BGS Forestry Manager
Overview & Summary
Baltimore Green Space is a registered non-profit that serves as Baltimore’s environmental land trust. We promote vibrant neighborhoods and a healthy environment through land preservation, research, and community advocacy. Our vision is to be a leader and partner in ensuring that community managed open spaces and forest patches are considered priority assets in the growth and redevelopment of Baltimore.
The Forestry Manager reports to the Executive Director and oversees all aspects of the BGS Community Forestry Program. This manager supports individual communities with startup assessments, stewardship planning, environmental education, and community activation for forest care, with special emphasis on underresourced areas and communities of color. They work with scientific partners to perform annual forest health assessments and research projects, create effective reports, and leverage the results across the community. In addition, this manager oversees the Forest Network, a vibrant and diverse coalition of residents, community associations, scientists, students, and conservation organizations that care for the forest patches around Baltimore City. The Forest Manager takes a proactive role in community outreach, training stewards to engage neighbors in forest care and outdoor events. As needed and available, the Forest Manager facilitates expert services such as hazard tree removal and chemical herbicide treatments, as well as occasional grant-funded improvement projects.
Key Priorities and Responsibilities:
- Manage all aspects of the Forest Network including but not limited to:
- Facilitating site startup analysis and creating annual stewardship plans
- Providing ongoing technical assistance
- Engaging professional services as needed such as herbicide application or tree maintenance
- Partnering with interested neighbors to engage the community around a forest patch for advocacy and forest care, with the goal of empowered and skilled stewards
- Hosting regular stewards meetings for mutual support, continuing education, and inspiration
- Research and reporting:
- Using Salesforce to maintain current and comprehensive records of people and activities in the forest patches in the network
- Tracking and analyzing key measures for grants, city requirements, and internal goals
- Writing clear and professional narrative reports
- Managing an ongoing annual forest health assessment analysis program using seasonal fellows and a rigorous scientific protocol
- Maintaining a network of scientists, foresters, and environmental organizations for the support and study of urban forests
- Supporting finite grant-funded research projects
- Leadership:
- Recruiting, training, and supervising a small team of paid interns (Forest Fellows) to implement the annual forest health assessments and prepare the reports
- Maintaining a variety of physical resources including scientific equipment, hospitality supplies, educational materials, walkie talkies, etc.
- Cultivating a community of support for Baltimore green spaces among local schools, businesses, neighborhood associations, and other constituencies for advocacy, financial support, event participation, and hands-on care
- Prioritizing the needs of various sites and assigning resources to uplift the communities that need help the most, including communities of color
- Mentoring the Forest Assistant to provide meaningful support to all Forest Network activities
- Education and events:
- Hosting volunteer service days in the forests featuring a mission-driven informational component, with the goal of training stewards to master this presentation to host their own events
- Delivering a series of core educational workshops each year on topics such as Tree ID and Vine ID
- Leading workforce development trainings with partner organizations that train future foresters, farmers, and educators
- Partnering with stewards to organize and run high-impact public events based on the interests of each community, such as the Fairwood Forest Hawk Celebration and the Springfield Woods Haunted Forest
- Collaborating with other community organizations to co-lead fun and educational events that support our mission and provide additional ways to engage our forest patch neighbors to care about and advocate for wildlife and green spaces
Qualifications:
- Master’s degree or minimum of 3 years’ experience in urban forest ecology, environmental science, community outreach, and/or community organizing
- Experience with GIS, LiDAR and other environmental mapping tools, as well as city planning databases
- Data management experience designing and maintaining database systems
- Proficient in MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Slack and CRM tools, such as Salesforce
- Working knowledge of Baltimore City history, particularly within the context of racial inequity and social justice is helpful
- Must have transportation and be willing to work some nights and weekends
- SQL, Python or R, database design and cloud platforms is a plus
- Experience with community gardening or event planning is a plus
Interpersonal Skills
- Strong managerial experience developing goals and strategy, directing staff and leading projects
- Excellent written and oral communication skills, including public speaking
- Excellent project management skills with ability to juggle multiple priorities and meet both short- and long-term deadlines without sacrificing quality
- Excellent judgment, and ability to make careful decisions that involve others
- Highly organized with exceptional attention to detail
- Collaborative problem solving and strong work ethic
- Strategic thinker and skillful solution-oriented negotiator
Salary & Benefits:
Salary and benefits are competitive for a non-profit organization. Salary is commensurate with education and experience, range between 60,000-65,000.
Pay: Up to $65,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
- Retirement plan
- Vision insurance
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Baltimore, MD 21217
