Two Natural Resource Specialists (Forestry Technician) hourly positions are available with the Virginia Tech Conservation Management Institute. The technician positions will be located at Dahlgren, Virgnia and Indianhead, Maryland.
The successful candidates will conduct forest inventories at established forest inventory plots located on Naval Support Facility Dahlgren (VA) and Naval Support Facility Indian Head (MD). The forest inventory data will be used to update the Forest Management Plans for both installations, to support overall forest health, prescribe future timber harvests, and identify areas in need of timber stand improvements. Field data will be collected on a per stand basis at the inventory plots to determine age, diameter, height, trees per acre, volume, density, basal area, and harvest priority.
The work will entail daily planning of which inventory plots to survey, prepping field equipment and supplies for the field work, conducting the field work, maintaining and using GPS units/field tablets to collect the data, electronic transfer of data regular basis, and regular communication with the Principle investigators. Inclement weather days likely will be spent on non-field activities to support the project, and may include data entry/transfer, organization of field photographs, quality control review of the data, equipment/supplies maintenance, and field planning.
Qualifications
1. A B.S. in Forestry, Botany, Biology, Ecology, Wildlife Sciences, or related field. 2. Demonstrated knowledge and experience in conducting forestry and/or timber surveys and forest survey techniques. 3. Experience and knowledge in identifying woody species without leaves. 4. Experience navigating over rough terrain using topography maps, GPS and compass and must be willing to work in adverse weather and field conditions. 5. First Aid/CPR certification, Valid Drivers License, and ability to pass background checks to work on military installations required. 6. Experience with Microsoft products (Excel, Word, Access) Global Positioning Systems, and ESRI based GIS software required. 7. Previous experience working on military installations a plus.
Salary
These are wage positions (15.00 – 18.00/hr) with no benefits.
Start Date
02/15/2020
Verl Emrick
Contact Phone
540-231-8851
Contact eMail
vemrick@vt.edu