Planting Programs Assistant

Position Description

Planting Programs Assistant
Summer 2022

ReForest London (RFL) is a small but mighty non-profit organization with a vision to see our community thriving in a healthy urban forest. We work to enhance environmental and human health in the Forest City by inspiring, educating and empowering Londoners to plant and care for trees and to be part of a sustainability-focused future for our community.

Since our founding in 2005, we have grown to become London’s largest environmental not-for-profit organization. Powered by passionate staff and volunteers, ReForest London plants, cares for, and gives away thousands of trees each year. Along with the City of London, we are a founding partner of the community-wide Million Tree Challenge. RFL is also actively developing the new Westminster Ponds Centre (WPC), London’s first and only environment and sustainability centre. Led by ReForest London, the WPC will inspire and advance environmental change in our community.

Position Overview:

The Planting Programs Assistants (2) will provide critical staff support to our Park Naturalization and Neighbourhood Tree Giveaway programs. They will work closely with our Park Naturalization Project Manager and our Residential Planting Programs Coordinator to help facilitate all of our spring 2022 planting and tree giveaway events. They will also offer support to our aftercare program, and help assess sites for use in future tree planting initiatives.

This is a 16 week, full-time position (37.5 hours / week)beginning May 2, at $16/hr. Please note this position is contingent upon funding.

Key Responsibilities:

• Assisting with the planning and delivery of park naturalization planting events, including:
  • Event planning, logistics, promotion, setup, takedown, and data collection
  • Determining appropriate planting locations for various species of trees and shrubs
  • Quality assurance during the tree planting
  • Performing site visit to identify new planting opportunities and updating the 3-year bank of planting sites

• Assisting to deliver numerous tree giveaway events, including tasks such as:
  • Assisting with event setup and takedown, preparing equipment, literature, and materials for events
  • Providing tree education and outreach to homeowners
  • Processing and recording donations received at events

• Volunteer management of event volunteers, including:
  • Training participating volunteers in tree planting, care and maintenance
  • Ensuring volunteers have a positive experience at our events
  • Assisting with volunteer recruitment and promotion through social media, online calendars, and more

• Various other tasks may include:
  • Nursery stock management including organizing, watering, and general tree care
  • Social media promotion and content curation
  • Creating maps and inputting data in ArcGIS
  • Data entry and analysis
  • Supporting with fundraising, stewardship, and grant writing/reporting tasks
  • Facilities maintenance
  • Other tasks as needed

Eligibility:

Because this position would be funded through a federal employment program, in order to be eligible, candidates must be:

• A Canadian citizen, permanent resident of Canada, or have granted refugee status in Canada (no work permits or student visas),
  
  
  

and:

• Be between 15 to 30 years of age at the start of employment;

Candidates must also have a valid Social Insurance Number at the start of employment and be legally entitled to work in Canada in accordance with relevant provincial or territorial legislation and regulations.

Qualifications:

• A secondary school diploma
• Meet eligibility requirements as outlined above
• Be physically fit, as this position requires considerable walking and working in outdoor field conditions during hot or rainy weather, as well as some heavy lifting (e.g. trees in pots, generally 10-30 lbs but possibly up to 50 lbs)
• Being comfortable working outdoors in a variety of weather conditions

Desired Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities:

• A true passion for the outdoors and trees!
• Pursuing or have obtained a degree or diploma in Environmental Sciences, Biology, Ecological Restoration, Geography, Natural Resources, Arboriculture, Landscape Architecture, Horticulture, or related field
• Familiarity with Ontario trees and shrubs, as well as common invasive species
• Familiarity with common pests and/or diseases of our native tree species
• Have exceptional interpersonal skills, and enjoy working with others in a team environment
• Strong written and oral communication skills
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office
• Supervisory experience (staff or volunteer) an asset
• Experience working in ArcGIS an asset
• Standard First Aid & CPR certification an asset
• Ontario Exterminator License is an asset
• Ontario ‘G’ driver’s license an asset

Skills and Experiences gained from this position:

• Identification of trees, shrubs, invasive species, and forest pests and diseases
• Knowledge of ecological processes as well as restoration project planning, implementation, and aftercare
• Volunteer management
• Experience in the administration and delivery of environmental programs
• Experience assisting with program evaluation and impact reporting
• Experience working with volunteers of all ages, as well as community partners and landowners, teachers and school staff, and diverse groups and populations

Perks:

• Flexible work schedule
• Positive team environment (largely fueled by chocolate, optimism, tree puns, and, outside of pandemics, lots of potlucks!)
• Working in the middle of a forest: Westminster Ponds is surrounded by beautiful trees and nature, and is a great place to take a walk during lunch to refocus

COVID Safety:

Please note that ReForest London has both a masking and vaccination policy in place at this time. As a condition of employment, and in order to ensure the health and safety of ReForest London employees and volunteers, a successful applicant will be expected and agrees to confirm and provide proof of has a “full series of vaccinations” (2 doses & a booster) from COVID-19, per the ReForest London vaccination policy. This condition of employment is subject to any accommodation requirements as may be required by human rights legislation, including for religious needs, disability or any other protected ground under human rights legislation.

Application Process:

Please email your cover letter and résumé in a single combined PDF file to Lily Vuong, Project Manager, at no later than 11:59 PM on Sunday, April 10, 2022.Please be sure to include the job title in your subject line. We value diversity and inclusion and encourage any qualified people (including Indigenous peoples, new immigrants and refugees, women, and LGBTQ2+ individuals) to apply. If you require accommodations during the recruitment process, please let us know.

Applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis as they are received, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible.

All email submissions will be acknowledged as received, but only those called for an interview will be contacted thereafter. No phone calls please.