Historic, archived document Do not assume content reflects current scientific knowledge, policies, or practices. sei A GUIDE T0 NONPROFESSIONAL EMPLOYMENT Miscellaneous Publication No. 843 Forest Service e U.S. Department of Agriculture For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington 25, D.C. - Price 10 cents ; y Ss = rHREST SAW A GUIDE TO NONPROFESSIONAL EMPLOYMENT The Forest Service receives thousands of letters each year from people who want to know something about the Service— what 1t does and what kinds of jobs it offers. Most of the questions these people ask are like the questions listed below. Anyone interested in a Forest Service career at a nonpro- fessional level should find the information he needs in this booklet. 1. ‘What Does the Forest Service Do?’’ The Forest Service, a part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is responsible for the protection and development of about 186 million acres of mountains, forests, waterways, and grazing lands grouped within 154 National Forests and 18 National Grasslands. The principal objective of the Forest Service is to manage the resources on these Federal lands for ‘‘the greatest good of the greatest number in the long run.”’ To accomplish this, the National Forests must be made to yield continuous supplies of water, timber, forage, and wildlife, as well as to provide recreation opportunities for the millions of people who visit them. In the course of their work, foresters encounter many problems that make their goals difficult to reach—such problems as tree disease, insect infestations, and fire, to name a few. The Forest Service employs many well-trained scientists and technologists in its numerous research units to find solutions to these problems as well as to test new and better ways of using our valuable resources. To assist its scientists and administrators, a large number of nonprofessional workers are employed. In addition to the 85 million acres of commercial forest land on the National Forests, there are 386 million acres of forest land owned privately or by the States. These non-Federal holdings make up nearly 80 percent of our total commercial timber growing area. Adequate future timber supplies in the United States depend, to a large extent, on increasing the productive capacity of these lands. The use of better forestry practices is the key to this objective. The Forest Service, in cooperation with many States, conducts programs aimed at assisting the private landowner in improving his forest lands. The work of the Forest Service can be better understood if we remember that the growth of our population and economy, and the advances of technology, have created huge demands for natural resources. These demands must be met in the crucial years ahead. The Forest Service does its part by constantly seeking and practicing good principles of forest conservation, and by cooperating with all forest owners for their and the Nation’s benefit. 2. “‘l am not a Professional Forester. What Kind of Work Can! Find in the Forest Service?” . Professional Forest Service men can operate effectively only if they have a competent staff of nonprofessionals to work with. These nonprofessionals are divided into the following categories: A. TECHNICIANS—fire dispatchers, timber markers, timber cruisers, log scalers, road survey party chiefs. B. AIDS—lookouts, smokechasers, smokejumpers, timber stand improvement crew members, recreation guards. C. CLERICAL AND RELATED WORKERS—typists, payroll clerks, stenographers, mail and file clerks, dictating-machine transcribers, messengers. D. SKILLED WORKERS—carpenters, welders, electricians, parachute packers, bulldozer operators, cooks. EK. LABORERS—forest workers, janitors. ee ee eee eee Much of the field work on National Forests must be done during the summer, because most of these forests, being at high altitudes, are usually snow-covered in winter. Accordingly, several thousand temporary employees are hired each summer for fire protection; tree- disease and insect control; brush disposal; road, trail, and other improvements; construction; maintenance; and similar forest work. 3. “How Important Are the Nonprofessional Workers to the Forest Service?”’ Very important, indeed. Nonprofessionals help the professional do the job he has to do. An engineer’s road design for a National Forest is useless unless he has a corps of unskilled, skilled, and super- visory workers to build the road. In this respect, the Forest Service is like any other large organization with its different levels of skills and functions which have to operate harmoniously. Let’s look a bit closer at the categories listed under the second question: A. TECHNICIAN .—More and more professions are finding that certain tasks that were once performed by the professional can be delegated to the technician. In the Forest Service, this approach has met with great success. Technicians have taken over from the professional foresters such responsible and difficult jobs as supervising on-the-ground operations in timber sales, recreation-area use, or research activities _ that require the use of practical skills and experience; col- lecting, consolidating, sometimes analyzing, reporting, and summarizing data within guides set up by professionals; contacting the public, contractors, and other forest users for information or policy enforcement; or supervising a road survey crew on a road-building project that will make timber accessible for harvesting. B. AID.—No organization can exist without people who know how to get the basic or preliminary work done. The Forest Service is no exception. It has always been fortunate in having hard-working aids who not only get the job done, but enjoy doing it. Aids, even more than technicians, work at a variety of productive tasks that help both the technician and the pro- fessional. Some of these tasks are: Scaling logs; marking specific trees and collecting and recording such data as tree heights, tree diameters, and tree mortality; installing, main- taining, and collecting records from rain gages, stream flow recorders, and soil moisture measuring instruments on simple watershed improvement projects; serving on a road survey 3 crew as rodman, rear or head BELL, notekeeper, or level instrument man. C. CLERICAL.—Another important group of support personnel in the Forest Service is the clerical and related force. Clerical workers are found at all organization levels, including the forest ranger’s office. A unit may require the services of one or more of the following: Typist, voucher examiner, stenog- rapher, mail and file clerk, dictating-machine transcriber, and messenger. Many women are employed in these positions. D. SKILLED WORKER.—For construction, maintenance, and fire control projects, the Forest Service requires such skilled workers as carpenters, parachute repairers and packers, welders, cooks, bulldozer operators, and others experienced in EAChile trades and crafts. E. LABORER.—In addition to skilled workers on the numerous National Forest projects, laborers are also needed. Un- skilled workers kill undesirable trees, using poison or other methods; prune trees to improve their quality; build fire- lines; uproot bushes that transmit the destructive white pine disease known as blister rust; plant seedlings; dig ditches; load and unload equipment and tools; and perform other supervised duties that require no special knowledge or training. 4. ‘‘What Kind of Experience Do | Need to Qualify for a Nonprofessional Job in the Forest Service?”’ A. TECHNICIAN.—The following tabulation shows the amount of experience required to qualify for several technician positions: YEARS OF EXPERIENCE Special- General ized Total FORESTRY TECHNICIAN. - _ 2" 2 1 3 FOREST & RANGE FIRE CON- TROL“TECEHNIC LAIN See saan 1% 1 2% ENGINEERING TECHNICIAN _-_- 3) 4 4 4 An example of acceptable general experience for the position of Forest and Range Fire Control Technician would be experience gained in any field of forestry, or related field, that shows the applicant has acquired, and can use, the basic knowledges and skills needed for fire control work. Specialized experience for the position of Forest and Range Fire Control Technician would be that which demonstrates the possession of knowledges and skills basic to fire dispatching, fire prevention, or some combination of both, depending upon the type of position open. Substituting high school or other education for parts of the general or specialized experience requirements is permitted. The exact amount of substitution allowed is determined by the nature and length of the subjects studied. B. AID.—The following experience requirements are for the several positions of aid: EXPERIENCE Special- General ized Total KRORESTRYSATD. _ 2seasonsor None____ 2 seasons or j 1 year. 1 year. FOREST AND RANGE FIRE CONTROL AID__ 2seasons__ None____ 2 seasons. ENGINEERING AID____ 1% years__. 3 months. 2 years. The example of general experience shown above for Forest and Range Fire Control Technician would also apply here for Forest and Range Fire Control Aid. A diploma for the completion of 4 years of high school work which includes six 4-year courses in mathematics or science may be substi- tuted for two seasons of general experience. C. CLERK.—For grades GS-2 or GS-3, no experience is required. However, applicants must pass tests covering verbal abilities and aptitude for clerical tasks. D. SKILLED TRADE AND CRAFT WORKERS.—Generally, 6 months of experience assisting a journeyman worker is required for eligibility to the helper or apprentice positions, Level 5 (not to be con- fused with GS-5). Usually, each month of day class attendance in a trade school may be substituted for each month of required experience. . E. LABORER.—No previous experience or education is required to start as a Laborer, Level 1. However, to perform the various man- ual tasks, it is necessary to be in good physical condition. zl 8 aha ' cusTer NEy 7 mumsexoy | Me Sl et int. iN ROCKY MOUNTAIN f 5 ROOSEVELT Ci8QLa S =e . Beerranone Ui \Z Sere x = S> CLEVEL AWD _—— = S oo N. MEX. ey Ty cornu eke, | @4 ALASKA \ pe SM suey PUERTO RICO CHUGACK Qe YD», ym ‘ 1 TONGASS ® i? ey) SS CHIPPEWA MINN. 2 4 cane svaves i 1th @ F noounet iia © ‘ ATLA ead a qe ° mos US. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOREST SERVICE PREPARED IN THE DIVISION OF ENGINEERING NATIONAL FORESTS a FOREST AND RANGE EXPERIMENT STATIONS | ‘*— REGIONAL BOUNDARIES AND NUMBERS NORTHEASTERN, UPPER DARBY, PA PACIFIC NORTHWEST, PORTLAND, OREG. : isl ce «| Zee te weel bai SOUTHEASTERN, ASHEVILLE, N.C. ROCKY MOUNTAIN, FT. COLLINS, COLO SUPERVISOR'S HEADQUARTERS PACIFIC SOUTHWEST, BERKELEY, CALIF. SOUTHERN, NEW ORLEANS, LA | 4 FOREST AND RANGE EXPERIMENT STATIONS CENTRAL STATES, COLUMBUS, OHIO TROPICAL, SAN JUAN, PR. % LABORATORY (MADISON, WIS.) INTERMOUNTAIN, OGDEN, UTAH ALASKA, JUNEAU LAKE STATES, ST. PAUL, MINN. mn Be Us» %p ‘Zz 4 | - bye SUPERIOR es 2 = — a “tere ” Ve # x cuir ewe ‘= a Se ty . _= ane 0 SINAOE Ay r S iemraginn a> ” ‘od Rap terre ep 8 Ze g & 4 e \ eee q Ys, fe ; 3 % =; c ole —7—. Ds (== ys at . 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BG wwe \ TUMEE e uk ane, | Z 42 Y ¥ Deon SABINE TEXAS gam Zane ¢ . i) at wa } souSTON Cp \ é Cay, LUNen PUERTO RIC 2a } CHUGACH 2 % TROPICAL Saeed e WAY : ; i WY ss oP TONGASS NOVY SS Be wes H Ds N ° s ~ - micas roo «00 | t VISION OF ENGINEERING U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOREST SERVICE PREPARED IN THE DIV! LEGEND a FOREST AND RANGE EXPERIMENT STATIONS NATIONAL FORESTS and Research Headquarters fe A pe | 4 == REGIONAL BOUNDARIES AND NUMBERS NORTHEASTERN, UPPER DARBY, AL PACIFIC NORTHWEST PORTLAND ont Piet teresa ingomsptilyne SOUTHEASTERN, ASHEVILLE, N.C. pl ached td ition PACIFIC SOUTHWEST, BERKELEY, CALIF. SOUTHERN, NEW ORLEANS, LA 4 FOREST AND RANGE EXPERIMENT STATIONS CENTRAL STATES, COLUMBUS, OHIO ‘TROPICAL, SAN JUAN, PR % LABORATORY (MADISON, WIS.) INTERMOUNTAIN, OGDEN, UTAH ALASKA, JUNEAU LAKE STATES, ST. PAUL, MINN. 5. “Are There Any Schools in the United States That Will Prepare Me for the Position of Forestry Technician or Forest and Range Fire Control Technician?”’ Yo a dt CABLES The following ranger schools offer training and preparation for those interested in a career as Forestry or Forest and Range Fire Control Technician in the Forest Service: STATE FOREST RANGER SCHOOL OF THE UNIVER- SITY OF FLORIDA LAKE CITY, FLORIDA STATE RANGER SCHOOL OF THE STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF FORESTRY ~WANAKENA, NEW YORK Training covers a 2-year period, concentrates on the technical aspects of forestry, and minimizes the nonforestry courses normally given in a 4-year undergraduate program leading to a Bachelor of Science Degree in Forestry. Full 2-year ranger-school graduates may start in grade GS-5 as technicians and move up the technician career ladder to responsible positions as high as GS-9, GS-11, and even GS-12. 6. ‘Will Taking Correspondence Courses Help Me Get a Job With the Forest Service?”’ Generally, correspondence courses do not count toward basic points in qualifying a person for current positions in the Forest Service. They do count toward bonus points in the qualifying process. That is, an applicant with the basic qualifying requirements would get some extra consideration if he had shown a keen interest in self- improvement, as demonstrated by having successfully completed such courses. 7. “What Are the Starting Salaries for Nonprofessionals in the Forest Service?”’ A. TECHNICIAN .—Technicians usually enter the Forest Service in grade GS-5 at a salary of $4,345 per year. (Though the technician and the professional may start their careers at the same grade, the professional, because of his broader educational background, will usually have greater job opportunities open to him and will frequently advance more rapidly and to a higher level than will the technician.) B. AID.—Aids usually enter the Forest Service in grade GS-3 at a salary of $3,760 per year. C. CLERK.—Clerks usually enter the Forest Service in grade GS-2 at $3,500 per year or grade GS-3 at $3,760 per year. D. SKILLED WORKER AND LABORER.—The pay scale for trades and crafts is not the same as that for white-collar or “GS” jobs. Beginning salaries are based on rates paid by non-Government concerns for similar work in the area in which the job is located. 8. ‘I’m Still in School but | Want to Work for the Forest Service in the Future. Will There Be Many Positions Available Then?”’ With the country’s population growing and living standards rising, the demand for lumber, paper, and other major forest products will likely increase. The rate of this increase will depend upon the general level of business activity in the building, construction, and other major wood-using industries. Based on a continuing upward trend in the use of forest products, job opportunities in the Forest Service for all major categories— technician, aid, clerk, skilled, unskilled, and professional workers— should be good. 9. “How Are Higher Grade Nonprofessional Positions Filled in the Forest Service?”’ The Forest Service tries to place each employee in the position for which he is best qualified and where he will have a chance to develop and grow. ‘This is in keeping with the idea of a career service. It is the policy of the Forest Service to fill vacancies in higher grade posi- tions by promoting employees who have shown their ability to do more responsible work. 10. ‘Do | Have To Take a Civil Service Examination To Be Eligible for Appointment?”’ All permanent positions in the Forest Service are filled by appoint- ment from a list of eligibles prepared by the Civil Service Commission. Eligible lists are established as a result of competitive examination, either written or unassembled. In taking an unassembled examina- tion, the applicant is rated primarily on the experience and education shown in the completed application form he submits. Whether taking a written or unassembled examination, the applicant with the highest score is placed at the top of the eligible list. Competitive civil service examinations are held for all but tempo- rary positions in the Forest Service. Whenever an examination is scheduled, the Civil Service Commission issues an announcement that is published in local newspapers and posted on bulletin boards in first- and second-class post offices. Information about examinations may also be obtained from any office of the Civil Service Commission. Each announcement describes the conditions (education, experience, sex, etc.) under which an applicant may be admitted to the examina- tion. Read these announcements carefully. Applicants who do not meet the minimum qualification requirements are rated ineligible. 11. “What Qualifications and Experience Do | Need for Temporary Employment?” For temporary employment as technician, aid, or clerk, the qualifi- cations are the same as those described earlier in this pamphlet. For starting laborer jobs, no practical experience is necessary. However, for supervisory positions appropriate experience (fire control operations, construction activities, etc.) is required. Oper- ators of equipment (trucks, bulldozers, power shovels) must have an automobile operator permit or appropriate experience. 10 All applicants must be at least 18 years old on the day they report for duty and must be physically fit and willing to do hard physical work. 12. “Does the Forest Service Employ Pilots?’’ The Forest Service uses airplanes to a considerable extent in fire suppression, but the planes and pilots are generally under contract from private operators. Local qualified pilots operate the few planes owned by the Forest Service. 13. “Does the Forest Service Employ Women?’’ The majority of office workers (typists, stenographers, clerks) are women. Women are occasionally employed as forest fire lookouts, but they are usually recruited from local residents who are acquainted with the country under observation. Since most lookouts are required to locate and sometimes help control fires, men fill most of these positions. 14. “‘Does the Forest Service Employ Noncitizens?”’ No. Civil Service regulations provide that an agency can hire noncitizens only if it cannot hire citizens. Since, in many categories, there are usually more applicants than jobs, the Forest Service has continued to fill its positions with U.S. citizens. For more information regarding temporary employment, write to the regional forester in charge of the area where you wish to work. Addresses of the regional foresters are on the following page. 1 Address to: Regional Forester U.S. Forest Service Region Region 1 Federal Building | 6 729 N.E. Oregon Street Missoula, Mont. P.O. Box 4137 2 Federal Center 7 Portland 8, Oreg. Building 85 7 6816 Market Street Denver 25, Colo. Upper Darby, Pa. 3 New Federal Building 8 50 Seventh Street, N.E. Albuquerque, N. Mex. Atlanta 23, Ga. 4 Forest Service Building 9 710 N. Sixth Street Ogden, Utah Milwaukee 3, Wis. 9 630 Sansome Street 10 State Capitol Building San Francisco 11, Calif. P.O. Box 1631 Juneau, Alaska (see map for regional jurisdictional areas) For more information regarding civil service examinations, write to the Civil Service Commission office serving the place where you want to take the examination. CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION OFFICES ADDRESS Central Office—Pension Bldg. F Street between 4th and 5th Sts. NW., Washington 25, D.C. First Region.—Post Office and Courthouse Bldg., Boston 9, Mass. Second Region.—News Bldg., 220 East 42d St., New York 17, N.Y. Third Region.—Customhouse, Second and Chest- nut Sts., Philadelphia 6, Pa. Fifth Region.—Peachtree-Baker Peachtree St. NE., Atlanta 3, Ga. Bldg., 275 Sixth Region.—Post Office and Courthouse Bidg., Cincinnati 2, Ohio. | Seventh Region.—New Post Office Bidg., Chi- cago 7, Ill. Eighth Region.—1114 Commerce St., Dallas 2, Texas. Ninth Region.—New Federal Bldg., St. Louis 1, Mo. Tenth Region.—Building 41, Denver Federal Center, Denver, Colo. Eleventh Region.—302 Federal Office Bldg., First Ave. and Madison St., Seattle 4, Wash. Twelfth Region—128 Appraisers Bldg., 630 Sansome St., San Francisco 11, Calif. Branch Regional Office, Twelfth Civil Service Region.—Federal Bldg., Honolulu 2, Hawaii. Branch Regional Office, Eleventh Civil Service Region.—Room 203 Loussac-Sogn Bldg., An- chorage, Alaska. Mailing address: P.O. Box 135, Anchorage, Alaska. Central Board of Examiners for Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands—Room 218 Post Office Bidg., San Juan, P.R. Mailing address: P.O. Box 4512, San Juan, P.R. Issued March 1961 13 AREA OF JURISDICTION Washington, D.C.; Alexandria, Va.: Arlington and Fairfax Counties, Va.; and Prince Georges and Montgomery Counties, Md. Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. New York and New Jersey. Pennsylvania, Delaware, Virginia (ex- cept Arlington and Fairfax Counties), Maryland (except Prince Georges and Montgomery Counties). North Carolina, South Carolina, Geor- gia, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, and Mississippi. Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, and West Virginia. Wisconsin, Michigan, and Illinois. Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Ar- kansas. Missouri, Kansas, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and lowa. Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, and Colorado. Montana, Oregon, Idaho, and Wash- ington. California and Nevada. Hawaii and Guam. Alaska. Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1961 O—581088 Growth Through Agricultural Progress