The position
The mission of EFETAC is to generate knowledge and tools needed to anticipate and respond to environmental threats. The National Forest Health Monitoring Research team develops new monitoring protocols and analytical tools in addition to performing national scale analyses and reports on healthy and sustainability of the Nation’s forests.

The incumbent serves as the Team Leader of the National Forest Health Monitoring (FHM) research team. As such, the incumbent is responsible for scientific leadership and administrative oversight of the FHM program, directs advanced ecological research studies and investigations, and provides expert advice and direction for national and international forest health monitoring programs. The incumbent is also responsible for ensuring that the FHM research program and products are fully integrated within the broader mission of EFETAC and the Southern Research Station, including delivery of program products and services to a wide variety of public and private partners and stakeholders.

This assignment includes the identification, development, and testing of indicators for spatial patterns that are related to ecological processes at multiple spatial scales. This work is conducted in close cooperation with a wide number of other experts and disciplines. The work specifically results in indicators of landscape patterns such as forest fragmentation and wildlife habitat suitability that can be applied to a variety of national assessment efforts. Related efforts include the development of models to evaluate relationships between forest patterns and the sensitivity or vulnerability of forest health to future natural and anthropogenic disturbances and stresses.

The incumbent also contributes to work on other research problems addressed by FHM, including: the development of new measurements and data systems for deployment in existing plot-based monitoring networks; the integration of data, models, and interpretive techniques to assess forest health and conduct risk analyses at multiple scales; and contributions to national assessments of forest health and sustainability such as those produced by the Forest Health Monitoring Program.

Location
The Research Triangle area of North Carolina is named for the geographic region anchored by North Carolina State University in Raleigh, Duke University in Durham, and the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill – three of the nation’s top research universities. At the center of the region is Research Triangle Park, the nation's largest planned research and development community.

The Research Triangle area, which is centrally located both within North Carolina and along the Eastern Seaboard, boasts a thriving business community, active arts population, and quality of life that have consistently been ranked among the best in the Country by publications that include Money, Fortune, and Time magazines.

The Forestry Sciences Laboratory operated by the Southern Research Station in Research Triangle Park is located at 3041 Cornwallis Road.

Economy
The three largest industries in the area are government, education, and health care. Research Triangle Park is internationally known for thriving high-tech industries such as information technology, telecommunications, medicine, pharmaceuticals, and computer products. Employment is available at high-tech entrepreneurial companies, major corporations, and a vast array of small and mid-sized companies.

Although Research Triangle Park receives most of the attention, North Carolina State University’s Centennial Campus also has lured major corporate relocations and generated thousands of local jobs. Centennial Campus is a unique technology community that blends public, academic, and private-sector research. It is the only public-private partnership of its kind in the U.S.

Education
The high quality of education found throughout Wake County is a primary reason why the Triangle area is continuously heralded as one of the best places to live in the country. The public schools here consistently outperform school districts across the state (and nation) in end-of-course, SAT scores, and other proficiency criteria. Money magazine ranked the Wake County Public School System among the best 100 school systems in the nation. Almost 90 percent of Wake County public school graduates plan to pursue higher education.

The Triangle region boasts 18 colleges, universities, and community colleges, including internationally renowned Duke University in Durham and the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. North Carolina State University, located in West Raleigh, is one of the nation’s premier research institutions and a national leader in engineering, architecture, biotechnology, and veterinary medicine.

Health Care
Medical facilities located in the Triangle area rank among the nation's best, with some of the foremost medical experts and programs in the country. The region ranks sixth in physicians per capita nationwide. Major health care providers include WakeMed, Rex Healthcare, and Duke Health Raleigh Hospital in Wake County. Nearby Duke University Medical Center and UNC Hospitals consistently finish high on US News and World Report's list of America's best hospitals.

Cultural and Recreational Advantages
Raleigh is known as the “Smithsonian of the South” due to its variety of world-class museums. The museums of art, history, and natural sciences, along with Exploris (the world’s first global experience center), offer programs and exhibits for people of all ages. The Triangle area is home to the NC Symphony, the Opera Company of North Carolina, and the Carolina Ballet. The area has a rich tradition of blues, jazz, gospel, and bluegrass music. The state-of-the-art BTI Center for the Performing Arts and the Alltel Pavilion at Walnut Creek host a number of national acts.

Interested candidates
Candidates meeting the qualifications and interested in the position should submit a completed Outreach Response form to Stephanie Worley-Firley no later than August 20, 2009.

It is anticipated that the vacancy announcement will be posted on OPM’s USA Jobs website (www.usajobs.opm.gov).

For more information about the position contact Danny C Lee, EFETAC Center Director, at (828) 257-4854 or e-mail dclee@fs.fed.us. If you would like to learn more about EFETAC, visit our Web site at http://www.forestthreats.org/. Should you like to learn more about the Southern Research Station, visit our Web site at http://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/.

The USDA is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Outreach Response Form
USDA Forest Service
Southern Research Station

Position Title/Series/Grade: Research Ecologist GS-0408-14
Research Ecologist GS-0408-15

Location: Research Triangle Park, NC

I am interested in the position and will call the contact person, in addition to checking http://www.usajobs.opm.gov for the position announcement, which will be posted at a later date.

PERSONAL INFORMATION

Name: ______________________________________Date: _____________________

Address: ____________________________________Phone: ____________________

E-Mail: ____________________

Current Federal Employee? Yes_____ No

Current title/series/grade/location: ___________________________________________

Current type of appointment: _______________________________________________
(e.g., Career, Career-Conditional, Excepted, Excepted VRA, etc)

Submit Outreach Notice no later than August 20, 2009 to:
Stephanie L. Worley-Firley
E-mail: sworleyfirley@fs.fed.us or
Mail: The Southern Research Station
200 WT Weaver Blvd.
Asheville, NC 28804
Phone: (828) 257-4380

It is anticipated that the vacancy announcement will be posted on OPM’s USA Jobs website (www.usajobs.opm.gov).

Please do not send r�sum�s and/or transcripts when responding to this outreach notice.

The USDA is an Equal Opportunity Employer

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Kier Klepzig
Assistant Director for Research
Southern Research Station, USFS
200 WT Weaver Blvd.
Asheville, NC 28804
(828)257-4307
kklepzig@fs.fed.us
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