FORESTRY MANAGEMENT ADMINISTRATOR - STATE FORESTS UNIT LEADER - 72879

Executive Service

Who we are and what we do:

The Tennessee Division of Forestry (TDF) celebrated its centennial anniversary in 2014. One of the Divisions first missions was to plant trees on eroded and abandoned farmland in the western part of the state. Over the decades, TDF has grown to protect, conserve, and enhance Tennessee's 14 million acres of forestland through forest health protection, rural and urban forest management, wildfire and prescribed fire management, water quality protection, forest business services, state forest management and conservation education. Today, TDF employs over 400 personnel statewide and is well known as the wildfire and forest health experts. The Division resides within the Tennessee Department of Agriculture whose mission is to promote wise uses of Tennessee's agricultural and forest resources, to develop economic opportunities, and to ensure safe and dependable food, fuel, and fiber for all citizens.

How you make a difference in this role:

The State Forest Unit Leader oversees strategic direction and high-level operational management of Tennessee Division of Forestry's State Forest system across over 170,000 acres on 16 forests stretching from the Great Smoky Mountains to the Mississippi River. Tennessee's State Forests are managed to improve the sustainability, health and diversity of those forests and provide raw material to the forest products sector. This position is integral to ensuring sustainable harvests, transparent forest management, and managing special projects for forest health, enhancement, and recreation.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provides strategic direction of state forest system resources using the guidance of best management practices (BMPs), Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) and compartment planning protocols.
• Approves compartment plans for each state forest in concert with state forest foresters and managers.
• Collaborates with six peer unit leaders to collectively manage operations across the Divisions seven business units.
• Directs the State Forest Management Team to collaborate on planning and operational activities.
• Oversees 10-year harvest plans for each forest that maximizes the allowable harvest and regeneration of stands within the forest boundary.
• Develops and implements training opportunities for division personnel to improve the knowledge base concerning forest management.
• Works to promote cooperative partnerships with Tennessee Wildlife Recourses Agency (TWRA) and Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) that will further responsible forestry on properties managed by sister agencies as well as the State Forests System.
• Makes recommendations to Assistant State Forester Director of Forest Management to enhance State Forest operational efficiency.
• Manages the State Forest Units budget.

Minimum Qualifications:

• For Executive Service positions, Minimum Qualifications, Necessary Special Qualifications, and Examination Method are determined by the appointing authority.
• Please include a copy of your Forestry transcript or similar natural resource curriculum that includes dendrology, forest measurements, silviculture and forest management.
• If applicable, please include a US equivalency education evaluation report.

Pursuant to the State of Tennessee's Workplace Discrimination and Harassment policy, the State is firmly committed to the principle of fair and equal employment opportunities for its citizens and strives to protect the rights and opportunities of all people to seek, obtain, and hold employment without being subjected to illegal discrimination and harassment in the workplace. It is the State's policy to provide an environment free of discrimination and harassment of an individual because of that person's race, color, national origin, age (40 and over), sex, pregnancy, religion, creed, disability, veteran's status or any other category protected by state and/or federal civil rights laws.