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Public Lands Corps

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Improve Public Lands and Grow Your Career

Public Lands Corps provides you meaningful, paid work experience while you advance the conservation and stewardship of public lands. You will contribute to important work in wildfire risk reduction, trails and recreation management, habitat restoration, research, visitor services, and more, developing skills necessary to join the next generation of conservation leaders.

Eligibility

  • Be between 16-30 years old, or up to 35 years old for veterans.

  • Be a U.S. citizen, national, or permanent resident.

  • Have a high school diploma or GED.

Benefits

  • Complete 640 hours of project work to earn a 2-year non-competitive hiring authority. The Public Lands Corps non-competitive hiring authority allows you to apply for permanent federal positions with the Forest Service and other land management agencies.

  • Living stipend, allowance, or wage.

  • Some positions may also offer an AmeriCorps Education Award upon successful term completion.

  • Gain direct experience and training in a variety of natural and cultural resource management career fields.

  • Work alongside Forest Service staff to conduct priority land management projects.

  • Develop technical, interpersonal, and applicable job skills.

  • Engage in professional development, networking, and mentorship opportunities.

Project Types

  • Trail maintenance and construction

  • Wildfire risk mitigation, fuels reduction, and prescribed burning 

  • Wildlife habitat restoration

  • Reforestation, tree planting, and seed collection

  • Invasive species management

  • Climate change monitoring and mitigation

  • Rehabilitation and maintenance of facilities and campgrounds

  • Preservation of historic structures and cultural resources

  • Conservation education, visitor services, and outreach

  • Public affairs, communications, and digital media

  • Legislative affairs and policy assessment

  • Forestry products laboratory research

  • National Environmental Policy Act project work

  • Mapping and geographic information systems

  • and more.

Employees working in the forest with shovels, binoculars, and planting trees.

Program Length

At least 4 months in length. You must work 640 hours to earn a Public Lands Corps non-competitive hiring authority.

How to Apply

  1. Visit the Conservation Corps website and browse their job openings.

  2. Find a Conservation Corps in an area or working on a project in which you are interested. Consider National Forests and Grasslands. Reach out to ask if they have any Public Lands Corps projects.

  3. Use the contact information below to ask about Public Lands Corps opportunities near you.

  4. Use the Find a Forest tool to find a Forest Service location that you are interested in working for. Contact to find out if they have a project involving the Public Lands Corps.

Contact Information

Use the map or Forest Service regions and then find the contact information in the list below.

Forest Service Regions graphic with list below.

Northern Region (R1)

Twelve National Forests spread across North Idaho, Montana, and a sliver of northeastern Washington. The 4 National Grasslands of the Dakota Prairie Grasslands are in North Dakota and northwestern South Dakota. 

Rocky Mountain Region (R2)

Region 2 encompasses national forests and grasslands in Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, and most of South Dakota and Wyoming.

Southwest Region (R3)

Includes six national forests in Arizona, five national forests and a national grassland in New Mexico, and one national grassland each in Oklahoma and the Texas panhandle. 

Intermountain Region (R4)

Includes twelve National Forests which are located in Utah, Nevada, western Wyoming, southern and central Idaho, as well as one National Grassland in Idaho and the Rocky Mountain Research Station in Colorado. 

Pacific Southwest Region (R5)

Includes lands in California, Hawaii, and the U.S. Affiliated Pacific Islands. 

Pacific Northwest Region 6 (R6)

Contains 17 National Forests, a National Scenic Area, a National Grassland, and two National Volcanic Monuments, all within the States of Oregon and Washington. 

Southern Region (R8)

Includes forests in Alabama, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, South Carolina Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.

Eastern Region (R9)

Includes 20 states in the northeast and Great Lakes areas.

Alaska Region (R10)

All of Alaska.

Program Completion

If you work 640 hours in the program, you may earn a 2-year Public Lands Corps non-competitive hiring authority. 

Benefits of the Public Lands Corps (PLC) Hiring Authority

The authority allows you to apply for permanent Federal positions with the Forest Service and other land management agencies such as the National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, and Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Because many of these positions are not open to the general public, you will have the advantage of competing with a smaller pool of applicants such as current and former Federal employees and other applicants with special hiring authorities. You must apply, be selected, and be onboarded into your position within 2 years of when your PLC certificate was signed.

How to Use Your Hiring Authority

Check out our PLC Resource Guide for Participants to learn how you can use your PLC hiring authority when applying for jobs through USAJOBS. 

1. Find an Opportunity 

There are a few options for how to find a current or upcoming career opportunity that allows you to apply using the PLC hiring authority.

  • Search USAJOBS.gov for a career opportunity. Pay attention to the filters such as agency and hiring paths. The Public Lands Corps authority is under Hiring Paths and Special Hiring Authorities. You can select these filters to narrow your career search to opportunities open to your authority.

  • Reach out to a regional recruiter directly.

  • Sign up for the Job Seekers Database to receive weekly emails about the latest Forest Service job opportunities.

  • Regularly check our Outreach Database. This website shows upcoming opportunities and allows you to respond to the hiring official to share that you are interested in the position. The responses that hiring managers receive in the Outreach Database affect who the job is open to on USAJOBS.gov.

2. Apply

  • You must apply, be selected, and be onboarded into your position within 2 years of when your PLC certificate was signed.

  • Visit USAJOBS and find a career opportunity. Pay attention to the filters such as agency and hiring paths. The Public Lands Corps authority is under Hiring Paths and Special Hiring Authorities. You can select these filters to narrow your career search to opportunities open to your authority. 

  • You must still meet the requirements listed on the job announcement to qualify for the position.

  • Make sure that you apply with a robust Federal resume and that you include all required documents such as your PLC Certificate, high school diploma, and post-secondary or college transcripts if applicable.

  • Make sure that you respond “Yes” to the following question in the assessment questionnaire, which is part of your application: “Have you completed a qualifying conservation project(s) with the U.S. Forest Service and received a Public Lands Corps Certificate of Eligibility for Noncompetitive Hiring Status?”

Help Applying and Using the PLC Certificate

If you have questions about the internship program, please use the map and list above. If you need help using your PLC hiring authority after completing your internship, or if you have questions including about the status of your application, please use the following resources.

  • Visit the How to Apply webpage for tips, tricks, webinars, and more.

  • Call 1-877-372-7248 (select option 2 and follow prompts). We're open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mountain Time and closed on all Federal holidays.

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Work Environment

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Other Internships

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Recruitment Events

The USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer

 

https://www.fs.usda.gov/working-with-us/careers/public-lands-corps