Forestry Tech

Program

AmeriCorps Working Lands Climate Corps

Purpose

The Corps Network, the National Association of Service and Conservation Corps, is pleased to partner with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)/United States Department of Agriculture, AmeriCorps, and the National Association of Conservation Districts to implement the Working Lands Climate Corps (WLCC). A program of the American Climate Corps, the WLCC will engage at least 100 young adults in technical skills and climate work across the country.

The WLCC members will provide outreach and education around climate-smart agriculture assistance to farmers, ranchers, and communities. WLCC host organizations will work with state and county-level NRCS staff to facilitate conservation and climate resilience projects, track WLCC member activities, and train members for careers in Climate Smart Agriculture and Forestry.

Host Organization

American Forest Foundation

The American Forest Foundation (AFF) unlocks the power of family forests as a climate solution while helping thousands of landowners care for their land and improve forest health. Through its Family Forest Carbon Program (FFCP), AFF expands access to the voluntary carbon market for family forest owners from all walks of life while producing high quality forest carbon credits to help companies reach their net zero goals. The organization’s strategic direction seeks to enable family forests to capture and store one billion tonnes of carbon by 2050.

We do not do this alone. AFF works across a broad coalition of conservation partners, corporations, and policymakers to equip family forest owners with financial and technical support to implement sustainable forest management practices on their lands and activate their forests as a critical tool in the fight against climate change.

AFF is in a mode of complex problem solving and rapid iteration. All teams at AFF are working to discover solutions to the planet’s most pressing climate issues through developing and iterating viable and scalable models for impact. AFF is driven by values of our shared purpose, measurable and verifiable results, and learning for continuous improvement to tackle big conservation challenges.

You have the unique and exciting opportunity to work with amazing colleagues, partners and landowners to help connect forest landowners with technical and financial assistance to better steward their land and achieve vital landscape-scale conservation impacts.

Your contributions and leadership will be appreciated. Our staff is passionate, dedicated and good at what they do, and will be deeply grateful for your efforts to create and preserve an environment that is both fun and fair.

We offer a flexible work environment that respects your life outside of work.

Service Location(s):

Bangor, Maine

Term Of Service

Full Time (1,700 hours). Additional program hours may be required.

Anticipated Start Date

June 2024

Member Benefits

A living allowance of $28,985.77 distributed over the course of the term of service.

Healthcare coverage.

Childcare coverage if the member qualifies.

Student loan forbearance and interest payments if the member qualifies.

Upon successful completion, the member will receive a Segal AmeriCorps Education Award of $6,895.00.

Description Of Duties

The Forestry Tech, Family Forest Carbon Program (FFCP), builds relationships with and provides direct technical assistance to landowners interested in the FFCP. This role ensures a positive experience and excellent stewardship of landowners involved in the Family Forest Carbon Program. First and foremost, this role will provide top-notch “customer service” and management information/options to landowners. This includes keeping track of follow-up steps for landowners and engaging in on-the-ground visits with interested landowners. The Forestry Tech works collaboratively with the Northeast Senior Forestry Manager and the rest of the National Forestry Team to plan projects for landowners.

This position will focus on the state of Maine but may be subject to traveling to other regions and states periodically. Ideally a candidate will reside near Bangor, Maine

Essential Accountabilities/Responsibilities

The primary functions of this position include, but are not limited to the following:

• Steward a portfolio of landowners, including conducting initial phone calls, keeping track of follow-up steps using an online Customer Relationship Management tool, and continuing to engage with landowners through the enrollment process.
• Conduct on-the-ground visits with interested landowners, including conducting forest inventory measurements such as diameter at breast height, average stand diameter, tree height, and project area delineation.
• Utilize forest measurements and make calculations using various computer tools, including Excel and the Landowner Customer Relationship Management Tools, to determine woodland eligibility and plan FFCP projects on behalf of landowners.
• Apply forestry tools and measurements to summarize a project area into a Forest Management Plans for landowners’ woodlands enrolled in the FFCP.
• Collaborate with the FFCP team and landowners to ensure a positive landowner experience and seek ways to streamline and improve the program for landowners. Ensure that each landowner has a positive experience and provide excellent stewardship of landowners involved in the Family Forest Carbon Program.
• Provide timely follow-up and answer questions for landowners as they consider enrolling in the Family Forest Carbon Program.
• Other duties as assigned

At least 80% of the member’s AmeriCorps hours will be spent in direct service and/or capacity-building activities.

While Charging Time To The AmeriCorps Program, Accumulating Service Or Training Hours, Or Otherwise Performing Activities Supported By The AmeriCorps Program Or The Corporation, Staff And Members May Not Engage In The Following Activities

• Attempting to influence legislation;
• Organizing or engaging in protests, petitions, boycotts, or strikes;
• Assisting, promoting, or deterring union organizing;
• Impairing existing contracts for services or collective bargaining agreements;
• Engaging in partisan political activities, or other activities designed to influence the outcome of an election to any public office;
• Participating in, or endorsing, events or activities that are likely to include advocacy for or against political parties, political platforms, political candidates, proposed legislation, or elected officials;
• Engaging in religious instruction, conducting worship services, providing instruction as part of a program that includes mandatory religious instruction or worship, constructing or operating facilities devoted to religious instruction or worship, maintaining facilities primarily or inherently devoted to religious instruction or worship, or engaging in any form of religious proselytization;
• Providing a direct benefit to—
• A business organized for profit;
• A labor union;
• A partisan political organization;
• A nonprofit organization that fails to comply with the restrictions contained in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 except that nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent participants from engaging in advocacy activities undertaken at their own initiative;
• An organization engaged in the religious activities described in paragraph (g) of this section, unless Corporation assistance is not used to support those religious activities; and
• Conducting a voter registration drive or using Corporation funds to conduct a voter registration drive;
• Providing abortion services or referrals for receipt of such services; and
• Such other activities as the Corporation may prohibit.

Individuals may exercise their rights as private citizens and may participate in the activities listed above on their initiative, on non-AmeriCorps time, and using non-Corporation funds. Individuals should not wear the AmeriCorps logo while doing so.

This position does not have recurring access to vulnerable populations.

Qualifications

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

Education/Experience

Required: 2 or 4-year degree in forestry, natural resource management, wildlife habitat management, ecology, ecosystem management, etc.

Preferred: 1-2 years of experience in forest operations, forest carbon, conservation, or equivalent combination of education and experience. SAF accreditation and/or ACF member.

Required Specific Experience

• Experience working directly with forest landowners with demonstrated positive outcomes.
• Familiarity with forest dendrology and mensuration.
• Experience with forest management plans for timber and wildlife outcomes, and forest certification programs
• Understanding of the relevance of sustainability, climate science and policy, natural climate solutions, and carbon sequestration.
• Basic computer literacy, including experience with Microsoft Office suite of programs and GIS
• Required Personal Attributes
• Both personable and flexible with the ability to work under pressure and adapt based on what is learned through experience.
• A sound work ethic with the ability to act both independently and as part of a team.
• Strong initiative; a self-starter with tenacity, resilience, and high energy.
• Ability to thrive in a collaborative environment.
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to interact with a wide variety of constituencies, including co-workers, business and community leaders, partners, donors, board members, volunteers, public officials, and the public at large, in a wide variety of settings.
• Customer service mindset
• Excellent organizational skills with attention to detail and the ability to effectively plan and problem solve
• Time management skills, with the ability to prioritize, coordinate and manage multiple priorities
• Ability and willingness to travel as needed

Language Ability

Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, and governmental regulations. Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, customers, and the general public.

Math Ability

Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals.

Reasoning Ability

Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists. Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.

Computer Skills

To perform this job successfully, an individual should be proficient on an IBM-PC using Microsoft Office, MS Word, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint, HTML, and various internet search engines. Experience with database applications required. Proficiency with ArcGIS or other GIS systems is preferred.

Certificates And Licenses

Preferred but not required: Registration as a licensed forester with SAF and/or ACF member, or willingness and ability to become a member/registered.

Supervisory Responsibilities

This position directly supervises the following positions:

None

Work Environment

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Atmosphere and environment associated with a remote office.
• Multiple days in the woods per week, conducting site visits with landowners, sometimes requiring working outdoors in mild inclement weather.
• Personal vehicle and valid drivers license needed to travel to assigned properties. Candidate will be reimbursed for vehicle travel.

Vision Requirement

Both close and distance vision are required to perform the duties of this job.

Eligibility

An AmeriCorps participant must—

• Be at least 17 years of age at the commencement of service; or
• Be an out-of-school youth 16 years of age at the commencement of service participating in a program described in
• 2522.110(b)(3) or (g);
• Have a high school diploma or its equivalent; or
• Not have dropped out of elementary or secondary school to enroll as an AmeriCorps participant and must agree to obtain a high school diploma or its equivalent prior to using the education award; or
• Obtain a waiver from the Corporation of the requirements in paragraphs (a)(2)(i) and (a)(2)(ii) of this section based on an independent evaluation secured by the program demonstrating that the individual is not capable of obtaining a high school diploma or its equivalent; or
• Be enrolled in an institution of higher education on an ability to benefit basis and be considered eligible for funds under section 484 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1091);
• Be a citizen, national, or lawful permanent resident alien of the United States;
• Satisfy the National Service Criminal History Check eligibility criteria pursuant to 45 CFR 2540.202.

Other Requirements

All prospective members must agree to provide information required to determine eligibility and complete a complete National Service Criminal History Check.

Nonduplication.

Corporation assistance may not be used to duplicate an activity that is already available in the locality of a program. And, unless the requirements of paragraph (f) of this section are met, Corporation assistance will not be provided to a private nonprofit entity to conduct activities that are the same or substantially equivalent to activities provided by a State or local government agency in which such entity resides.

Nondisplacement.

• An employer may not displace an employee or position, including partial displacement such as reduction in hours, wages, or employment benefits, as a result of the use by such employer of a participant in a program receiving Corporation assistance.
• An organization may not displace a volunteer by using a participant in a program receiving Corporation assistance.
• A service opportunity will not be created under this chapter that will infringe in any manner on the promotional opportunity of an employed individual.
• A participant in a program receiving Corporation assistance may not perform any services or duties or engage in activities that would otherwise be performed by an employee as part of the assigned duties of such employee.
• A participant in any program receiving assistance under this chapter may not perform any services or duties, or engage in activities, that—
• Will supplant the hiring of employed workers; or
• Are services, duties, or activities with respect to which an individual has recall rights pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement or applicable personnel procedures.
• A participant in any program receiving assistance under this chapter may not perform services or duties that have been performed by or were assigned to any—
• Presently employed worker;
• Employee who recently resigned or was discharged;
• Employee who is subject to a reduction in force or who has recall rights pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement or applicable personnel procedures;
• Employee who is on leave (terminal, temporary, vacation, emergency, or sick); or

(v) Employee who is on strike or who is being locked out.