Forest Inventory & Analysis Internship
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture, Division of Forestry is seeking three paid interns to
assist the Forest Inventory & Analysis (FIA) Program in its efforts to monitor forest health and
conduct forest inventory and felled tree study plots across the state. This internship will take place
from June 7 – August 6, 2021 and is associated with the Tennessee Leaders of Tomorrow Program.
Location:
Duty locations are flexible. FIA crews operate out of three main cities across Tennessee: Nashville,
Crossville, and Knoxville. Interns should be located within a reasonable drive from one of these
cities. Work is done statewide and will require hotel stays from time to time.
Major Duties:
• Assist with the FIA base program, including forest inventory, Felled Tree Studies, and
landowner contact
• Assist with other FIA-related duties as they arise
Education:
• Intern should be a recent graduate or actively pursuing a degree in Forestry or a closely
related field (examples: Natural Resource Management, Wildlife Management,
Conservation Science).
Essential Knowledge and Required Skills:
• Intern should have a good foundation of skills in tree identification, such as Tennessee’s
major oak and hickory species, as well as species native to the Cumberland Plateau,
Cherokee National Forest, and Great Smoky Mountain National Park.
• Required coursework: Successful completion of Dendrology
• Preferred coursework: Successful completion of a mensuration, measurements, or
sampling course; silviculture; and forest management
Tennessee Division of Forestry • 406 Hogan Rd. • Nashville, TN 37220 2 | P a g e
Tel: 615-837-5411 • https://www.tn.gov/agriculture/forests
Working Conditions:
• This is a PHYSICALLY DEMANDING internship consisting of mostly field work with some
office or work-from-home tasks.
• Must be willing to work 37.5 hours in a 4-day schedule.
• Work routinely involves 1+ hour drive times to inventory locations and some off-road
driving. State vehicles are used to access inventory locations.
• Some overnight travel is required. Travel expenses are reimbursable.
What Can You Gain from this Internship?
• Introduction to State of Tennessee government, Department of Agriculture, and Division of
Forestry
• Experience in an entry-level forester position
• Improvements in tree identification, mensuration, silviculture, and forest management
skills
• Experience talking to forest landowners about the importance of forest health and active
management
• Hands-on learning opportunities that may include one or more of the following: timber sale
administration, GIS and mapping, dashboards and data visualization, and effective
communication skills.
• Go to https://www.tn.gov/agriculture to learn more about the Department of Ag and
Division of Forestry.
• Go to https://www.tn.gov/careers/apply-here/internships/internships.html to learn more
about the internship program. Read through Applicant Requirements and click “Apply”
when you’re ready to look at individual internships or submit an application.
• On the Careers page, click on “View all jobs.”
• On the next page, type “internship” into the search bar.
• On the side panel, check the box for “Agriculture” to narrow the internship results.
• Applications are due on March 16th
.
For more information, please contact:
THOMAS ROWE |FIA Program Specialist
Department of Agriculture
Ellington Agricultural Center
P.O. Box 40627 Melrose Station, Nashville, TN 37204
o. 615-487-1405
thomas.rowe@tn.gov