Forest Monitoring Technician at Schoodic Institute

Recruitment began on January 30, 2026

and the job listing Expires on March 2, 2026

Opening Dates: January 29th – February 16th

Job Type: full-time, temporary position

Location: Bar Harbor, ME (Field Station first 9 weeks);
Fredericksburg, VA (Field Station second 10 weeks)

Duration: 19 weeks – May 11th to September 17th (start date not flexible)

This full-time, temporary position is part of a travelling field crew collecting forest health data in over 15 National Parks throughout the Eastern US.

About Schoodic Institute: Established in 2004, Schoodic Institute at Acadia National Park is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and Acadia National Park’s primary partner in science and education. Based at the largest of 17 National Park Service Research Learning Centers in Winter Harbor, Maine, in Wabanaki homeland, Schoodic Institute’s focus is understanding environmental change taking place in Acadia and beyond, and helping managers of parks and other protected areas respond and adapt to change while engaging people of all ages in science.

Schoodic Institute is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Schoodic Institute is committed to increasing diversity in environmental science, education, and conservation. We are highly collaborative, inclusive, and committed to a team environment that is safe and free from bullying, harassment, and discrimination. Team members are encouraged to share ideas, enthusiasm, and knowledge with each other. Rapid environmental change demands a more diverse and skilled next generation of conservation champions and we are committed to this workforce development.

Primary Responsibilities: Incumbents will sample permanent forest monitoring plots for the National Park Service’s Inventory and Monitoring Division and collect data on forest health, structure and composition, regeneration, understory vegetation, coarse woody debris, and soil characteristics. Technicians will work in over 15 national park sites from Virginia to Maine. This is largely a field-based position, and incumbents will be required to carry heavy field equipment (40+lbs), hike though rough terrain, work in all weather conditions, and be on travel for weeks at a time.

Incumbents may be exposed to deer ticks that carry Lyme disease, biting insects, poison ivy and dense brush.

Duties:

• Attend one week of mandatory forest crew training during the first week of the field season located at Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park in Woodstock, VT.
• The next 4 weeks of the season will be spent traveling and sampling forest plots in National Historical Parks in New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut.
• Technicians will then spend approximately 4 weeks sampling in Acadia National Park.
• Technicians will then spend 5 weeks traveling and sampling vegetation in Mid-Atlantic parks located in PA and VA.
• The crew will then spend 5 weeks based out of Fredericksburg, VA, with periodic travel, including a week in Assateague Island National Seashore.
• Additional duties may include collecting data for and contributing to research projects with the Schoodic Institute’s Forest Ecology Program, and preparing soil samples for processing, pressing plant specimens, and data entry.
• The work schedule is typically four 10-hour days/week (40 hours per week), but technicians will occasionally be required to work more than 40 hours per week.

Qualifications and Job Requirements:

• Experience conducting field work in difficult conditions (e.g., harsh terrain, high heat/humidity, and biting insects)
• Experience with plant identification, including ability to identify eastern trees, shrubs and common herbaceous species
• Must have a valid driver’s license and be willing to drive NPS-provided vehicles throughout the season.
• Must be a US Citizen
• Upon selection, applicants will be subjected to a federal background investigation and must receive favorable adjudication to be hired.

Compensation: Hourly pay at $19.72/hour. While the crew is on travel, housing and a meals stipend will be provided. While at the field stations (roughly 50% of the time), park housing will be reserved, but technicians will have to pay rent. Some housing may require room sharing.

Paid Time Off (PTO) accrual rate of 1 hour for every 40 hours worked.

This position does not include health insurance benefits.

Schoodic Institute is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

the online application portal here .

Be prepared to supply a resume/CV, cover letter, unofficial transcript, and three professional references. We will notify you before contacting your references.