WHAT DOES A FORESTER DO?
Published: Apr 03, 2025 - The Forester directs strategic planning and coordinates statewide initiatives for the wildland fire fuels program, prioritizing projects and managing grants across multiple regions. This position oversees the development and implementation of policies and strategies for fire management, including the use of prescribed fires and reforestation plans to enhance natural resource management. This role manages forestry operations from establishment to harvest, advises on best practices, and maintains financial records within bespoke management systems.
A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Forester
1. Forester Duties
- Forest Management: Develop and maintain a Forest Management Plan and any other plans by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and other federal agencies in order to participate in programs.
- Contract Management: Obtain bids and proposals, negotiate contracts, and monitor projects to ensure adherence to budget and time requirements and compliance with established policies, procedures, and regulations.
- Budget Administration: Administer budgets, including tracking and monitoring program budgets, and obtain the appropriate approvals.
- Grant Management: Seek additional funding and grant monies to continue and expand program services. Work with the Grants Office to seek out grants through various sources.
- Permit Issuance: Issue wood-cutting permits and tree removal.
- Policy Implementation: Establish, implement, and communicate goals, objectives, policies, and procedures in accordance with Forest Management plan and SOPs.
- Customer Service: Provide prompt and excellent customer service to eligible tribal members for hazard tree program requests during intake, scheduling, inspection, and assessment.
- Risk Assessment: Inspect and assess forestry resources to evaluate risk and define potential hazards and priority using established SOPs and methods.
- Process Evaluation: Evaluate methods annually to determine best practices and procedure updates.
- Project Coordination: Coordinate hazard tree contracting work including scheduling, billing, and on-site monitoring.
2. Forester Details
- GHG Verification: Conduct greenhouse gas verification in the forestry sector for voluntary and compliance GHG offset projects located throughout the United States.
- Carbon Modeling: Contribute to forest carbon modeling for both voluntary and compliance offset projects.
- Tool Improvement: Modify and improve upon carbon modeling tools.
- Carbon Offset Verification: Verify project and baseline scenarios to verify carbon offset credits.
- Statistical Analysis: Perform statistical analyses and database management of forest inventories.
- Collaboration: Work with peers, intermediate and senior staff in all aspects of project work.
- Project Management: Project development, scheduling, budgeting, analysis, and reporting.
- Data Interpretation: Data compilation and interpretation, evaluation of environmental regulations, preparation of reports, and regulatory submissions.
- Regulatory Understanding: Provide review, understanding, and interpretation of provincial acts and regulations.
- Forest Certification: Developing knowledge and skills in Forest Certification.
- Record Keeping: Reporting and keeping records of Forestry properties managed by Forestry Services Ltd.
3. Forester Responsibilities
- Strategic Planning: Provide direction and strategic planning for the State of Alaska wildland fire fuels program.
- Project Coordination: Coordinate and prioritize projects and funding between seven geographic Areas which make up two regions.
- Grant Management: Provide oversight and management of competitive fire program grants, FEMA fire management assistance grants, and State of Alaska General Funded fuels projects.
- Program Development: Plan, develop strategies, and implement fire program direction, addressing statewide fire program issues.
- Special Projects: Coordinate and lead special projects and events of statewide and national significance regarding fuels management.
- Prescribed Fire Management: Provide direction to the Divisions, and interagency land managers regarding the use of prescribed fire as a natural resource management tool.
- Documentation: Write up Felling licences, Road applications, Reforestation Plans, Afforestation applications, Woodland Improvement applications, Ash dieback RUS applications.
- Crew Management: Manage work crews from forestry establishment to harvesting operations.
- Advisory Services: Advise owners on best forest practices and maximizing financial returns.
- Data Management: Maintain inventory and financial data on bespoke management systems.
- Stakeholder Engagement: Support company representatives when meeting with civic groups and other non-governmental organizations to explain company policies and procedures concerning vegetation issues.
4. Forester Job Summary
- Forest Management: Prepare Forest Management Plans for Landowners.
- Timber Management: Conduct Timber Stand Improvements.
- Forest Certification: Promote Forest Recognition and Certification Programs.
- Technical Assistance: Provide Technical Assistance for Share Programs.
- Education & Outreach: Perform Forestry Education and Public Outreach.
- Fire Management: Participate in Wildland Fire Management and Related Activities.
- Emergency Response: Respond to emergencies to inspect storm damage, develop work orders to clear debris, and coordinate with appropriate staff and/or contractors.
- Resource Mitigation: Prepare and implement plans to abate, remedy, and mitigate affected resources.
- Data Analysis: Analyze data, mapping woodlands to determine future activities such as timber volume and selection for sustainable harvest.
- Process Improvement: Develop and evaluate initiatives identified to improve operational efficiencies or process improvements.
- Operational Management: Administer miscellaneous operational activities/programs within the organization
- Government Coordination: Work with various governmental representatives to coordinate VM activities on public properties and ensure compliance with various governmental vegetation-related ordinances on company properties.
5. Forester Accountabilities
- VM Coordination: Plan, coordinate, and schedule ongoing VM line clearance activities in assigned areas to meet service reliability goals and other VM objectives for DPCM and various company internal clients.
- Project Planning: Prepare work maps, recommend contracting strategies, and evaluate bid proposals for planned maintenance projects in assigned areas.
- Problem Solving: Assist various internal clients in the analysis of other vegetation-related problems, develop a corrective work procedure, and administer unplanned maintenance projects.
- Contract Monitoring: Monitor and audit contractor work activities to ensure contract guidelines compliance, evaluate job performance, and assess cost-effectiveness.
- Invoice Review: Review contractor invoicing for accuracy and approve all invoicing for payment in assigned areas.
- Construction Support: Administer contractor activities and associated invoicing in support of capital construction projects.
- Service Restoration Coordination: Coordinate contractor response for service restoration following storms, inclusive of scheduled periodic Forester rotations of “on-call” after normal working hours.
- Customer Engagement: Meet routinely with customers to address VM program concerns, resolve complaints or work refusals, and enforce company policies and requirements.
- Work Order Management: Prepare, maintain, and/or correct job orders in the company work management system to meet vendor invoicing and company work process administrative requirements.
- Request Handling: Review incoming customer trim request service orders and/or complaints and re-route as necessary for accurate and prompt contractor response.
- Cost Analysis: Provide routine cost analysis and job status reports to supervisor and internal clients for budget and work management.