Job Specification

Purpose of Position :

Under the general guidance of the district Management Forester to provide professional assistance in the support of the development of all Forest Management Plans within the district to provide for the sustainability of forest ecosystems.
To develop and monitor for compliance and effectiveness the implementation of the forest management component of the Crown and, where appropriate, the private land resource management programs within the district.
To provide professional forestry expertise in support of the district integrated resource management programs and forestry advice to the general public, local forest industry and other external agencies.

Duties / Responsibilities :

1. Contribute to the achievement of the Ministry's goal of ecological sustainability by acquiring, sharing and applying knowledge of the theory, principles and practices of resource and ecosystem planning and management, ecological sustainability and the Ministry's strategic direction; interpreting, advising on and apply resource-based legislation, policies, procedures and guidelines in the development of forest management plans for the district. Communicate government/ministry direction and priorities to stakeholders/interest groups who engage in local Forest Management Plan process to facilitate understanding and acceptance of ecological and sustainable management principles.

2. Assist the Management Forester with providing forest management advice to other district and regional program areas on a landscape basis and to private landowners as required. Strengthen relationships with district resource users/stakeholders and aboriginal communities in relation to forest
management; monitoring public, LCC, aboriginal and stakeholder consultation efforts in the district. Draft briefing notes and correspondence related to issues arising from forest management planning and forest operations.

3. Provide support to integrated regional forest planning teams by advising the District Resource Management Supervisor with respect to staffing, resourcing and scheduling in order to satisfy relevant legislation, policies, procedures, standards and guidelines. Provide guidance and forestry expertise to district and regional resource planning teams; promoting professionalism, achievement of high standards and encouraging innovation and continual improvement.

4. Support the preparation of district forest management plans including Local Citizens Committee and Aboriginal involvement in the plan and support the planning of operations. Support the review of major amendment requests for district forest management plans and assist in the review of minor and administrative amendments.

5. Support the Management Forester in the implementation of district forest management plans by analyzing and reviewing annual work schedules developed by sustainable licence holders, provide recommendations for additions or modifications; assist in auditing the implementation of the annual work schedule for compliance with the planned work and determine the effectiveness of the silvicultural treatments; and assist with the preparation of annual forest management planning requirements, including amendments to the forest management plan, for Crown Management Units.

6. Work with regional staff on the development of Aboriginal Background Information Reports, management of stakeholder issues and the formal FMP Issue Resolution process; provide advice and recommendations on the resolution of complex and contentious resource management and allocation
issues and/or dispute resolution.

7. Assist the Management Forester with preparation/review of annual reports which detail forest depletion, wood utilization, forest renewal and maintenance and tree improvement to assess sustainability. Support the preparation and review of overlapping licence agreements and forest resource licences within the district; review and provide advice on annual forest renewal rates.

8. Assist the Management Forester with the silvicultural and other effectiveness monitoring programs related to forest management activities, and provide recommendations for improvements where necessary. Provide support to regionally led or coordinated forest management and forest management planning initiatives.

9. Other duties: Management has right to assign other duties.

Staffing and Licensing :

Eligible to be registered as a Registered Professional Forester (RPF) and ability to obtain designation from Ontario Professional Foresters Association.

Knowledge :

Knowledge of forest management planning requirements and practices to assist in the development of forest management plans.
Knowledge of theories, methodologies and practices of forest resource management to provide professional forest management advice to other district/regional program areas on a landscape basis, to private landowners, general public, local forest industry and other external agencies to achieve MNRs goal of ecological sustainability.
Knowledge of Ontario's forest legislation, regulations and policies (e.g. Crown Forest Sustainability Act, Forest Management Planning Manual, Forest Information Manual, Forest Operations and Silviculture Manual), programs and regulatory mechanisms to coordinate the development of forest management plans and related forest planning products.
Knowledge of Ontario's forest industry and government policies related to the forest industry to ensure Forest Management Plan requirements are fully satisfied prior to recommending plan approval under the direction of the Management Forester.
Knowledge of legal obligation matters related to forest management and aboriginal aspects, including legal duty to consult to develop and coordinate effective methods of communication, consultation and record-keeping.
Knowledge of personal computers, internet, database management and a variety of word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, communication, spatial analysis and modelling software to prepare briefing materials, correspondence, reports, etc. and to assess forest management plans by analyzing/verifying data and making recommendations.
Knowledge of Geographic Information System (GIS), Global Positioning System (GPS) and current technologies such as spatial analysis and modeling tools.
Knowledge of the Occupational Health and Safety Act and those regulations made under the Act that apply to the workplace and work being performed.

Skills :

Organizational, coordination, project management and leadership skills to provide professional assistance to the Management Forester with to direct planning teams and to coordinate Local Citizen Committee meetings by liaising with chairperson, setting up meetings and often making presentations on matters like updates on forest management plan, plan amendments, forest compliance and effectiveness of plan components like silviculture and road use strategies.
Interpersonal, oral and written communication skills to lead team members provide advice/recommendations on staffing, resourcing and scheduling in order to satisfy relevant legislation, policies, procedures, prepare submissions, briefing/communication materials and make presentations.
Reasoning, analytical, facilitation and consensus building skills to analyse, review and make recommendations related to major amendment requests/minor and administrative amendments to district forest management plans; analyse and review annual work schedules developed by sustainable licence holders, make recommendations for additions or modifications; analyse annual reports on forest depletion, wood utilization, forest renewal, maintenance and tree improvement to assess/report on sustainability; audit/analyse and determine the effectiveness of the silvicultural treatments and monitoring program; and for effective problem solving (recommend solutions to resource management issues based on local knowledge of the forest and local stakeholders), conflict resolution and team building.
Ability to work under pressure while motivating other team members to achieve assigned objectives within strict timelines.

Freedom of Action :

Work is performed under the general supervision of District Resources Management Supervisor and direction/ mentoring from the district Management Forester.
Job requires operating within ministry and government legislation, established policies, guidelines, directives, procedures and established forest management principles, practices and procedures.
Job exercises latitude in decision making by providing expertise and professional guidance to integrated district and/or regional planning teams on landscape basis.
Job requires making minor adjustments to established information process to ensure data and information is relevant, up-to-date and responsive to practitioners and corporate needs.
Job requires providing analyses and advice to management, ministry staff and external stakeholders on the interpretation and review of existing legislation, policies, guidelines and procedures related to forest management planning objectives and the resolution of related contentious issues, including recommending appropriate method for issue resolution.
Job requires referring forest management planning issues that come up during plan implementation (e.g. stakeholder or First Nation concerns) to the attention of the District Resources Management Supervisor and Management Forester.