District Forester, (Full-Time)

INTRODUCTION:

The Forester provides technical services under policies established by the North St. Louis SWCD. This

position works directly with landowners who wish to manage forested land in northern St. Louis County

along with the partner organizations that serve them.

The District Forester position is a regular, full-time position and may work at the Virginia, Minnesota office and remotely. Working hours will occasionally include evenings and weekends.

Candidates who are DNR Plan Writer Certified, have a Master's degree in forestry OR a Bachelor's degree from a Society of American Foresters accredited program strongly preferred.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Outreach

a. Seeks out and provides education to citizens and landowners regarding the relationship between

healthy forests and good water quality, both individually and in group settings

b. Develops and maintains network of various contacts with partner agencies, consulting foresters

and logging contractors

c. Identifies and communicates with landowners who may be interested in managing their forested

land

2. Forestry plans

a. Conducts field visits of private lands to evaluate wooded acreage and learn about the landowner’s

desires for their property. Provides recommendations and options to the landowner(s). Advises

and helps landowners implement Best Management Practices for woodland management with a

focus on protecting and improving local water quality

b. Writes or updates site-specific forest management plans and/or practice plans for private lands

using USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) practice standards

i. Completes EQIP application and facilitates the landowner through NRCS EQIP funding

process

ii. Certifies project/practice completion to fulfill the needs of NRCS policy

c. Develops woodland stewardship plans for landowners, in accordance with the MN Department of

Natural Resources (DNR) forest stewardship program

3. Connects landowners with funding

a. Assist landowners enrolling in the Sustainable Forest Incentive Act (SFIA) and/or Property Tax

Category 2C managed forest land.

b. Assist landowners applying for DNR cost share.

c. Assist landowners with other cost share and incentive programs, as they become available, such

as USDA EQIP, Cooperative Weed Management Area (CWMA), Soil Health, and Watershed

Based Implementation funding.

4. Layout and/or mark project areas for forestry-related conservation practices

5. Use all available GIS and technical data to identify potential forestry program participants; develop

accurate, thorough forest plans; and advise on current forestry issues, policies, and conditions.

6. Lead annual tree/plant sale: recommend species, manage orders, update inventory, answer

questions, coordinate tree delivery and sale pickup days, etc.

7. Attend workshops, meetings, conventions, etc. to develop and enhance professional skills

8. Assist with a variety of plans, reports, and grants; tracks activities to achieve grant objectives; fulfills

all reporting requirements

9. Complete monthly report for the Board of Supervisors that summarizes the job-related activities and

accomplishments since the previous board meeting

10. Other duties as assigned

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

1. Has good rapport with landowners and encourages sustainable forest management

2. Develops and maintains professional relationships with landowners, staff, partner agencies and

funding sources

3. Works with little direction, handles multiple projects and maintains a high level of productivity with

integrity to accomplish job tasks

4. Documents work time in 15-minute increments by funding sources

5. Ability to work outside in all weather, on rough terrain, and with biting insects

6. Ability to lift up to 20 pounds on a regular basis; occasionally may need to lift more than that

7. Ability to pass criminal background check(s)

8. Maintains valid Driver’s License with clean driving record or has ability to get to various locations with

reliable transportation

9. Has and maintains or can obtain Job Approval Authority for relevant forestry practices through USDA

NRCS and Minnesota Board of Water & Soil Resources (BWSR)

10. Has or can obtain woodland stewardship plan writer certification from the MN DNR. Maintains

sufficient continuing education credits for recertification.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree in forestry or natural resources field OR equivalent experience. Extensive

knowledge of forest stand improvement and management practices and plans. Utilizes forest

inventory protocols and tools to assess and devise forest management practices to include in

forest management plans. Knowledgeable about forest insects, diseases, and invasive species

of the upper Midwest, including diagnosis and treatment.

• Familiarity with federal and state landowner incentive programs.

• Computer skills that include Microsoft Office suite of programs, ArcGIS, Web Soil Survey, other

mapping programs and data systems etc.

• Strong written and oral communication skills

• Works well independently and with a team

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Has current USDA NRCS Job Approval Authority in multiple forestry practices
• Has current MN DNR woodland stewardship plan writer status
• Master's degree in forestry from any university or Bachelor's degree in Forestry from a Society of American Foresters accredited forestry program

SUPERVISION:

This position is under the direct supervision of the Conservation Manager and will work closely with the Regional Farm Bill Foresters.

OVERTIME STATUS:

This position is classified as a non-exempt employee and as a result is eligible to earn overtime after 40 worked in a week.

HOURS, WAGE & BENEFITS:

This 40-hour per week position has an anticipated wage of $25.50 per hour. Current benefits include: a

$1200 monthly cash stipend which can be used to 1) purchase health/dental/life insurances, 2) contribute

to a medical savings account and/or 3) taken as taxable income; a Section 125 Cafeteria plan; 401(a)

tax-deferred retirement through Public Employees Retirement Association (PERA) with employer match;

voluntary deferred compensation plan (457(b)); paid holidays, paid time off (PTO), Work from the office

and at home. Flexible scheduling.

VETERANS PREFERENCE POINTS:

The SWCD gives veterans preference points to eligible applicants during the screening process. Please

include a copy of your DD214 if you are applying for Veteran’s preference points.

E-mail RESUME, COVER LETTER & DD214, if applicable, to:

Miranda Frenning, Accounting & Human Resources Specialist

North St. Louis Soil & Water Conservation District, [email protected]

Please title the subject as: District Forester

ANTICIPATED TIMELINE:

Apply By – 6/15/25, at 11:59PM CST

Interviews – 6/26/25

Start date – As soon as mutually agreed