Urban Forestry Co-op Student

Location

Barrie, ON | Canada

Job description

Posted:   Monday, February 12, 2024

Job Number: COOP -24-14

Job Type:   Co-op, Casual Full-time, Up to 8 Months, Union

Position Closing Date:   Open Until Filled 

Choose Barrie

The City of Barrie is a vibrant, progressive, and growing community with deep connections to our heritage, to nature and to the opportunities surrounding us.

Our community values quality of life; the ability to play year-round with 300 hectares of park space, our beautiful waterfront, our lively downtown core and the nearby hills, wetlands, and forests. We also value connections; to our neighbours and the community, to our road and rail network, and to the opportunity Barrie provides to enjoy life.

Everything Barrie has to offer, from the water we drink to the roads we travel on, has one thing in common - municipal workers. Joining a municipality is one of the most rewarding, engaging, and exciting careers you could choose. It is a career you can take pride in knowing that every day you make a positive impact on an entire community. We are one team, with one goal and we all work together to continue making our community great.

The Opportunity

The Parks and Forestry Branch is part of the City of Barrie’s Operations Department. The Branch is responsible for the management, maintenance, and ongoing care of over 3,100 acres of waterfront, parkland and open space including 127 parks and 145 kilometers of trails. Services include horticulture displays and maintenance, turf management, shoreline maintenance, maintenance of parks amenities such as playgrounds, play courts, picnic shelters, and spray pads, waste collection, landscape construction, City's outdoor rink program, greenhouse operations, trails maintenance, and winter snow removal operations.

This position is part of a front-line team directly responsible for the planning and maintenance of a healthy urban forest. A healthy urban forest has direct environmental, social and economic benefits to residents of the City and results in improved quality of life. 

This position supports the implementation of the urban forestry program which includes: implementation of the tree planting and maintenance programs, emerald ash borer program and the Urban Forest Strategy and Urban Forest Management Plan. Specifically, this position is responsible for assisting the Parks and Forestry Program Coordinator with the implementation of the various urban forestry programs and contracts.

The successful applicant to this position will perform and/or assist with the following tasks:

• Inspecting and marking street and park tree planting locations throughout the City of Barrie
• Assisting the Parks and Forestry Programmer with the inspection of existing trees on City road right-of-ways, parks and natural areas, as well as managing service requests
• Updating street and park tree inventories
• Using geographic information systems, office software and manual techniques to produce maps, drawings, charts, tables
• Assisting with young tree care maintenance including pruning, mulching, and watering
• Assisting with Urban Forestry Pest Preparedness Programs and monitoring, including LDD Moth infestations, and the Emerald Ash Borer Program, as required
• Assisting the Forestry section with day-to-day workloads, including the entry of completed work orders into the computerized maintenance management system
• Assisting the Horticulture and Parks branches, as required
• Assisting with trail inspections for natural areas, along with general trail maintenance
• Other duties as assigned

Our Culture and Qualifications of the Job

Corporate Culture

• Y our workplace values align with our corporate values of Strive, Share and Care and you want to join us in providing exceptional services and programs to build a prosperous, growing and sustainable community

Education (degree/diploma/certifications) 

• Currently enrolled in a recognized College or University Co-op program
• Completed at least one (1) year of a related post-secondary education program at a recognized College or University
• Must be returning to full-time studies in the same program following the completion of the co-op placement OR require the co-op placement to graduate

Experience 

• Demonstrated field experience in forestry, environmental studies or natural sciences

Knowledge/Skill/Ability 

• Training and/or education in the principles of dendrology and proficiency in field identification of various tree species

• Basic computer skills in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, Publisher) and ArcGIS

• Familiarity with geographical information systems and GPS technology

• Interest in urban forestry, ecology, and/or natural sciences and able to work in a natural environment, including inclement weather and rough terrain

• Dependable, reliable, and can work well with others

Conditions of Employment

• Valid Ontario Class “G” Drivers Licence in good standing
• CSA-approved safety footwear in good condition
• Satisfactory Criminal Record Check *

*Please note that this is a requirement for any new employees to the City of Barrie in accordance with the  . Existing employees will be grandparented from this requirement.

Other Important Information

Work Term:  May to December 2024

Wage: $17.52 to $23.82 per hour

Hours: The normal hours of work are 40 hours per week in accordance with the Collective Agreement

Location: City of Barrie Operations Centre, 165 Ferndale Drive North, Barrie, Ontario

The City of Barrie is an equal opportunity employer, dedicated to creating a workplace culture of inclusiveness and welcomes applications from qualified individuals of diverse backgrounds. We are committed to providing barrier-free and accessible employment practices and we will accommodate the needs of applicants under the Ontario Human Rights Code and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) throughout all stages of the recruitment and selection process. If contacted for an employment opportunity, please advise if you require Code-protected accommodation and we will work with you to meet your needs.

We thank all applicants and advise that only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

Job tags

Salary

$17.52 - $23.82 per hour