ABOLISHED 07/06/2017 PER PAY LETTER 17-25 - Research Program Specialist (Fire and Fuels) Series

California State Personnel Board Specification

Series established March 7, 2000

Scope for Research Program Specialist (Fire and Fuels) Class

Incumbents in this parenthetical specialty are distinguished from other Research Program Specialists by being required to serve as principal staff resource persons in the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection possessing knowledge in the areas of wildland fuels, fire behavior, and the interaction of fire with other forest values. Research Program Specialists (Fire and Fuels) utilize and manipulate remotely-sensed data to perform resource assessment; design and test complex forest information systems to provide data for policy analysis; work cooperatively with other agencies and professionals concerned with fire information systems and advanced mapping techniques; and do other related work.

Minimum Qualifications for

Research Program Specialist (Fire and Fuels) Class

Research Program Specialist I (Fire and Fuels)

Experience and education which provide ability to independently and successfully direct and perform complex research in the fields of wildland fuels and fire. and Either I Experience: One year in the California state service performing research duties related to fire behavior and fuels classification at a level of responsibility equivalent to that of a Research Analyst II.

Or II

Experience: Three years of progressively responsible technical research experience above the trainee level engaged in the collection, compilation, analysis, and interpretation of forest resource data, including remotely-sensed data, with emphasis on wildland fuels and fire. (A doctoral degree in a forestry, range, or related research-oriented field may be substituted for two years of the required experience. A master's degree in one of the above fields may be substituted for one year of the required experience.) (Experience in the California state service applied toward this requirement must include one year of experience in a class at a level of responsibility equivalent to a Research Analyst II.) and

Education: Graduation from college with any major but with extensive course work in a forestry, range, or related research-oriented field. This education must include a combined total of at least six semester hours in statistics and/or data processing.

Research Program Specialist II (Fire and Fuels)

Experience and education which provide ability to independently and successfully direct and perform complex research in the fields of wildland fuels and fire. and Either I Experience: One year in the California state service performing research duties related to fire behavior and fuels classification at a level of responsibility equivalent to that of a Research Program Specialist I.

Or II

Experience: Four years of progressively responsible technical research experience above the trainee level engaged in the collection, compilation, analysis, and interpretation of forest resource data, including remotely-sensed data, with emphasis on wildland fuels and fire. (A doctoral degree in a forestry, range, or related research-oriented field may be substituted for two years of the required experience. A master's degree in one of the above fields may be substituted for one year of the required experience.) (Experience in the California state service applied toward this requirement must include one year of experience in a class at a level of responsibility equivalent to a Research Program Specialist I.) and

Education: Graduation from college with any major but with extensive course work in a forestry, range, or related research-oriented field. This education must include a combined total of at least six semester hours in statistics and/or data processing.

Knowledge and Abilities for

Research Program Specialist (Fire and Fuels) Class

All Levels:

Knowledge of: Wildland fuels and fire behavior and the interaction of fire with other forest values (e.g., timber, recreation, wilderness, wildlife, etc.); land management practices (particularly manipulation of vegetation for hazard mitigation or fire control); statistical methods, procedures, and data processing techniques; principles and procedures of forecasting and of research planning, design, methodology, and analysis.

Ability to: Identify wildland fuels, fire behavior, and fire effects information needs and assess adequacy of existing data to meet these needs; design inventory procedures for the collection of data needed to assess the status, condition, and trends of wildland fuels, fire behavior, and fire effects within the State; design and test complex forest resource information systems for wildland fire policy analysis; collaborate with staff engaged in the analysis of remotely-sensed data into vegetative cover classes and the delineation of wildland fuels; develop methods for the integration of disparate data into a geographic information storage and retrieval system capable of being incorporated with an interactive multiresource trade-off model; develop computer models using forest and vegetation inventory data to project changes in fuel conditions and fire behavior which will result from natural or management-induced changes in forest cover or conditions; evaluate the relative importance of various areas of research; evaluate the adequacy of proposed research designs and techniques; do independent creative thinking; work as a member of an interdisciplinary team; provide skilled leadership in scientific research; work cooperatively with Federal and State agencies, educational institutions, and other professionals concerned with wildland fuels and fire behavior.

Special Personal Requirements

All Levels:

Demonstrated ability to act independently; initiative; flexibility; and tact.