Watershed Forester

The NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) enriches the environment and protects public health for all New Yorkers by providing 1.1 billion gallons of high quality drinking water, managing wastewater and stormwater, and reducing air, noise, and hazardous materials pollution. DEP is the largest combined municipal water and wastewater utility in the country, with nearly 6,000 employees. DEP's water supply system is comprised of 19 reservoirs and 3 controlled lakes throughout the system’s 2,000 square mile watershed that extends 125 miles north and west of the City.

The Bureau of Water Supply seeks to hire an Associate Project Manager I for a position with the Forestry Program, Natural Resources Division, Source Water Protection Directorate, located in Kingston, New York.

As per civil service Rule 3.2.11 candidates must live outside the five (5) boroughs or be permanent in the civil service title listed in order to be considered for appointment.

The Forestry Program is tasked with managing City-owned watershed forests to maintain and enhance water quality protection. Forest management work is based on the NYC Watershed Forest Management Plan that documents the extent and characteristics of the City’s forest land and establishes goals for the forest over the long term to best protect water quality. DEP foresters evaluate City-owned forest land, develop long-term strategies and management plans, and design and oversee implementation of forest management projects to achieve plan objectives.

Under general supervision, of the Catskill Regional Forester, the Associate Project Manager I will serve as a Watershed Forester focused on the Ashokan and Schoharie reservoir basins and will be responsible for designing, planning, coordinating and directing the implementation of holistic forest management and restoration projects and contracts that include multiple components (such as invasive species control, planting forest vegetation, commercial timber harvesting, forest stand improvement, thinning operations, and deer exclusion) in compliance with the goals, milestones and requirements of the NYC Watershed Forest Management Plan, the City’s Filtration Avoidance Determination, and the NYC Watershed Memorandum of Agreement.

Specific duties include:

• Designing and developing forest management and restoration projects in accordance with the NYC Watershed Forest Management Plan and directly oversee implementation through a variety of mechanisms including contracts, use of DEP staff, partnerships, inter-governmental agreements or any other approved method.
• Performing forest planning work, including development of forest compartment plans, design and collection of forest inventory and other forest assessments, analysis and interpretation of data from multiple sources, and incorporation of stakeholder input.
• Directly evaluating the condition of City-owned forest land in assigned region by collecting, analyzing, and compiling information through on-site inspection and from available remotely-sensed data, orthophotography, or other relevant data sets.
• Overseeing contractor performance for adherence to approved forest project plans, quality of work, water quality protection goals, and health and safety compliance.
• Developing regulatory submissions and secure internal and external approval, as appropriate, to ensure compliance and timely delivery of projects.
• Reviewing and processing invoices, contractor approvals, and vendor insurance for City-funded contracts.
• Acting as a subject matter expert to the Bureau and Agency on forest-related questions and issues.
• Preparing and submitting written reports pursuant to specific deliverables and requirements of the Filtration Avoidance Determination.
• Communicating and…