Forest Ecologist Job La Conner Washington USA,Outdoor/Nature/Animal Care

Location: La Conner

Forest EcologistDEPARTMENT

Environmental

POSITION SUMMARY

The Forest Ecologist provides field, technical and scientific expertise for the Tribe’s Vegetation Program, including development and implementation of the Swinomish Forest Management Plan, Integrated Vegetation Management Plan, revegetation and restoration plans for forested and non-forested sites, and applied ecological research that supports sustainable and resilient forest management. The Forest Ecologist prepares technical reports, supports permitting and environmental compliance, collaborates with Tribal departments and external partners, and provides overall leadership for the Vegetation field program.

Supervised by the Environmental Manager, this position directly supervises up to five technical staff and oversees vegetation field operations conducted by Tribal staff and contractors.

Job Duties

Programmatic Duties:
Lead and implement forest management, invasive species management, native plant restoration, ecological research, and vegetation monitoring programs by supervising field crews and contractors, developing management plans, managing scientific data, and supporting sustainable stewardship of Tribal forest lands.

Supervise and direct vegetation field crew and contractors performing native plant restoration, invasive species management, forest stand improvement, timber harvest, and other vegetation management activities.

Develop and implement the Swinomish Forest Management Plan, Five-Year Forest Operating plan, Integrated Vegetation Management Plan, and site-specific vegetation management and restoration plans using in-house and contracted resources.

Design and implement ecological research and monitoring projects to evaluate forest conditions, climate impacts, vegetation management, and restoration performance outcomes.

Conduct vegetation inventories, botanical mapping, timber cruises, stand-based forest inventory (e.g. variable plot cruise design) using standard forestry and vegetation management methodologies.

Utilize Geographic Information Systems (GIS), GPS, remote sensing technologies, and mobile field applications to analyze landscape-scale ecological patterns and support forest management planning.

Produce timber valuations required for land appraisal and assist allotment owners conducting timber removal for income generation or clearing for residential development.

Manage scientific data workflows including data collection, quality assurance, database management, analysis, and interpretation to support technical reports, environmental compliance, management plans, and decision-making.

Review Tribal permits related to tree removal and hazard tree identification.

Maintain ISA Tree Risk Assessor Certification and WA State Pesticide Applicator License.

Plan and co-lead vegetation-related community outreach and education activities as directed by DEP Director and Assistant Director.

Independently perform administrative duties including hosting meetings and communicating with internal and external stakeholders.

Implement and manage 2-5+ DEP programmatic grants and contracts as directed by the Environmental Manager, including:

Assisting with grant development by researching available grants and drafting work plans and budgets for ongoing and new grant applications.
Independently administering grants, including budget tracking and progress reporting.
Developing contract scopes of work and managing project deliverables, timelines, and budgets.

Conduct projects to evaluate the impacts of climate change, invasive species, land use, and other ecological stressors on Tribal vegetation communities to inform adaptive forest management and landscape conservation including study design, data collection, data interpretation, and reporting.

Contributes to technical reports, and presentations for internal and external audiences.

Prepares posters and oral presentations for regional scientific conferences, independently or in collaboration with other DEP staff at the Director’s discretion.
Drafts and/or comments on Tribal environmental policies related to forestry and vegetation conditions based on data analysis as directed by the Environmental…