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Posting Detail Information

Working TitleForest Monitoring Crew Leader - RAII

Position LocationFort Collins, CO

Work LocationPosition is fully in-office/in-person

Research Professional PositionYes

Posting Number202500791AP

Position TypeAdmin Professional/ Research Professional

Classification TitleResearch Associate II

Number of Vacancies

Work Hours/Week40

Proposed Annual Salary Range$55,000 - $60,000

Employee Benefits

Colorado State University is not just a workplace; it’s a thriving community that’s transforming lives and improving the human condition through world-class teaching, research, and service. With a robust benefits package, collaborative atmosphere, and focus on work-life balance, CSU is where you can thrive, grow, and make a lasting impact.

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Desired Start Date

Position End Date (if temporary)

To ensure full consideration, applications must be received by 11:59pm (MT) on07/07/2025

Description of Work Unit

The Forest Monitoring Program is housed within the Science and Data Division of CSFS and works to produce and expand CSFS capacity to monitor and assess treatment effectiveness across the State. The Forest Monitoring Crew Lead ( FMCL ) will report to the Forest Monitoring Measurement Specialist and Forest Monitoring Program Manager. The Program plans to hire 4 seasonal employees in 2025 who will act as field monitoring technicians.

Position Summary

With direct guidance of the Forest Monitoring Measurement Specialist ( FMMS ) and Forest Monitoring Program Manager ( FMPM ), as well as CSFS personnel from the Forest Planning and Implementation (FP&I) the FMCL will manage a seasonal technician crew during the field season, and aid in monitoring program planning, data maintenance and training development during the winter. This work entails working with the FMMS and FMPM to design and implement long-term monitoring projects associated with grant awardees within the Forest Restoration and Wildfire Risk Mitigation Grant Program ( FRWRM ), as well as help the FMPM expand existing monitoring projects to other programs and collaborations.

The incumbent will conduct a variety of field measurements including, but not limited to, those involving tree/sapling/seedling data, vegetation ocular cover estimates, fuel loading measurements, stand treatments and disturbances, land ownership, and other assorted natural resources-oriented data collection in collaboration with a wide variety of partners. The incumbent will be required to be knowledgeable with general forest management practices within the region, as well as have experience with a wide variety of forestry measurement tools.

The FMCL is expected to ensure safe working practices of themselves and their crew and be an advocate for productive team development. This person will be responsible for supervising maintenance and upkeep of the crew vehicle and all crew supplies and equipment. The FMCL will work closely with the FMMS to plan and execute pre- and post-treatment monitoring throughout the state, and work closely with the FMMS and FMPM outside the field season to plan for the next field season, as well as organize and summarize forest monitoring data as well as assist with other tasks associated with expanding the role of monitoring in the state.

A person who fills the FMCL position will operate 4-wheel drive vehicles, UTVs, ATVs, and occasionally other modes of transportation as necessary. Road and plot navigation skills – including use of GIS software and datasets, topographical maps, aerial photos and GPS units – are a must for this position. Crews will use handheld data recorders to gather, encode, summarize, and upload collected field measurements to the monitoring program database.

The FMCL and their crew will be required to hike carrying at least 45-pound packs with all related field gear; pack weights can exceed 60 pounds. Crews work at elevations ranging from 3,500 to 12,000 feet when accessing monitoring plots. Crews will be expected to hike long distances to reach plot locations both on- and off-trail, and work on steep and/or rough terrain. Crews will be working in sun, rain and snow, across the full range of temperatures which can change rapidly throughout the day.

This position requires extensive travel during the field season. Crews are typically away from Fort Collins Monday through Thursday. For projects located more than 5 hours away, we may augment to an 8-6 schedule where we work 8 days and then get 6 days off. Abnormal work schedules are possible and will come with advanced notice. Hotel rooms and campsites will be paid for by the monitoring program. We will car camp for certain projects, especially if there are no reasonably-priced hotels close to our work sites. We will not be backpacking. Approved lodging and per diem expenses are covered (see GSA CONUS rates for Colorado).

This is a 2-year term-limited position. Funding and budgets are tight around the state and country at the moment, with more cuts and changes potentially happening in the future. We will work to find stable funding to turn this into a full-time permanent position within the agency, noting the uncertainty of budgets in the future. Ideally, if we can turn this into a full-time position, that is our main goal for the next few years.

Required Job Qualifications

+ Bachelor’s degree (or greater) in Forestry, Forest Ecology, Botany, or a Natural Resourcesprogram option will be considered.

+ Three years/seasons of field experience which must include:

+ At least 1 year/season of supervisory field experience

+ At least 1 year/season of forestry-specific field experience

+ At least 2 years/seasons of natural resource field experience

+ Experience with Geospatial software (e.g. ArcGIS) and/or using offline mapping programs (e.g.FieldMaps)

+ Must have a valid driver’s license or the ability to obtain a driver’s license or access to a licenseddriver by the employment start date.

+ The successful candidate must be legally authorized to work in the United States before the employment start date; Colorado State Forest Service will not sponsor a visa for this position.

Preferred Job Qualifications

+ Four or more years/seasons of monitoring experience or similar fieldwork experience (e.g. the USFS Forest Inventory and Analysis program).

+ Previous experience involving supervising hourly, seasonal, and/or temporary employees.

+ Ability to use and troubleshoot IT issues related to Android tablets, Windows 10, Java, internet browser security settings, and off-site storage devices.

+ When contacting landowners and resource managers, demonstrate the ability to explain the scientific basis behind natural resource monitoring.

+ Experience in project/logistical planning and implementation, and experience participating in teams

+ Experience using handheld data recorders in backcountry situations

+ Experience using and calibrating inventory tools that include hypsometer, clinometer, laser, loggers/diameter tape, chaining tape, increment borers, and others related to repeatable and accurate measurements.

+ Analytical and technical skills related to various GIS software packages and GIS databases, including importing shapefiles and buffering, clipping, and intersecting layers.

+ Experience with various forest sampling techniques such as ocular cover estimates, line point intercepts, fixed radius plots, and Brown’s transects.

+ Familiarity with the Forest Vegetation Simulator ( FVS )

+ Knowledge of western United States forest management techniques in the following areas: silviculture and forest ecology (e.g., intermediate treatments; even-aged and uneven-aged structure; disturbance regimes and variability; periodic and mean annual increment; diameter distributions; stand legacy; and age structure); forest insect and diseases related to vectors and alternative hosts; sustainable harvesting systems in even-, two-, and uneven-aged forests; forest management planning based on desired future conditions; wildfire hazard mitigation, prevention and suppression in the wildland-urban interface ( WUI ); community forestry in both urban and WUI situations; and outreach and education related to scientific and general public arenas.

+ Comprehension of basic field forestry skills (cruising and timber marking) related to timber sale boundaries, harvest plans, silvicultural prescriptions, natural and artificial regenerations methods, road layout, and contract inspections.

+ Dendrology and vegetation identification course work and/or fieldwork.

+ Excellent verbal and written communication and interpersonal skills.

+ Committed to safety, quality, demonstrated excellent customer service ethic andprofessionalism.

+ General safety ( CPR /First-aid) and wilderness first responder safety training and experience.

Essential Duties

Job Duty CategoryForest Inventory and Biometrics

Duty/Responsibility

+ Conduct extensive forest land inventories across all levels of land ownership.

+ Determine accuracy of plot location and accessibility.

+ Locate remote field sites using GIS , aerial photographs, topographic maps, compass and GPS .

+ Collect biometric data related to tree species composition (count and measurement of the number, species, size, quality, cull and other characteristics of sample trees), understory vegetation composition (species identification, percent coverage, and quantify horizontal and vertical structure), wildland fuel- loading related to down dead wood (count and measurement of the number, tree species, fuel size, dead fuel moisture, and decay class), and forest floor metrics (depth and volume measurements related to organic matter, litter, duff, mineral soil, and carbon).

+ Examine the classified ownership, forest type, stand size, stocking, cover class, natural and anthropogenic treatments and disturbances; forest insects and disease; and other items as specified in the CSFS monitoring protocol.

+ Make professional interpretations of the CSFS monitoring protocol for application under unusual conditions.

+ Use botanical knowledge to identify plants.

+ Ensure quality of field-collected data at each plot and aid in QA/QC when in the office.

+ Complete accurate and concise plot summaries of all field visits.

+ Communicate, cooperate, and collaborate with city, county, state, and federal natural resource management agencies; tribal entities; private, non-profit, and corporate corporations to enlist support in conducting field inventory activities.

+ Organize, verify, and refine data collected with FMPM and FMMS .

Percentage Of Time50%

Job Duty CategorySupervision

Duty/Responsibility

+ Directly supervise at least one seasonal field technician.

+ Responsible for interviewing and hiring crew member(s) for the field season.

+ Responsible for managing crew time and submitting reimbursements in a timely fashion as well as working with the FMMS to book travel accommodations.

+ Plan daily, weekly, and monthly work to be accomplished by the unit, effectively assign field-tasks and work with FMMS to implement quality control procedures in the field.

+ Listen and resolve employee complaints, effect minor disciplinary measures, and recommend action in more serious cases to the FMMS .

+ Perform administrative and human resources management functions and guidance for the crew including, but not limited to, counsel or instruction on both administrative and work matters; and assure full compliance with safety regulations.

Percentage Of Time25%

Job Duty CategoryWork Planning

Duty/Responsibility

+ Perform project planning activities including scheduling, organizing, and executing field collection projects related to natural resource inventories.

+ Create and implement long-range logistical planning and distribution of workload throughout the field season.

+ Develop and delegate weekly and monthly travel itineraries and logistics for the crew; inform crew of safety logistics for given projects.

+ Provide essential support for projects of varying scope; assemble and prepare material for field research work including creation of maps, and preparation of equipment.

+ Participate in the selection of new FRWRM monitoring projects on a yearly basis.

+ Participate in ongoing projects related to drone data collection and snow measurements.

+ Participate in organizing, summarizing and producing data summaries of monitoring projects for landowners.

+ Foster relationships with field offices and foresters involved with monitoring projects.

Percentage Of Time25%

Application Details

Special Instructions to Applicants

To apply, please upload a cover letter that addresses the required and preferred job qualifications, a resume, and the contact information for three professional references. References will not be contacted without prior notification to candidates.

CSU is committed to full inclusion of qualified individuals. If you are needing assistance or accommodations with the search process, please reach out to the listed search contact. Please note, applicants may redact information from their application materials that identifies their age, date of birth, or dates of attendance at or graduation from an educational institution.

Conditions of EmploymentPre-employment Criminal Background Check (required for new hires), Valid Driver’s License, Use, Handling, or Exposure to hazardous materials - Exposure to poisonous plants, biting/stinging insects, and wildlife is common, Travel - frequent overnight travel lasting 10 or more days during the field season, Special Requirements/Other - Ability to hike carrying at least 45 pound pack. Irregular work hours and periodic long days, evening and weekend service.

Search ContactEthan Bucholz, [email protected]

EEO

Colorado State University ( CSU ) provides equal employment opportunities to all applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

Background Check Policy Statement

Colorado State University strives to provide a safe study, work, and living environment for its faculty, staff, volunteers and students. To support this environment and comply with applicable laws and regulations, CSU conducts background checks for the finalist before a final offer. The type of background check conducted varies by position and can include, but is not limited to, criminal history, sex offender registry, motor vehicle history, financial history, and/or education verification. Background checks will also be conducted when required by law or contract and when, in the discretion of the University, it is reasonable and prudent to do so.

References Requested

References Requested

Minimum Requested3

Maximum Requested3

Supplemental Questions

Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).

Applicant Documents

Required Documents

+ Cover Letter

+ Resume

Optional Documents