Employment
Current employment openings
Full-time employment
Forester - Ongoing recruitment
Forester – Ongoing Recruitment
Nurturing forests, empowering communities: Grow your forestry career with us.
The Colorado State Forest Service is seeking dynamic and service-oriented foresters to support forest management, wildfire mitigation, forest health and community forestry programs across Colorado.
Foresters play a key role in administering grant programs, providing expert technical assistance to landowners and communities, supporting government projects and delivering professional education and outreach. Ideal candidates have experience or interest in silviculture, forest health, pest management, wildfire mitigation and public service. Apply now!
Field office locations: Boulder, Fort Collins, Franktown, Frisco, Golden, Cañon City, La Veta, Rifle, Woodland Park, Alamosa, Durango, Gunnison, Montrose, Salida, Grand Junction, Granby, Steamboat Springs, Colorado State Forest (Gould)
Salary range: $50,000 – $55,000 (Based on experience)
As positions become available, our hiring team will review applications from the open pool and reach out directly to candidates being considered for a specific location. If selected to move forward, you will be contacted with details about the hiring field office at that time.
Why choose Colorado State Forest Service?
We not only value our forests; we also value our employees. Joining our team comes with incredible benefits:
- Identity wear stipend: Elevate your professional image with a stipend for personalized wear.
- Work-life harmony: Achieve optimal work-life integration through tailored and flexible scheduling options.
- Premium healthcare benefits: Prioritize your well-being with access to exclusive and comprehensive healthcare benefits.
- Generous leave package: Recharge with a comprehensive sick leave and annual leave benefit.
- Retirement plan: Secure your financial future with a remarkable retirement plan through PERA Colorado.
- Assistance program: Access premium well-being resources through our Employee Assistance Program.
- Educational empowerment: Receive 9 hours of education credits per year through CSU.
- Tuition privileges for family: Secure your family’s future with 50% off tuition for your children, partner and spouse.
- Community leadership initiative: Give back to your community with paid administrative leave dedicated to volunteering.
To ensure full consideration, applications must be received by 11:59 p.m. MST, Dec. 31, 2026.
CSU is an EO employer and conducts background checks on all final candidates.
Forestry technician - Ongoing recruitment
Forestry Technician – Open pool
Join the Green Team as a forestry technician!
Join the Colorado State Forest Service and play a key role in forestry! Are you passionate about forestry and the great outdoors? The Colorado State Forest Service invites you to be part of our dedicated team as a forestry technician! Contribute to healthy forests and vibrant communities with us. Apply now!
Field office locations: Boulder, Fort Collins, Franktown, Frisco, Golden, Cañon City, La Veta, Rifle, Woodland Park, Alamosa, Durango, Gunnison, Montrose, Salida, Grand Junction, Granby, Steamboat Springs, Colorado State Forest (Gould)
Salary range: $45,000 – $50,000 (Based on experience)
As positions become available, our hiring team will review applications from the open pool and reach out directly to candidates being considered for a specific location. If selected to move forward, you will be contacted with details about the hiring field office at that time.
Why choose the Colorado State Forest Service?
We not only value our forests; we also value our employees. Joining our team comes with incredible benefits:
- Identity wear stipend: Elevate your professional image with a stipend for personalized wear.
- Work-life harmony: Achieve optimal work-life integration through tailored and flexible scheduling options.
- Premium healthcare benefits: Prioritize your well-being with access to exclusive and comprehensive healthcare benefits.
- Generous leave package: Recharge with a comprehensive sick leave and annual leave benefit.
- Retirement plan: Secure your financial future with a remarkable retirement plan through PERA Colorado.
- Assistance program: Access premium well-being resources through our Employee Assistance Program.
- Educational empowerment: Receive 9 hours of education credits per year through CSU.
- Tuition privileges for family: Secure your family’s future with 50% off tuition for your children, partner and spouse.
- Community leadership initiative: Give back to your community with paid administrative leave dedicated to volunteering.
To ensure full consideration, applications must be received by 11:59 p.m. MST, Dec. 31, 2026.
CSU is an EO employer and conducts background checks on all final candidates.
Administrative assistant – 2 year term – Golden
Administrative assistant – 2-year term
The Colorado State Forest Service is seeking an organized, detail-oriented and customer-focused administrative support professional to join our Northeast Area team, based out of the Golden Field Office.
This position provides administrative, fiscal and customer service support to the Northeast Area and plays an important role in helping the office operate efficiently and effectively. The ideal candidate will enjoy working with people, have strong attention to detail and be comfortable managing multiple priorities and administrative processes. Apply now!
Location: Golden
Salary range: $40,248 – $48,300
Position type: 2-year limited-term assignment with a specified end date
Full consideration date: Sept. 28, 2026, 11:59 p.m. MDT
What you’ll do
- Provide administrative and fiscal support to the Northeast Area, including assisting with budgets, tracking expenditures, processing invoices, reimbursements, purchase orders and other financial transactions
- Assist with P-card reallocation and reconciliation and serve as a backup to Accounting Technician II staff
- Support program and grant administration, including tracking, reimbursements and documentation
- Manage area SharePoint sites, calendars, files, office supplies, equipment, facilities requests and fleet records
- Coordinate meetings, office logistics, vendor services and other operational needs
- Assist with contractor and Qualified Vendor Lists and develop workflow guides and training materials
- Provide professional customer service to landowners, members of the public, government agencies, cooperators and other stakeholders by phone, email and in person
- Support agency outreach and educational programming through communications, information distribution, website content and event support
Minimum qualifications
Experience only
- Two years of administrative support experience in an office setting, including experience with budget oversight and customer service
OR
Education and experience
- A combination of related education and/or relevant experience in an occupation related to the work assigned equal to two years. If using education to meet the minimum qualifications, unofficial or official transcripts must be attached to the application.
Employee benefits
Colorado State University is not just a workplace; it’s a thriving community that’s transforming lives and improving the human condition through world-class teaching, research, and service. With a robust benefits package, collaborative atmosphere, and focus on work-life balance, CSU is where you can thrive, grow, and make a lasting impact.
To ensure full consideration, applications must be received by 11:59 p.m. MDT, Sept. 28, 2026.
CSU is an EO employer and conducts background checks on all final candidates.
Forest monitoring crew lead
The Colorado State Forest Service is seeking an experienced and motivated forestry professional to serve as a Forest Monitoring Crew Lead. This position plays an important role in implementing and expanding statewide forest monitoring efforts, with a focus on evaluating forest restoration and wildfire risk mitigation projects.
Working under the direct guidance of the Forest Monitoring Measurement Specialist and Forest Monitoring Program Manager, the Forest Monitoring Crew Lead will supervise a seasonal field crew responsible for collecting and maintaining forest inventory and monitoring data across Colorado. This position will also support monitoring program planning, data management, quality assurance, and training development during the winter months. The successful candidate will work collaboratively with CSFS staff, landowners, grant recipients, and other partners to support long-term monitoring projects and improve the understanding of forest management outcomes throughout the state.
The ideal candidate will have strong forestry and natural resource field experience, demonstrated leadership abilities, excellent navigation and data collection skills, and a commitment to safety and high-quality work. This position requires extensive fieldwork in challenging terrain and varying weather conditions, as well as the ability to manage seasonal employees and maintain productive working relationships with a diverse group of partners. Apply now!
Location: Fort Collins, Colorado
Salary: $55,000 – $65,000 (Based on Experince)
Position Type: Two-year limited-term assignment
Full Consideration Date: December 14, 2026 at 11:59pm.
What You’ll Do
In this role, you will:
- Hire, train, and supervise a seasonal forest monitoring field crew.
- Lead statewide forest inventory and monitoring efforts, collecting data related to forest health, vegetation, fuels, and treatment outcomes.
- Coordinate pre- and post-treatment monitoring projects with CSFS staff, landowners, and project partners.
- Oversee field data collection, quality assurance, and data management.
- Assist with monitoring program planning, reporting, and development of future monitoring projects.
- Promote safe field practices and maintain crew vehicles, equipment, and supplies.
Minimum Qualifications
To be considered for this position, candidates must demonstrate in their application materials:
- Bachelor’s degree in Forestry, Forest Ecology, Botany, Natural Resources, or a closely related field.
- Three (3) years of natural resource field experience, including at least one (1) year of supervisory field experience and one (1) year of forestry-specific field experience.
Why Choose Colorado State Forest Service?
We not only value our forests—we value our employees. Joining our team comes with incredible benefits:
- Identity Wear Stipend: Elevate your professional image with a stipend for personalized executive wear.
- Work-Life Harmony: Achieve optimal work-life integration through tailored and flexible scheduling options.
- Connectivity Privilege: Stay seamlessly connected with either a cell phone allowance or a provided work cell.
- Premium Healthcare Benefits: Prioritize your well-being with access to exclusive and comprehensive healthcare benefits.
- Time-Off: Recharge with 15 days of sick leave and 24 days of annual leave.
- Retirement Plan: Secure your financial future with a remarkable 12% employer contribution to your retirement plan.
- Employee Assistance Program: Access premium well-being resources through our Employee Assistance Program.
- Professional Development: Enhance your skills through personalized professional training opportunities facilitated by CSU.
- Educational Empowerment: Receive 9 hours of education credits annually through CSU.
- Tuition Privileges for Family: Secure your family’s future with 50% off tuition for children, partner, and spouse.
- Community Leadership Initiative: Give back to your community with paid administrative leave dedicated to volunteering.
To apply, please submit a cover letter and resume. Your cover letter should address how you meet both the required and preferred qualifications for the position.
To ensure full consideration, applications must be received by 11:59 p.m. MST, Dec. 14, 2026.
Part-time employment
No positions at this time. (updated November 2026)
Seasonal employment
May 18, 2026: No seasonal positions available at this time.
AmeriCorps positions
The CSFS has ongoing collaborations with AmeriCorps partners, which have allowed us to establish AmeriCorps positions throughout Colorado. These are full-time community service positions, and each AmeriCorps member is directly supervised by a CSFS employee. Members each receive a bi-weekly allowance and, upon completion of the service term, will receive an education award that can be used for current educational expenses or student loans. A full-service term requires 1,700 hours to be completed over the course of about a year.
Specific duties will vary by field office, and primary duties may include the following:
- Forest treatment monitoring
- Lay out and administer forest treatments such as timber sales or reducing hazardous fuels.
- Urban forestry, tree planting, forestry education and community engagement
- Expanding drone use within forestry
- Winter snow measurements
Memberships will vary in length from a summer field season to a full year, thereby increasing the potential for current and former students to seek these opportunities. Anticipated start time is early February for full-time memberships and late May for quarter-time (3-4 months) members.
NOTE: Apply as soon as possible, and do not wait until the end of the application period. These positions will be filled using rolling applications.
The CSFS is seeking early-career natural resource professionals with backgrounds in biology, forestry, natural resources, human dimensions, ecology and other related disciplines. For full-time positions, preferred candidates have recently graduated and are hungry to contribute to the management of private and public lands across Colorado. Preferred quarter-time applicants are current students looking for summer opportunities that will benefit their educational journey. Applicants should be prepared to provide a cover letter, resume and references.
Minimum requirements for all AmeriCorps positions
- 18 years of age
- High school diploma or G.E.D.
- Citizen, national or lawful permanent resident of the U.S.
- Pass a criminal background check
Contact Kristen Switzer for more information.
Internships
The CSFS offers paid undergraduate internship opportunities each summer that run from May to August. The Warner College of Natural Resources Dean’s Office at Colorado State University has partnered with the CSFS to fund certain internship opportunities, which are only available to WCNR students. All other internships are available to all Colorado undergraduate students.
The application period for 2026 internships closed Feb. 13, 2026. Contact Kristen Switzer for more information about CSFS internships.
Job shadowing
The CSFS has opportunities for high school and college students to participate in job shadowing our employees. Such opportunities vary each summer, but involve spending a day with a professional observing their work and learning about their responsibilities firsthand. Positions within the CSFS that may be available to shadow include the following:
- Associate director
- Communications specialist
- Contracts and agreements manager
- Education specialist
- Experiential learning specialist
- Forest carbon specialist
- Forest monitoring measurement specialist
- Forester
- Forestry technician
- GIS technician
- Nursery program specialist
- Watershed Coordinator
Contact Kristen Switzer with questions.
Job shadowing directory
| Employee name | Job title | Location | Shadowing topics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Wagner | Forester | Alamosa |
|
| Audrey Miles-Cherney | Upper South Platte Partnership watershed coordinator | Broomfield, Golden, Franktown, Colorado Springs, Woodland Park |
|
| James Lucero | Associate director of policy and legislative affairs | Denver |
|
| Josh Braun | Forester | Durango |
|
| Amanda West Fordham | Associate director of science and data | Fort Collins |
|
| Danielle Ardrey | Conservation and youth education specialist | Fort Collins |
|
| Katie Rose Levin | Forest legacy program specialist | Denver, statewide |
|
| Kristen Switzer | Experiential learning specialist | Fort Collins |
|
| Luke Dittrich | Lead project forester | Fort Collins |
|
| Max Erickson | Supervisory forester | Fort Collins |
|
| Nic Kotlinski | Geospatial data and analysis program manager | Fort Collins |
|
| Rachel Richardson | Contracts and agreements manager | Fort Collins |
|
| Sarah Osborne | Supervisory GIS specialist | Fort Collins |
|
| Tori Hunter | Forest monitoring measurement specialist | Fort Collins, statewide fieldwork |
|
| Weston Toll | Watershed program specialist | Fort Collins |
|
| Maegan Aldous | Forester | Golden |
|
| Mitch Dahlke | Forester | Gunnison |
|
| Dylan Eimer | Forester | Gunnison |
|
| Ashley Prentice | Forest carbon specialist | Gunnison |
|
| Matthew Mastalir | Forester | Rifle |
|
| Pete Albrecht | Lead forester | Leadville |
|
| Francisco Murphy-Garcia | Lead project forester | Summit County |
|
| Eric Gehrke | Forester | Woodland Park |
|
| Michael Till | Supervisory forester | Woodland Park |
|
About the CSFS
The Colorado State Forest Service (CSFS) is a service and outreach agency of the Warner College of Natural Resources at Colorado State University. In addition to our state office on the CSU Foothills Campus in Fort Collins, the CSFS maintains 18 field offices throughout Colorado. Our professional staff offer Colorado residents an easily accessible source of technical forestry assistance and educational outreach.
Together with other natural resource organizations, CSFS provides comprehensive support for the care of our natural environment. This exchange of technical assistance and information among cooperating organizations ensures the commitment to a common goal — future forests that will provide benefits for present and future generations.
Our staff include
- Foresters
- Staff foresters and other support staff
- Administrative staff
- Seasonal foresters and internships
Contact information
-
- Questions about verification of employment for a current CSFS employee: CSU Human Resources