Company Overview
Miller Timber Services is dedicated to healthy forest management, offering sustainable solutions across a variety of timber services including harvesting, reforestation, and transportation. We also specialize in wildland firefighting and emergency services for private and government lands, consistently recruiting top-tier firefighters to strengthen our team.
Summary:
We are seeking a motivated and knowledgeable Forestry Project Scout & Estimator to identify, assess, and evaluate potential forestry projects across the Western United States. This role focuses primarily on cut-to-length (CTL) harvesting and fuels reduction projects. The successful candidate will spend a significant amount of time traveling to and visiting prospective project sites, collecting critical data, and providing accurate assessments that form the foundation for competitive proposals. Key Responsibilities:
- Conduct on-site evaluations of prospective forestry projects throughout the Western United States, including timber stands targeted for cut-to-length harvesting and areas requiring fuels reduction treatment.
- Assess site conditions such as terrain, slope, soil type, access roads, tree species composition, volume estimates, density, and operability for mechanized CTL equipment (harvesters and forwarders).
- Evaluate fuels reduction needs, including understory vegetation, ladder fuels, stand density, and wildfire risk mitigation opportunities.
- Collect and document relevant data: timber volumes, product mix (sawlogs, pulp, biomass), environmental constraints, regulatory requirements, and potential challenges.
- Take detailed field notes, photographs, and GPS coordinates to support proposal development.
- Coordinate with landowners, foresters, and agency personnel during site visits.
- Analyze project feasibility and provide realistic cost, production rate, and timeline inputs for proposals.
- Work closely with the proposal team to translate field observation into accurate, competitive bid packages.
- Identify and flag potential safety, environmental, or operational risks.
- Stay current with best practices in CTL harvesting, fuels reduction techniques, and sustainable forestry standards.
Required Qualifications:
- 2+ years of practical experience in forestry, logging, or natural resource management.
- Strong working knowledge of cut-to-length harvesting systems and fuels reduction/forest thinning operations.
- Ability to accurately estimate timber volumes and assess stand conditions.
- Experience operating or working around forestry equipment (harvesters, forwarders, skidders) is highly preferred.
- Comfortable working in rugged outdoor environments and navigating varied terrain.
- Proficiency with GPS, mapping applications, and basic data collection tools.
- Strong observational, note-taking, and communication skills.
- Valid driver's license with a clean driving record and willingness to travel extensively across the Western United States.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Degree or technical training in Forestry, Natural Resources, Forest Management, or a related field.
- Experience preparing or contributing to timber sale proposals or fuels reduction contracts.
- Knowledge of local, state, and federal forestry regulations and environmental compliance across Western states.
- Familiarity with common forestry software or mobile data collection apps.
Skills & Competencies:
- Excellent attention to detail and ability to produce accurate field assessments.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills.
- Self-motivated with the ability to work independently in remote locations.
- Safety-oriented mindset with knowledge of forestry best management practices.
- Basic computer skills (Microsoft Office, especially Word and Excel).
Travel Requirements:This position requires frequent travel throughout the Western United States (including states such as California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Colorado, and others) to conduct field assessments. Travel will often involve multi-day trips, overnight stays, and driving long distances to remote project locations.Physical Requirements:
- Ability to hike through rough, steep, and/or densely vegetated terrain for extended periods.
- Comfortable working in all weather conditions.
- Ability to carry field equipment and navigate challenging access points.
This position is critical to our growth strategy, as high-quality field assessments directly determine the accuracy and competitiveness of our proposals in the cut-to-length harvesting and fuels reduction markets.
Pay: $115,000.00 - $125,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- Dental insurance
- Flexible spending account
- Health insurance
- Health savings account
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Parental leave
- Vision insurance
Work Location: On the road
