Forester I at Vihiga County Government

Duties and Responsibilities

Reporting to the Director in charge of Environment, Energy and Natural Resources, the Forester shall: -

• Provide technical support in the development of short and long-term plans for sustainable management of forest lands and resources in the County;
• Supervise all activities of forest staff under him/her
• Establish and prepare sites for planting new trees;
• Supervise the implementation of all forest plans and projects, such as determining the type, number and placement of trees to be planted, managing tree nurseries, thinning forest and monitoring growth of new seedlings,
• Offer technical support in the development of rules and regulations and criteria for management of forest lands, forests and the exploitation of forest products in the County including forest harvesting, leasing of forest lands, planting and nurturing of trees and forest research;
• Undertake routine forest surveys to establish tree conditions, growth rates, tree species prevalence, yield, duration, seed production, growth viability, and germination of different species and prepare reports and maintain records;
• Establish tree nurseries in the forest areas;
• Undertake routine inspections of forests;
• Map out forest area, soils and vegetation to estimate the amount of standing timber and future value and growth;
• Conduct public educational and awareness programs on forest care, sustainable utilization, protection and conservation;
• Provide extension services on forestry to private forest and woodlot owners, firefighters, government agencies and private sector, Provide secretariat support in the preparation of County State of Environment Reports and County Environmental Action Plan and ensure their implementation in line with the provisions of EMCA CAP 387;
• Perform any other relevant legislations
• Take part in the Formulation, adoption and implementation of relevant policies and legislations for the management of the environment;
• Domestication and implementation of relevant Multilateral
• Environmental Agreements (MEAs) and national guidelines and directives in the field of environment;
• Providing technical support in the development and implementation of departmental strategic plans, policies, work plans, performance contacting, budgets, procurement plans and progress reports;
• Provide technical support in resource mobilization strategies including development of bankable proposals based on research, developed plans and prevailing partner conditions;
• Any other duty as may be assigned by the Supervisor

Requirements for Appointment

• For appointment to this position, the suitable candidate must meet the following requirements:-
• Be a Kenyan citizen; _ .
• Should have served in the position of Forester (II) or in a similar position for a minimum period of three (3) years;
• Should have a Bachelor’s degree in Forestry or Forest Management with knowledge/experience in forest biology, dendrology, resource management, and forest inventory. Conservation economics, ecology, fire prevention, and wilderness management,
• Should have a practical knowledge of teamwork and leadership, with an understanding of national and international policies, legislations and strategies on Forest Management;
• Have a demonstrated knowledge in computer applications;
• Have a demonstrated managerial, administrative, professional and technical competence;
• Have excellent interpersonal skills, flexible to work for long hours under pressure so as to meet deadlines and ability to work with minimum or no supervision;
• Have shown merit and ability as reflected in previous work performance and results;
• Satisfy the requirements of Chapter Six of the Constitution of Kenya 2010 on leadership and integrity;
• Having a Master’s degree in related field or Post Graduate training in Environmental Management field such as EIA/Audits, Environmental Management Systems or any other equivalent will be an added advantage.