience requirements.

Duty Station Specifics:

The Blue Ridge Ranger District office is located in Blairsville, Georgia. The district consists of 304,017 acres located in the center of the 865,000 acre Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests within a few hours of Atlanta, GA, Asheville, NC, Greenville, SC and Chattanooga, TN. Information on the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests can be obtained by visiting the Forest website at: http://www.fs.usda.gov/conf.

Community Information
Information about the local communities in Union, Towns, and Fannin counties be found by visiting the following websites: http://www.blairsvillechamber.com/, http://www.mountaintopga.com/
www.blueridgemountains.com.

Contact Information:

We encourage you to call or e-mail us as to your interest and to learn more about this position. This position offers a challenging and rewarding career opportunity with a group of employees, partners and volunteer who are focused on caring for the land, the public and each other. Andy Baker, the Blue Ridge District Ranger (706-745-6928 ext. 100), would be happy to provide additional information on the position.

The Federal Government is an Equal Opportunity Employer.


OUTREACH NOTICE REPLY FORM

Chattahoochee National Forest

Blue Ridge Ranger District

Forestry Technician (Wilderness/Trails), GS-0462-04/05

Permanent Seasonal Position

Please indicate your interest in this position by completing and submitting this form to Andy Baker, Phone 706-745-6928 x 100 / Fax 706-745-7494, 2042 Hwy 515 W. Blairsville, GA 30512 by January 12th, 2016. This will help us determine the level of interest of prospective candidates for this opportunity.

Name: ______Date: ______

Email Address: ______

Mailing Address: ______

City State Zip Code

Telephone Number: Work ______Home: ______

Agency Employed with: USFS _____ BLM _____ Other ______

Type of appointment: Permanent ____ Temporary ____ Term ____ VRA ____

PWD ____ Other ____

Current Region/Forest/District: ______

Current Series and Grade: ______

Current Position/Title: ______

If you are not a current permanent (career or career conditional) employee, please indicate your eligibility to be hired under any of the following authorities:

____ Persons with Disabilities

____ Veterans’ Recruitment Appointment (VRA)

____ Disabled Veteran w/30% Compensable Disability

____ Veterans’ Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA)

____ Former Peace Corp Volunteer

____ Pathways Program

____ Other (explain): ______

We appreciate your interest in joining us on the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest.