Hey y'all,

I have been trying to decipher the magic code to secure a job in something like forestry, land management or conservation department. Their application process is like reading stereo instructions. I have spent 20 years working for Uncle Sam and I know what red tape is ... but this is something else !!

I am looking at either Missouri or SW Colorado. If anyone has already gone through the process and can lend me some guidance ... it would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers,
PISTOL

 

I feel for you . I’ve seen those applications myself (never filled one out) and it looks more like a legal affidavit than a job application. Have you looked at USAJOBS it pretty much lists all Federal job opening in the US?

 

There are many options in forestry, from mapping out land to be cut, to actually doing the harvesting, I have been around the industry since I was younger with my father, and over the years I had learned alot. Definetly a Good Career choice in my opinion, get lotsa fresh air, and see alotta nice scenery.

 

Yeah ... that's why I am looking into it. After 20 years of sailing around the world on a steel tub ... getting to hike around in the woods and breathe the fresh air (and get paid to do it) sounds pretty good to me. I really think working at one of the fish hatcheries would be interesting.

I have a few of the federal and govt job websites and they give you the procedures for applying and that is the first step I s'pose. I wish they had recruiters like the military or highway patrol does ... sure helps a guy navigate the muddy water.

PISTOL

 

yeah tell me about the job hunting,, i am a recent grad with a degree in forestry and fisheries/wildlife, lots of jobs but most want professionals already in the field to jump into them. i have been looking all over the midwest and not alot of them open,
if you like the industry. look into weyerhauser, they hire alot of people. or meadwestvaco. both are big in industrial forestry
good luck in the search!!
Cowboy

 

Would you mind telling me what you used as a degree plan ?? All of the classes that you took including your basics would be helpful.
I want to start using my GI Bill as soon as I can but the education specialists here aren't real helpful pointing me towards this area.

Thanks in advance,
PISTOL

 

Pistol that sounds like more red tape to me.

 

What type of job exactly are you looking for? That's a broad field, there are private positions for big companies & sawmills, where you buy timber for the mill, manage the timber growing on land the company owns, etc. Then there are government positions, and they range from the forester, who writes management plans for landowners to follow for either timber production or wildlife management, or both. Then there are all the support staff, people who keep the trails maintained, fight forest fires, keep the shop and equipment running, help collect data, etc. You need a degree to become a forester, and it certainly helps with the other positions. A 2 year degree should get you in the door as a forestry technician. Look around at university websites in your area, usually the state colleges/land grant schools, like NCSU or VA Tech have a forestry program. WVU has a good one too. Not sure where you're located.

Just stop in your local forest service office and talk to them, they'll tell you what you need to do or who to talk to. I started out as a timber buyer/procurement forester for a sawmill, then worked as a county forester for the state forest service, now I just do some private consulting on the side. You'll know all about flies, ticks, mosquitos, spiderwebs, briars, mud, snakes, dogs, stump holes, barbed wire fences, heat, humidity, and getting stuck on a logging road with no cell signal. But it is nice to work in the woods. Good luck with it, let me know if I can help you out.

 

Also you may wish to try the State parks and wildlife departments.

 

If you are still looking for a govt. job I would try to narrow it down to exactly what you want to do first so you aren't wasting any time with classes. After that go to a local rep. in that field and talk to them about how to get hired. There should be a list of classes required depending on with university you go to and possibly some internships that are available. I work with the UDSA-NRCS. We do land management with farms and landowners. We do programs like CRP, WHIP, WRP and others. I like the job but would like to be outside more. If you aren't really interested in Ag I would look somewhere else. You could also look into Fish & Wildlife or your stated DNR. All of these are govt. jobs and have forestry programs.

USAJobs is great and you can set it up so the types of jobs you are looking for so you don't have to search through them all the time.

 

Hey PW, for a forest ranger position you'll probably need to look into a law enforcement background. Same for Conservation Officer, obviously. I thought about Fisheries Biology once myself, but there weren't a lot of opportunities in the '80's for that. I would think there are a lot more opportunities with the conservation mindset today, even in the private sector. Maybe by the time you get your degree, even Michigan would be over the hiring freeze under this guvna. Although, we seem to get money every so often to run a school for the truck-cops.

 

Thanks for the input fellas ... sounds like I asked the right people.

I stopped in to talk to the forest service as well as conservation dept while I was in Missouri a couple weeks ago and they both gave me the same websites for the govt jobs ... so maybe it really is that simple.

I honestly can't zero in on a specific job that I want to do in either place because they all appeal to me right now ... which is both good and bad because while it doesn't allow me to focus on one line of training to reach a specific job goal, it does mean that whatever I do I will learn and enjoy whatever it would have me doing. I wish they had an apprenticeship program to showcase all of the jobs and let you find the one that suits ya. I may end up doing the seasonal work in various areas and work it from that angle.

I asked a guy at the forest service what classes to look at and he couldn't really suggest anything since I didn't know exactly what I wanted to do. His degree was in accounting and therefore ... he was the guy left in the office to balance the books and talk to schmucks like me looking for work.

Since it looks like I will be moving back to SW Colorado where there are lots of indian ruins and natl parks ... I will give them some calls to see what they are looking for at this time or in the near future and see if they can point me in a direction. Redleg, I am definately not against doing the law enforcement type work of a park ranger ... sounds like it would be interesting.

Farmer Dave .... I have a contact for the USDA rep in the town I will be going to ... maybe I can pick your brain through PM's to find out if it is something I might like to do ??

Timberman ... do you know if those colleges that you listed offer distance learning (online is best for me being overseas) ?? There isn't a lot of logging and timber work where I will be going, it is a high desert platteau with more cedar and scrub oak than anything else. Of course it isn't too far to find the real mountains and trees and I am not opposed to the drive.

Thanks for the suggestions and feel free to keep them coming.
PISTOL

 

Hehehehe ... you are probably right.
Although, I have talked to a few folks that have used it after they get out and they tell me it isn't all that difficult to navigate through the paperwork to get it going. Their biggest word of caution was that even though you have 10 years until it expires ... you can't wait until that point to start using it. If you want to use it for 4 years of schooling, you need to make 6 years your deadline. I plan on getting into class as soon as I get settled into a job ... or two .

PISTOL