Occ. Code 1530101

FORESTRY TECHNICIAN 1, GRADE 8	1530101
FORESTRY TECHNICIAN 2, GRADE 13	1530102
FORESTRY TECHNICIAN 3, GRADE 15	1530103

New York State Department of Civil Service

Classification Standard

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF CLASS SERIES

     Forestry Technicians perform technical duties in support of the development, protection or improvement of forest lands by implementing technical management practices pursuant to guidelines developed by Foresters.

     Positions in these titles are classified only in the Department of Environmental Conservation.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS

FORESTRY TECHNICIAN 1: entry-level for the series; predominantly employed on a seasonal basis; performs lower level technical assignments in support of forest management, nursery, or forest health practices; works under the supervision of a higher level Forestry Technician or a Forester 1.

FORESTRY TECHNICIAN 2: journey-level technicians; performs both lower level and more complex technical duties with a greater degree of  independence; supervises Forestry Technicians 1, Laborers, and seasonal employees; assigns work, evaluates performance, and provides on-the-job instruction on proper work methods and techniques to subordinate staff; works under the direction of a Forestry Technician 3 or a Forester 1.

FORESTRY TECHNICIAN 3: working supervisors; performs more complex technical assignments in support of forest management and forest health programs in a regional office or oversees operations at the state nursery; makes work assignments, evaluates performance, provides on-the-job instruction on proper work methods and techniques; monitors program status and goals; directs work activities towards obtaining those goals; works under the supervision of a Forester 1.

RELATED CLASSES

     Foresters 1 implement professional forestry principles and practices.  They provide guidance and direction, following work plans and unit management plans; write forest management plans and unit management plans; plan and coordinate annual road maintenance, recreational improvement, and capital improvement projects performed by the Bureau of Operations, or by volunteer groups, on State lands.

ILLUSTRATIVE DUTIES

        FORESTRY TECHNICIAN 1

Performs duties related to the agency’s Public Lands Program.

• Marks State-owned timber for sale and for stand improvement in accordance with marking guide.

• Determines timber volume and value of products to be sold.

• Conducts periodic field inspections to ensure compliance with contracts.

• Reports non‑compliance to contractor and to supervisor.

• Explains acceptable logging practices to contractors.

Conducts forest inventories of public lands to determine and record such information as acreage, forest types, volume and quality.

• Utilizes aerial maps to record location of property boundary lines, roads and other features.

• Records inventory data.

• May make forest management recommendations for each inventoried forest stand.
  

Provides technical supervision to laborers assigned to forest management project

• Marks silvicultural treatment projects to be performed by Department of Correctional Services inmate laborers.

• Provides on-the-job instruction to crews in the proper use of equipment, work methods and techniques.

• Observes and evaluates performed work.

Assists Foresters 1 in providing practical forestry services to private woodland owners.

• Marks timber for the landowner's forest product sales, estimating the volume and value of timber.

• Provides lists of cooperating consulting foresters and timber buyers to private landowners.

• Provides private landowners with advice on such forestry practices as tree planting, thinning and pruning.

• Inspects properties enrolled under the New York State Forest Tax Law (Section 480A) for program compliance.

• Assists Foresters in administering federal forestry incentives programs on private lands.

Assists in investigation of practical forest management problems in a forest stand by using standard measuring devices and making field observations of growth rates, mortality, and effectiveness of forest management procedures and records observations.

Conducts surveys of State and private lands to locate and identify forest health problems.

• Documents forest health problems on maps and/or aerial photographs, identifying type and location of forest stands, acreage covered, and other information necessary for the survey.

• Conducts foot or aerial reconnaissance of the area following standard sampling techniques, by direct observation and the use of standard equipment.

• Maps the existence, type and intensity of any health problem, determines and records the potential damage to the forest.

• Identifies possible suppression methods.

Performs field work under the direction of professional foresters in the collection and recording of data in an experimental forest plot.

• May assist in setting up forest plots for experimental purposes to investigate practical forest health problems.

• Makes field observations and records of factors such as growth rates, mortality, and the effects of disease.

Public Contact and Information

• Participates in public education at fairs, conservation field days and tours.

• Assists public and private landowners with reforestation questions including species selection, site preparation, planting technique and other related planting information.

Conducts nursery operations activities if assigned to the Saratoga Tree Nursery.

• Performs seed orchard maintenance including site preparation, planting, pruning and mowing; seed collection of seed from conifer, hardwood and shrub species.

• Performs seed extraction and cleaning requiring the set-up and operation of various machinery used in this process.

• Conducts seed testing in a laboratory setting to determine purity, germinative capacity and viability.

• Processes nursery stock orders and assists in the training and supervision of seasonal workers to count, grade and package and ship seedlings.

• Operates harvest equipment to ensure that perishable seedlings are handled correctly in the field and stored properly to maintain quality; prepares and plants seed to produce 4 million seedlings annually.

• Applies fertilizer and pesticides and assembles and maintains irrigation systems; prepares seedbeds and performs other activities such as mulching, cultivation, root pruning, and tilling.

In addition, as a FORESTRY TECHNICIAN 2:

May supervise field work activities of Forestry Technicians 1 and Laborers.

Oversees the administration and supervision of several harvesting operations on public lands at one time.

Assists in the Unit Management Planning (UMP) program process.

• Plans and implements cultural treatments, such as tree planting, controlled burns and site preparation. 

• Plans and implements recreational uses for forest units including the design of trail systems and other recreational facilities.

Exchanges factual information on areas with forest health problems and recommended treatment with such agencies as the U.S. Forest Service, Cornell University and the College of Environmental Science and Forestry at Syracuse.

Leads the training and supervision of seasonal workers in the counting, grading and packaging and shipment of seedlings in the tree nursery.

In addition, as a FORESTRY TECHNICIAN 3:

Directs the completion of standardized forest management work on State owned lands in order to meet Department goals and objectives.

Monitors timber harvesting operations and may suspend cutting operations where contractors fail to comply with applicable contracts.

Assists in Unit Management Planning processes for public lands, scheduling and overseeing the preparation and implementation of cultural treatments and recreational facilities.

Assists in writing Unit Management Plans 

Exercises multi-county or region-wide responsibility for the application of prescribed methods in the detection and suppression of forest insects and diseases and provides technical assistance to private woodland owners and managers to identify causal agents.

Supervises and provides technical direction and instruction to lower level Forestry Technicians and seasonal employees in the tree nursery.

Provides information to the public, private associations, and groups.

• May speak on forest management programs before public groups, schools and associations.

• May prepare written articles on State and private forestry programs for local news media.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

FORESTRY TECHNICIAN 1

Open Competitive:  Thirty (30) semester credit hours, including or supplemented by twelve (12) semester credit hours in forestry which must include at least one course in three or more of the following areas: silviculture, forest mensuration, forest protection, forest soils, dendrology botany, land surveying and forest biology, OR one (1) year of diversified, technical forestry experience in two (2) or more of the following areas: forest management, including sale and removal of timber products; nursery management, including the transplanting of tree or shrub seedlings; forest pest management, including control of diseases and insect pests.

FORESTRY TECHNICIAN 2

Promotion:   One (1) year of permanent competitive service as a Forestry Technician 1.

Open Competitive:  An Associate’s or higher-level degree in forestry, forest biology, forest resource management or forest technology or sixty (60) semester credit hours, including or supplemented by thirty (30) semester credit hours in forestry, which must include at least one course in three or more of the following areas: silviculture, forest mensuration, forest protection, forest soils, dendrology botany, land surveying, forest biology and plant physiology.

FORESTRY TECHNICIAN 3

Promotion:   One (1) year of permanent competitive service as a Forestry Technician 2 or two years (2) of permanent competitive service as a Forestry Technician 1.

Revised:  10/03

NOTE:  Classification Standards illustrate the nature, extent and scope of duties and responsibilities of the classes they describe.  Standards cannot and do not include all of the work that might be appropriately performed by a class.  The minimum qualifications above are those which were required for appointment at the time the Classification Standard was written.  Please contact the Division of Staffing Services for current information on minimum qualification requirements for appointment or examination.