Become a Forester I (Non-Supervisory)

  • Entry Level
  • Supervisory
  • Full Time
  • Seasonal
  • Benefits Eligible

The Forester series describes professional work concerned with forest, range, and watershed management and protection, which is accomplished by: providing encouragement, advice, and assistance to landowners, individuals, organizations, and agencies; regulating use; demonstrating good wildland management; and seeking through research, assessment, risk analysis, and studies the necessary knowledge to utilize forest, range, and watershed lands while protecting all their benefits. Foresters are also required to participate in fire protection, fire prevention, and all-risk response.

Work assignments involve the planning, development, and administration of resource management programs; surveys, research, and demonstration projects in the fields of forest pest protection, reforestation, climate change, forest utilization, and forest nursery operations; mapping and inventory of wildland soils and vegetation; emergency revegetation and rehabilitation; range improvement; forest practice and fire prevention inspections and regulation; criminal and civil law enforcement; State forest management; studies in forest economics, engineering, genetics, and appraisal; watershed management; environmental protection; forest products utilization; forest and wildland improvement and restoration; environmental review; forest policy; urban forestry; vegetation management; pre-fire engineering; all-risk response; and land-use planning. Individuals entering the series must successfully complete basic fire control training prior to the end of probation.

Forester I (Nonsupervisory)

This is the entry and first working level. Incumbents perform difficult, professional duties in connection with forest, range, watershed management, protection, and planning. At the unit level, incumbents enforce regulations, carry out policy, and serve in Forest Practice, Vegetation Management, Forestry Assistance, or other Resource Management assignments, as well as Fire Protection, Pre-Fire Engineering, fire prevention, local land use planning, and risk analysis. In some units, single positions function as Unit Foresters, with multiple program responsibilities. Incumbents may also be responsible for a segment of operations at a State Forest or Nursery. In region or headquarters assignments, incumbents may serve as staff specialists or assistants responsible for activities of a resource management program such as Forest Practice, Forest Management, or Urban Forestry. Incumbents may also serve as staff specialists or assistants responsible for activities of other department programs, such as pre-fire engineering, local land use planning, and risk analysis. Incumbents with appropriate training, Incident Command System (ICS) qualifications, experience, and certifications may serve in emergency assignments.



This classification is eligible for the following pay:

$6,763 - $8,778 Base Salary (paid every month) 

$81,156 – $105,336 Annual Compensation

In addition to the above pay items, employees are eligible for medical benefits (health, dental, vision) and may be eligible for other pay differentials.

Benefit information can be found on the CalHR website and the CalPERS website.

Minimum Qualifications

Breadth of experience through a variety of job assignments is a factor in planned manager development in the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Although Foresters develop highly specialized assignments at higher levels, rotation in assignment is anticipated at all levels within the series.

Either I
Possession of a valid license as a Registered Professional Forester issued by the California State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection; or possession of an authorized letter from the California State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection, Professional Foresters Registration, to compete in the Registered Professional Forester exam. (Applicants with an authorization letter will be admitted to the examination, but they must secure the license before being considered eligible for appointment.)

Or II
Experience: Two years of experience performing the duties of a Forestry Assistant II in the California state service; (and)

License Requirement: Possession of a valid license as a Registered Professional Forester issued by the California State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection. (Applicants who do not possess the required license will be admitted to the examination but must secure the license before they will be considered eligible for appointment.)

Or III
Experience: One year of experience performing the duties of a Forestry Assistant II in the California state service; (and) six months of forestry work requiring professional skill. (Graduation from college with specialization in forestry, range management, or a closely related natural resource field may be substituted for the six months of forestry work.); (and)

License Requirement: Possession of a valid license as a Registered Professional Forester issued by the California State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection. (Applicants who do not possess the required license will be admitted to the examination but must secure the license before they will be considered eligible for appointment.)

Or IV
Experience: Either:

  • Three years of experience in the California state service performing forestry work requiring professional skill, fire prevention, or supervising fire suppression work in a class comparable in level to a Forestry Assistant II; or
  • Two years of experience in forestry work requiring professional skill involving one of the following: management of a forest area, management of forest resources, appraising forest resources, forest engineering, regulating forest practices, controlling forest pests, reforestation or tree nursery production, urban forestry, or range and watershed management duties. (Graduate work in forestry may be substituted for up to one year of the required experience on a year-for-year basis.)

Education: Equivalent to graduation from college with specialization in forestry, range management, or a closely related natural resource field. (Additional qualifying experience may be substituted for up to two years of the required education on a year-for-year basis.); (and)

License Requirement: Possession of a valid license as a Registered Professional Forester issued by the California State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection. (Applicants who do not possess the required license will be admitted to the examination but must secure the license before they will be considered eligible for appointment.)

Knowledge and Abilities

Knowledge:
Natural sciences (biology, botany, geology, hydrology, ecology, soil science, and climatology, including climate change principles); forest, range, wildlife, and fisheries management principles and practices; California vegetative types, soil, climatic conditions, and plant ecology; tools, methods, and practices related to vegetation management, including fuels management; tools, methods, and practices related to forest and range inventory, mensuration, appraisal, and harvesting; tree nursery production, distribution, reforestation, and forest pest control; identification and protection of archaeological sites and other cultural resources; tools, methods, practices, programs, organization, and standards related to fire prevention, wildland fire protection, fire behavior, and all-risk incident management, strategy, and tactics; watershed management and erosion control methods; State, local, and Federal environmental, forest, and fire laws and regulations applicable in California; criminal, civil, and administrative law and law enforcement and investigation techniques; tools, methods, and practices related to forest engineering, land surveying, mapping, photogrammetry, and use and applications of remote sensing imagery; evaluation techniques and migration methods for land management and incident-related activities and effects; the Department’s mission, vision, and values; the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection’s and the Department’s policies; other agencies’ roles, objectives, and jurisdictional authorities; forest economics, forest product valuation, and forest product utilization.

Ability to:
Interpret and apply technical standards and make decisions based on available data; make inspections and investigations and prepare technical reports of findings; research literature and other sources for information; use clear and concise expression in oral presentations, written reports, and correspondence; identify and protect sensitive resources; work effectively and harmoniously with others (e.g., co-workers, other fire protection agencies, the public, landowners, other governmental agencies, and the business community).

Additional Desirable Qualifications
Possession of a valid driver license of the appropriate class issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles.

Special Personal Characteristics
Willingness to work long and irregular hours under stressful conditions, in remote parts of the State, and during fire season; remain available for duty assignments 24 hours a day as required; ability to meet physical and medical standards established by the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection; color vision and visual acuity sufficient to perform the duties of the position; ability to perform and exercise good judgment under emergency or other stressful situations; ability to operate specialized equipment (e.g., personal computers, audio-visual equipment, fire apparatus, vehicles, and cameras).

Felony Disqualification
Existing law provides that persons convicted of a felony are disqualified from employment as peace officers. Such persons are not eligible to compete for, or be appointed to, positions in this class. This felony disqualification applies only to those positions designated as peace officers within this class.

No examinations at this time.