Individual Placement - Forest Technician at Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge

Position Summary 

Prepare, implement and evaluate 9,000+ acres of prescribed fire. Monitor all managed red-cockaded woodpecker clusters (currently 140). Inventory 24 permanent forest monitoring plots, to include scan with Lidar. Locate, map, and treat invasive exotic plants.

Hosting Organization

Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge

Location 

Round Oak, GA

• This position is primarily in a front country setting where emergency services are accessible, but may be delayed by 1-2 hours. SCA Members regularly interact with members of the public. Access to public transportation at work site is limited or not possible. Cell phone reception maybe limited, spotty, or not available.
• This position may conduct work in a front country setting where emergency services are accessible, but may be delayed by 1-2 hours. Access to public transportation at work site is limited or not possible. Cell phone reception is limited, spotty, or not available.
• This position may conduct work in a backcountry setting where emergency services are limited and may be delayed by several hours to days. Access to public transportation at work site is not possible. Cell phone reception is limited, spotty, or not available.

Schedule 

January 4, 2027 - November 12, 2027

Key Duties and Responsibilities 

Prescribed Fire – construct firelines with hand tools, operate ATV/UTV (USFWS training required prior to operation). Serve as Firefighter Type 2 with FWS fire crew to ignite and hold prescribed fires. NOTE – ability to earn firefighter type 2 certification is required. This certification requires passing the arduous pack test, i.e. carrying a 45-pound pack three miles in 45 minutes or less; Red-cockaded woodpecker breeding season monitoring – verify RCW cluster activity status. Map new trees with Fieldmaps; Forest inventory – measure tree diameter, height, damages, and other variables on permanent monitoring plots. Scan plot with Lidar. Background in dendrology and/or botany is helpful; Treat invasive exotic plants. NOTE – this includes using herbicide.

Marginal Duties 

Other duties include timber and streamside management zone marking, other wildlife monitoring, boundary line marking, and trail and other public use area maintenance.

Required Qualifications 

State motor vehicle driver’s license

This SCA Position is authorized under the Public Land Corps Authority. All participants must be between the ages of 16 and 30, inclusive, or veterans age 35 or younger. Participants must also be a citizen or national of the United States or lawful permanent resident alien of the United States. Hours served can be applied toward the Public Land Corps (PLC) hiring authority. Participants must possess a high school diploma or its equivalent or agree to obtain one or be enrolled in an institution of higher education.

Preferred Qualifications 

NWCG Firefighter Type 2; S212 Wildfire Powersaws; Wilderness first aid

Hours 

40 per week

Living Accommodations 

Housing is provided. It is a fully furnished three-bedroom house with kitchen located on refuge. It is within the refuge maintenance complex which includes other gov't housing for staff and volunteers.

Compensation  

Living Allowance - $460 per week

All allowances are subject to applicable federal, state, and local taxes. 

Personal Vehicle Information

Driving

Driving a motor vehicle for the partner agency/organization is a requirement for this position.

To be able to drive a motor vehicle for the SCA, you must:

• Be able to complete or fulfill all partner driving requirements.  

Additional Benefits 

Defensive Driving Training

First Aid/CPR

AmeriCorps: Eligible/Optional

Equal Opportunity Statement 

The SCA is an equal opportunity employer. Selection decisions are based on merit, qualifications, and performance, without unlawful discrimination.