US Forest Service and Student Conservation Association Invest in New Talent

SCA crew member off to work in North Carolina's National Forests.

The Student Conservation Association, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting environmental education, and the U.S. Forest Service sponsored the Southern Region’s first-ever Roving Forest Management Corps, a young adult crew caring for the nation’s forests. They are currently recruiting for the 2022 crew.
 
The Roving Forest Management Corps’ crew consisted of one leader and three young adult team members who spent January through May 2021 working on forestry management projects while also gaining exposure to careers in the Forest Service. The team contributed to projects in North Carolina, Tennessee and Kentucky. In North Carolina, they supported the Nantahala, Pisgah, Uwharrie and Croatan National Forests.
 
“The crew was incredibly helpful in supporting our work to further the restoration of longleaf pine,” said Steven Maharrey, silviculturist for the Uwharrie and Croatan National Forests. “They were positive, hardworking and a pleasure to work with. I look forward to working with the next Roving Forest Management Corps crew in 2022.”
 
On the Uwharrie National Forest, the crew planted hundreds of longleaf pine plugs. On the Croatan, they completed 35 acres of longleaf pine release work. On the Pisgah, they treated 216 trees as part of a long-term pest management solution and assisted with a soil erosion mitigation project. On the Nantahala, they collected watershed baseline data for a fish habitat survey project.
 
After completing 640 hours of service to the nation’s forests and grasslands, all team members earned their Public Land Corps hiring authority. The Public Land Corps program furthers the investment in new talent from crews like this by recruiting them to permanent positions with the U.S. Forest Service.
 
The Forest Service Southern Region’s Volunteers & Service Programs Team is currently recruiting one leader and four members for next year’s team to work from January 17, 2022 to July 30, 2022. Applications received by December 1, 2021 will receive priority consideration. Visit the following links for more information and to apply for the leader position and team member position. 
 
To learn more about the National Forests in North Carolina, visit www.fs.usda.gov/nfsnc or connect on Facebook and Twitter.

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