The Conservation Forester provides technical leadership and support to forest conservation programs within the Central Appalachians in Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee by planning, directing, and implementing forest management programs. Provides technical assistance and management assistance for the Family Forest Carbon Program, Working Woodlands Program, and the Healthy Forest Reserve Program. This position will assist with developing, monitoring, and implementing forestry and carbon projects and leading regional efforts to identify and implement Natural Climate Solutions relating to conservation forestry. They address critical threats to natural systems and individual species, foster cross-site learning among an international conservation community, and supply conservation planning teams (formerly called “eco regional” planning teams) with site or landscape level information relevant to the planning process. They develop and implement conservation strategies, coordinate community support, and implement a variety of strategies to secure public and private support for TNC conservation priorities. They collaborate with Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virginia staff to assess timber on proposed acquisition tracts, manage forest operations and general preserve management, as a secondary job function.

• Serves as a key member of the Family Forest Carbon Program Pilot team in Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee
• Serves as a key member of the Healthy Forest Reserve Program implementation team in Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee.
• Serves on the Natural Climate Solutions Central Appalachians working group, with future opportunity to step into a leadership role.
• Assists Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee with occasional forest inventory and assessment and property management projects outside of those listed above.
• Conducts landowner and community engagement, including communicating program goals and objectives and facilitating enrollment.
• Works within/manages a budget to complete projects, negotiate and oversee contracts with vendors, and assist with budget development and grant management.
• Develops methods and implements forest inventories and carbon opportunity summaries for private and public landowners.
• Conducts forest and ecological inventories and develops certified forest management plans for private landowners, partners and TNC preserves.
• Collects and analyzes various types of data including GPS data and produces basic maps using GIS software.
• Oversees contractors, forestry consultants and loggers. Monitors logging and general operations as needed on TNC and partner/private landowner forests.
• Ensures program compliance with internal policies and external requirements, including annual monitoring and reporting.
• Gains cooperation from outside parties to accomplish preserve and program goals.
• May work in variable weather conditions, at remote locations, on difficult and hazardous terrain and under physically demanding circumstances.