Forestry Program Specialist (Data Systems Forester)
Location: Tennessee Salary Range: $3,206 to $5,127month
Job Description:
This position is with the Tennessee Division of Forestry (TDF) Forest Data and Analysis Unit.
The mission of the Unit is to collect, manage, visualize, map, analyze, and communicate
data to address forest resource availability and sustainability, support Division of Forestry
operations, and enhance business intelligence. The Unit responsibilities include
• Managing TDF’s tabular and spatial data
• Implementing effective data management systems
• Evaluating and implementing technology for efficient data collection and
management, mapping, and distribution to field staff
• Providing analytical services, such as forest resource assessments, to support the
forest products industry
• Creating dashboards, hubs, and story maps to bring awareness of forests’
importance in the landscape, the forest products industry, and TDF (who we are,
what we do, and why it’s important)
• Crafting research projects and analyses to answer pressing questions facing
Tennessee’s forests, such as “How resilient are Tennessee’s forests?” and “How
might wildland fire risk areas shift as Tennessee’s population increases?”
• Administering the Forest Inventory & Analysis Program in partnership with USDA
Forest Service
• Administering timber utilization studies
Critical work areas of the Data Systems Forester include
• Data Stewardship—includes database administration, best management practices,
and geographic information systems (GIS); maintain internal- and external-facing
data portals; provide technical support and training for wildland fire information
and dispatch system
Data Systems Forester (Program Specialist)-Forest Data and Analysis Unit Page 2
• Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Program—provide technical leadership,
coordinate pilot training; support UAS operations for wildland fire management
and forest health assessments; assist the Unit Leader with grant writing
• Data & Technology Project Management—visioner and execute projects to
enhance TDF programmatic tracking, increase operational efficiency and
transparency, and foster effective business practices and good governance
• Analytical Services—support the Unit Leader in providing creative, visuallyappealing, and high-quality data analyses and visualizations to communicate with
landowners, forest industry, other state agencies, external partners, and the public
Additional opportunities for the Data Systems Forester include participation in Incident
Management Teams and deploying to incidents to support wildland fire operations,
logistics, planning, etc.
The Data Systems Forester’s home base is in Nashville, TN. Alternative workspaces and
work-from-home opportunities will be made available at the discretion of the Unit Leader
based on employee performance and project management.