Urban Forestry Technician

Job title

Urban Forestry Technician

Introduction

Pacific Tree Consultants offers the full range of professional consulting arborist services, specializing mainly in the management and protection of trees on development sites of all scales, from single residential properties to large infrastructure projects. Balancing pragmatism with aspiration, we provide innovative support to designers, planners and developers. We are a technically driven firm that solves complex tree planning issues, backed by 25 years of experience in the field both in Canada and Europe. 

We are seeking a highly motivated entry-level urban forester to join our team. As Urban Forestry Technician the successful candidate will deliver contracts in the Lower Mainland and Okanagan Valley regions of British Columbia.

Job Summary

The role of Urban Forestry Technician involves undertaking inspections and collecting accurate technical and spatial information relating to the trees on site. This information is then brought back to the office and collated into a summary report and appropriate maps. The Urban Forestry Technician may also be asked to provide direction to clients or contractors on site.

This is a full-time post involving 40 hours per week.

Core Responsibilities

The principal tasks that the chosen candidate will be expected to fulfil are as follows:

• Undertake field assessments of trees from a risk assessment and development planning perspective.
• Record data using hand-held computers with GPS.
• Compile both textual and mapping data when back at the office.
• Produce concise, accurate and clear reports for submission to the client.
• Attend construction sites to supervise tree pruning and/or protection work being undertaken, to ensure compliance.

Minimum Requirements

The candidate should have experience of practical work in urban forestry, whether in tree climbing, ground work, planting or nursery production, for example, and is expected to have the following skills and qualifications:

• An undergraduate degree in urban forestry or a closely-allied discipline. Note that an equivalent balance of arboricultural skills and experience may be considered.
• ISA certified arborist qualification and be an ISA member in good standing. Note that overseas equivalent qualifications will be considered.
• Physically fit—able to operate outdoors on challenging terrain and in all weather conditions.
• Be able to reliably identify tree species native to BC.
• Be able to identify common tree diseases and structural defects.
• Should be able to prescribe appropriate and practicable corrective actions.
• A competent level of literacy and numeracy to write coherent reports.
• Be a self-starter, able to work without continuous supervision.
• IT skills such as the use of Microsoft Word and Excel required.
• Ability to learn CAD and GIS-based data capture systems.
• Clean driving license.

Developing Skills

In addition to receiving ongoing mentoring and professional development, the candidate should expect to acquire the following skills and certifications should they join Pacific Tree Consultants*:

• ISA TRAQ tree risk assessment qualification.
• Advanced risk assessment techniques and ability to identify a range of tree pathogens.
• Ability to prescribe and implement technical solutions to tree conflicts on development sites.
• Ability to work confidently within professional construction design teams.

* You will be provided with a generous annual training budget to spend on CPD events.

Salary & Benefits

The starting salary for this opportunity is in the $35-40 per hour range, subject to review following a 3-month probationary period.

If interested, please provide a current CV and a covering letter, describing your work interests and career aspirations.

Please contact Scott at scott@pacifictrees.ca or via the Pacific Tree Consultants website at www.pacifictrees.ca