Employment
Current Employment Openings
Full-Time Employment
We are investing in growing our team of foresters, and we have new openings! As of February 24, 2023, we’re hiring in Boulder, Durango, Fort Collins (2 positions), Franktown, Golden (3 positions), Granby, Gunnison, La Veta, Montrose and Woodland Park. Apply in the Forester – Ongoing Recruitment – All 17 Field Offices link below. Check back regularly as we expect to have openings in the next six months in the following field offices: Boulder, Durango, Franktown, Granby, Montrose and Steamboat Springs.
Location: Fort Collins, CO
Under the supervision of the Supervisory Forester, the Lead Project Forester will lead and manage complex projects/programs, falling within one or more of the following program areas:
- Community Wildfire Protection Plans and wildfire hazard mitigation
- Forest agriculture
- Forest stewardship planning
- Good Neighbor Agreements
- Outreach and engagement programs
- Collaboratives and Partnerships
The Lead Project Forester may perform some, or all, of the following: project budget management, program oversight, personnel direction, grant and agreement development and implementation. The Lead Project Forester coordinates program delivery with program staff and will serve as the primary contact point for local officials and key CSFS partners within their assigned project/program area(s), under the supervision and mentoring of the Supervisory Forester.
The Lead Project Forester will lead Area work teams associated with complex programs, train and mentor Field Office or Area foresters, develop and manage program and project budgets, provide input to Area strategic work plans, cultivate emerging issues and opportunities, serve as the acting Supervisory Forester as needed, and support all Area operations. The Lead Project Forester must have a thorough knowledge of overall Field Office and Area operations, local collaboratives and partnerships, silviculture, best management practices, insect and disease identification and management, wildfire mitigation and community protection, timber harvest operations, contract development and administration, and will be a local Subject Matter Expert on their assigned complex projects/programs.
Internal Search: Manager – Safety and Risk, Facilities and Fleet
Location: Fort Collins, CO
Under the supervision of the Deputy Director, Colorado State Forest Service (CSFS), the Manager establishes and directs the development, implementation and administration of safety and risk management policies and programs for the CSFS.
- This position is responsible for the development of facility maintenance policies and coordination of routine maintenance and new facility needs for the CSFS.
- This position is responsible for the development and implementation of CSFS fleet acquisition, maintenance and operation policies.
- The Manager works closely with leadership Team members (CSFS Associate Directors) in the development and implementation of policies related to safety and risk management, facilities and fleet.
- Communication between the Manager and Leadership Team members is key to the identification and resolution of issues in these program areas.
- Daily activities include development of agency policy and direction in the areas of safety and risk, facilities, and fleet management; coordination with Leadership Team members to identify emerging programmatic issues to address; coordination with CSU risk management, facilities and fleet staff for policy/procedural clarification; supporting CSFS staff as the primary point of contact for programmatic information for safety and risk management, facilities and fleet.
Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) Research Associate I – Ongoing Recruitment
Locations: (As of Feb. 3, 2023) Fort Collins, Meeker, Grand Junction, Gunnison, Cañon City, and Durango, CO
The Colorado State Forest Service is an agency of Colorado State University, and is housed organizationally, in the Warner College of Natural Resources. The CSFS also staffs the Division of Forestry for the Colorado Department of Natural Resources. The CSFS has field offices throughout the state, organized within 4 Areas with a State Office located in Fort Collins on one of the foothills campuses of CSU.
Individual staff members take the lead on one or more program areas and all staff members are expected to assist each other as needed for successful, efficient and effective delivery of services and programs.
The Colorado State Forest Service at Colorado State University is accepting applications on an ongoing basis from individuals who are interested in obtaining research positions within the agency.
Forestry Technician – Ongoing Recruitment
Locations as of March 17, 2023: Boulder, Fort Collins, Franktown, Golden, Cañon City, La Veta, Woodland Park, Alamosa, Durango, Gunnison, Montrose, Salida, Grand Junction, Granby, Frisco, Steamboat Springs, and State Forest (Gould), CO
The Colorado State Forest Service accepts applications on an ongoing basis from individuals who are interested in obtaining a full or part-time Forestry Technician position, to work within one or more CSFS programs. Forestry Technician positions will be hired from this general pool announcement periodically dependent on funding and work needs. These positions will be hired under temporary worker authorizations and may last up to 3 years. In your application materials, please provide a list of any relevant experience or coursework relevant to the program areas listed below.
Under the supervision of a Supervisory Forester or Forester, the Forestry Technician position will work to support and deliver CSFS services in one or more of the following program areas:
- Forest management
- Forest agriculture
- Forest stewardship planning
- Urban and community forestry
- Wildfire mitigation & fuels treatment
- Insect and disease
- Fire Wise & Community Wildfire Protection Plans
- Special projects as assigned
- Grant program management
- Outreach & education programs
- Pile burning on state lands
- Community/HOA assistance
- Federal, state and local government forest management projects
These positions will provide professional, science-based assistance to local landowners regarding forest health (insects, disease and wildfire mitigation), and prepare program-related reports and plans. In addition, these positions will also provide assistance to other staff in additional program areas including: Grants, Federal land forest management through the Good Neighbor Authority, State Land management and facilities maintenance.
At times, these positions will assist and develop service agreements with landowners by creating scopes of work, assessing project budgets, resources, and personnel, deciding the technical requirements needed for the agreement, administration of science-based forest management activities and obtaining appropriate signatures. These positions must have a basic knowledge of silviculture, Forestry best management practices, insect and disease identification, pest management, wildfire mitigation and basic wildland fire suppression.
These positions are expected to provide professional services, education and outreach to landowners and cooperators/partners through written and verbal communications. Utilizing feedback from relevant sources to evaluate options and implement solutions is also critical to this position.
Forester – Ongoing Recruitment
Locations Hiring as of Feb. 25, 2023: Alamosa, Boulder, Durango, Fort Collins (2), Franktown, Golden (3), Granby, La Veta, Montrose and Woodland Park
The Colorado State Forest Service accepts applications on an ongoing basis from individuals who are interested in obtaining full or part-time, Forester positions to lead and serve as the representative for one or more of CSFS programs. Forester positions will be hired from this general pool announcement periodically dependent on funding and work needs. In your application materials, please provide a list of any relevant experience or coursework relevant to the program areas listed below.
Under the supervision of a Supervisory Forester, the Forester position will be the lead and serve as the representative for one or more of the following program areas:
- Forest management
- Forest agriculture
- Forest stewardship planning
- Urban and community forestry
- Wildfire mitigation & fuels treatment
- State trust land forest management
- Insect and disease
- Seasonal crew hiring and oversight
- Firewise
- Special projects as assigned
- Community Wildfire Protection Plans
- Grant program management
- Outreach & education programs
- State parks forest management
- Pile burning on state lands
- Community/HOA assistance
- Federal, state, and local government forest management projects
Grant programs this position will administer include but are not limited to: Colorado Forest Restoration, State & Private Forestry, State Fire Assistance, Community Assistance Funding on Adjacent Lands, and other State and Federal grants.
These positions will provide professional, science-based assistance to local landowners regarding forest health (insects, disease, and wildfire mitigation), and prepare program-related reports. In addition, these positions will also provide assistance to other staff in additional program areas including: Federal land forest management through the Good Neighbor Authority and facilities maintenance.
At times, these positions will develop service agreements with landowners by creating scopes of work, assessing project budgets, resources, and personnel, deciding the technical requirements needed for the agreement, administration of science-based forest management activities and obtaining appropriate signatures. These positions will lead project work teams, train and mentor staff members, develop and manage program and project budgets up to $250,000, create detailed work plans, serve as acting Supervisory Forester as assigned, and participate on agency committees. These positions must have a thorough knowledge of silviculture, best management practices, insect and disease identification, pest management, wildfire mitigation and basic wildland fire suppression.
These positions are expected to provide professional services, education and outreach to landowners and cooperators/partners through written and verbal communication. Utilizing feedback from relevant sources to evaluate options and implement solutions is also critical to this position.
Ongoing recruitment postings are used to gather applications for multiple job openings in multiple parts of the state. They remain open, collecting applicants, on the CSU Jobs website for three, six or 12 months. At the end of this period, current applications are deactivated and applicants are invited to reapply to the next ongoing recruitment cycle if applicable.
Once an applicant has applied to an Ongoing Recruitment posting, their application materials will be reviewed every time a new vacancy becomes available. CSFS positions can and may be filled year-round. For open positions, applicants should mark the area(s) of Colorado where they’re willing to work.
If at any time you would like to update your information or remove yourself from the pool, please contact Tina Little at tina.little@colostate.edu or (970) 491-8662 so she can reactivate your application or remove you.
Part-Time Employment
Admin Assistant II, Part-Time Durango State Forest Service Office
Location: Durango, CO
Provide support to the Colorado State Forest Service Durango field staff and programs such as, but not limited to Forest Management Programs, and Forest Agriculture tax program by performing duties including front desk reception, telephone and walk-in customer reception, general public relations, document creation/editing and data management, meeting logistics, mail processing, payment processing and other financial duties, office equipment operations and maintenance. Take minutes at meetings as required.
Seasonal Employment
POSITION TITLE: Seasonal Forester (2-3 positions)
LOCATION: State Forest Field Office (Gould, CO)
HOURLY PAY RATE: $17.50 per hour (depending on experience) – dormitory style housing and utilities provided
EMPLOYMENT DATES: Late May 2023 through August 2023 (start and end date may be variable)
CLOSING DATE: Applications will be considered until all vacancies are filled, however materials should be received by February 17, 2023, for full consideration.
Minimum Requirements
- Must have a valid driver’s license or the ability to obtain a driver’s license by the employment start date
- Pursuing or completed degree in forestry or related natural resources field
- Ability to (or willingness to learn how to) operate a manual transmission vehicle
- Ability to operate 4-wheel drive vehicles in variable weather and road conditions
- Ability to (or willingness to learn how to) operate chainsaws/misc. logging equipment, forestry equipment, and perform strenuous outdoor work in a variety of weather conditions
- Ability and willingness to work long hours with occasional evening and weekend duties (work based on a 40-hour work week)
- Demonstrated ability to work as a member of a team
Conditions of Employment
- This position requires hiking and carrying filed equipment most hours of the workday
- Occasional camping will be required
- The employee should be able to work in adverse weather conditions, steep/rough terrain, and with minimal supervision
Preferred Experience
- Ability to communicate effectively both verbally and written
- One season of field experience
- Experience in the use of Microsoft Suite, ArcGIS Suite, Avenza or GPS
Duties and Responsibilities
- Cruising and data collection for forest-wide inventory
- Scouting and treatment layout for projects focused on watershed protection and climate change
- Field support on Adaptive Silviculture for Climate Change projects
- Chainsaw operation – thinning, firewood, and defensible space work
- Assisting with timber sale layout – cruising, boundary delineation, and marking
- Various GPS and GIS applications
- Assisting with assessment and treatment of insect and disease projects
- General labor – rock headers, fences, facility and equipment maintenance, construction projects, etc.
To Apply
Please send electronic versions of the application materials to CSFS_StateForest@mail.colostate.edu.
Resume, cover letter, and three (3) professional references
For questions regarding the position, please contact:
Blair Rynearson
Colorado State Forest Service
59228 State Hwy 14
Walden, CO 80480
(970) 723-4505
CSU is an EO/EA/AA employer. Colorado State University conducts background checks on all final candidates.
Forestry Technician – Inventory & Analysis
Locations: Cañon City, Durango, Fort Collins, Grand Junction, Gunnison, and Meeker, CO
Location: Fort Collins
We are currently recruiting for Seasonal Nursery Technicians to assist with various tasks related to the operations of the CSFS Nursery. This is a hands-on labor position that will be expected to work indoors and outdoors in all weather conditions. Tasks will be assigned and supervised by CSFS Nursery staff under the guidance of the Nursery Manager.
Job Duties/Responsibilities:
- Assisting in grading, boxing and shipping of seedlings
- Greenhouse and Shadehouse irrigation
- Crop production
- Crop movement
- Weed control
- Grounds maintenance
- Maintenance and repair of infrastructure
- Various tasks as assigned
Internships
The CSFS partnered with the Dean’s Office at Warner College of Natural Resources (WCNR) in 2018 to develop a summer internship program that offers paid internships to WCNR students. Each fall, CSFS Field Offices as well as divisions within the CSFS create proposals for summer interns that offer experiential internships to students. There is usually of mix of internships: some look for students with more WCNR coursework to take positions and others look for students across a range of coursework experience. Positions are 6 weeks or 12 weeks long to accommodate summer coursework requirements for WCNR students. These positions are usually open for applications after the start of CSU’s Spring semester. Contact Ethan Bucholz for more information. Internships include but are not limited to the following positions:
- Private land forest management assistance
- Wildfire risk reduction and mitigation
- Collaborative approaches to forest management
- Forest inventory and analysis
- Environmental education
- Public lands management
- Geographic information systems analysis
The CSFS occasionally has funding for internships for work during Fall and Spring semesters. Watch for these announcements in classes and from various student groups. Also, check with career services at WCNR.
About CSFS
The Colorado State Forest Service (CSFS) is a service and outreach agency of the Warner College of Natural Resources at Colorado State University. In addition to our state office on the CSU Foothills Campus in Fort Collins, the CSFS maintains 17 field offices throughout Colorado. Our professional staff offer Colorado residents an easily accessible source of technical forestry assistance and educational outreach.
Together with other natural resource organizations, CSFS provides comprehensive support for the care of our natural environment. This exchange of technical assistance and information among cooperating organizations ensures the commitment to a common goal — future forests that will provide benefits for present and future generations.
Our Staff Include
- Foresters
- Staff foresters and other support staff
- Administrative staff
- Seasonal foresters and internships
Contact Information
- Questions about verification of employment for a current CSFS employee: CSU Human Resource Services – Payroll Office (970) 491-MyHR (6947)
- Information about careers in forestry: Tina Little
- Information about becoming a wildland firefighter