Forest Service employees deliver critical services to Americans, and a thriving and ready workforce is key to managing and conserving our nation’s forests and grasslands. As employees continue to work hard, maintain standards of excellence, and successfully deliver on the agency’s multi-use mission, resources are available to help navigate changes.

Focus on Communication

The Forest Service, led by its Conflict Management and Prevention Center, has put together a series of live sessions and on-demand resources to help leaders gain skills to have the needed conversations with staff. While each live session builds upon the skills and concepts learned in the previous sessions, it is not critical to attend all sessions to gain valuable knowledge. The first session in the series starts Wednesday, Aug. 13.  

Session 1: Diffusing Conflict Through Effective Communication

Date: Aug. 13

Time: 12 p.m. ET/11 a.m. CT/10 a.m. MT/9 a.m. PT

All sessions will be recorded and available in the resource library. Participant feedback will be gathered, and most valuable sessions will be repeated in the fall.

On-Demand Content

The AgLearn Percipio platform, supported by USDA, offers pre-recorded content across a series of relevant topics in an easy-to-navigate virtual environment. It includes two short videos that give an overview of what is available, one for supervisors and managers and one for all employees.  

In addition, management consultations with the Employee Support and Well-Being team are available at any time. To inquire, email SM.FS.employeesupp@usda.gov or call 202-205-1284 (staffed M-F during normal business hours).

Additional Resources

A schedule of virtual live training events can be found here.

The Work Environment and Performance Office also offers a suite of services available to employees by request. See the list of services for current offerings and related contact information.

Resources for Supervisors

Supervisor Training

Supervisor training for both new and experienced supervisors in the Forest Service received a recent refresh, with several fixes and updates rolled out over the past few weeks in AgLearn. New supervisors are reminded to complete the New Supervisor Training program during their first year as part of their onboarding requirements. In addition, all experienced supervisors—those who have been in their roles for more than one year—must complete the Experienced Supervisor Training course now available in AgLearn.  

The Experienced Supervisor Training course has been updated to include the latest learning modules that reflect current expectations and best practices for Forest Service leadership. Information about these and other opportunities can be found on our SharePoint page.

Don’t miss this opportunity to sharpen your skills and stay aligned with Forest Service leadership standards. 

Supervisor Learning Community

The Forest Service Supervisor Learning Community is a platform for all Forest Service supervisors to receive updates and reminders, build relationships with peers, and engage in dialogue about important topics. Supervisors can request to join the community here.

The Forest Service Supervisor Toolkit is a resource hub for all information and links a supervisor may need to perform their duties. This toolkit contains a supervisor task schedule, a points of contact list and information related to new supervisors; systems access; hiring, onboarding, managing, and offboarding employees; and personal development and leadership resources.