Forester or Forest Technician Intern

Job title: Youth Intern – Forester or Forest Technician
Reports to: Patricia Amero – General Manager
Job location: 3594 Second Division Road, Church Point, NS B0W 1M0 (Remote work is also possible).
Wage: $18.00 – 20.00 / hour
Hours: 35 hours per week (15-week internship)
Start date: Expected May 13, 2024

Employment hiring
Clean is committed to Employment Equity and our goal is to be a diverse workforce that is representative at all job levels. The Clean Leadership Program welcomes applications from qualified self-identifying First Nations, Métis and Inuit people, Racialized Youth, Persons with Disabilities, Newcomers, and 2SLGBTQIA+ applicants. If you are a member of one of the equity groups, you are encouraged to self-identify on our registration form.

About the Clean Leadership Summer Internship Program
The Clean Leadership Summer Internship program helps grow the clean economy by matching interns (age 15-30) with employers for 9- and 15-week summer work placements. Participating interns will receive paid hands-on experience, mentorship opportunities, take part in a professional development conference and training, while supporting local environmental projects.

Program requirements

• Must be a Canadian citizen, Permanent Resident, person who has been granted refugee status in Canada or legally entitled to work in Canada;
• Must be between the ages of 15 and 30 years old (inclusive) at the start of internship;
• From and/or will be residing in Nova Scotia for the duration of the internship; and,
• Must not be an immediate family member of host employer.

About the host employer
Western Woodlot Services Cooperative is a non-profit, membership based organization that is owned and operated by private woodlot owners. Our service area comprises of the seven western counties. We offer unbiased advice and guidance to help private woodlot owners make informed and appropriate forest management decisions that reflect their individual values and objectives of their woodlots. We do this by providing a wide variety of services including one on one consultations, forest inventories, forest ecosystem classification, management and operational planning, Forest Stewardship Council Certification, silviculture and harvesting assessments, layout, supervision and marketing.

Summary of position 
The host employer for this Summer Internship position through the Clean Leadership program will be Western Woodlot Services Coop (WWSC). In this position, the intern will be responsible to deliver a variety of forest management related services to our private woodlot owner members with support from WWSC staff as needed. With our growing membership and to meet member requests, there continually is much field work to do which always relates to a certain amount of office work to be completed. This typically translates to an approximate 60/40 split of field work versus office work in terms of data compilations, calculations, GIS mapping, and preparing summaries and/or report writing.

The primary project goals of this position are to help existing staff with field work for our members in terms of forest inventory assessments, silviculture and harvest pre and post assessments, as well as member engagement, developing and delivering workshops, and contributing content to our social media. The multiple skills the intern will gain pertain to technical (forest mensuration, GIS, navigation, etc), communication (oral, written and knowing how to relate to woodlot owners), working within a team environment (sharing tips and ideas), organizational and time management skills to efficiently make use of time and to meet specific deadlines), and to gain knowledge of the Forestry Sector in NS and to meet various stakeholders particularly regarding private land management.

Duties and Responsibilities 

• Engaging with woodlot owners and responding to general inquiries.
• Preparing forest management plans and delivery to members.
• Conducting field work such as forest inventory assessments, pre and post silviculture and harvest assessments, and assisting with silviculture and harvest layout.
• Utilizing QGIS for developing various maps of members’ woodlots.
• Assist in identifying potential silviculture and harvesting work.
• Assisting with organizing and delivery of educational field days and workshops to members.
• Contributing informative content on various aspects of woodlot management for our social media posts.
• Helping with administrative tasks as required.

Requirements/Qualifications

• Have an aptitude for safe work practices and the ability to multi-task in a busy work environment.
• Be able to work productively as part of a team while responding to feedback.
• Demonstrated interest in future employment in the environmental or clean sector is considered an asset.
• Be able to perform various forest mensuration tasks.
• Physically fit and capable of working long hours outdoors.
• Self motivated and capable of working within a wide variety of forest conditions, as well as with various organizations and individuals.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Proficient organizational skills and ability to multi-task.
• A valid driver’s license and have access to a vehicle.
• The successful candidate must be enrolled in or a recent graduate of a post secondary program in forestry or related discipline.
• Familiarity with GIS software is a definite asset.

Working conditions
This position requires a person to occasionally work in a variety of weather conditions (rain, bugs, heat, etc.) and to be outdoor for long periods of time.

Physical requirements
This position can be physically demanding.