Arvind A.R. Bhuta, Phd, Gisp, Cse Email & Phone Number

Washington D.C. Metro Area

I manage the ForMAP program, a FS-CIO approved and funded portal, allowing federal, state, territorial, non-profits, and other partners to report their annual accomplishments (both geospatial and tabular) through three nationwide SPTF programs’ official databases of record to FS, USDA, and the White House leadership and congressional appropriators. The three programs are the Forest Health and Protection Branch’s Forest Health Program (ForHealth application) and the Cooperative Forestry Branch’s Landscape Scale Restoration Program (LaSR application) and the Forest Stewardship program (SMART application). ForMAP is currently in operation and maintenance (O&M) however under my direction is also going through development, modernization, and enhancement (DME). Both O&M and DME are being executed with two different contractors in an agile environment with internal FS team members (5-7), an O&M team of four, and a DME team of eight.

Kernville, California, United States

Line manager’s authority and steward for the Kern River Ranger District, where I: 1) supervised 11 direct reports and managed 100 employees in a values-based, purpose driven, and relationship-focused work environment. 2) managed and stewarded, through science, law, and policy, the diverse natural and cultural resources across 640,000 acres of the District (25 campgrounds, 10 developed day-use areas, 578 miles of trails, 4 designated Wilderness Areas, forest mountains, high desert, and rivers (including the Wild and Scenic River of the South and North Forks of the Kern River) ranging from 2,000–9,000 ft. 3) provided leadership for all District employees and programs which include the inventory, planning, evaluation, & management of District resources and the planning, budgeting, and management information for identifying work force and organizational needs, & priorities. 4) established, collaborated, and maintained cooperative relations with local, county, and State representatives, special interest and civic groups, higher education, Tribal government, permittees, community members, and the public with interests in and in addressing the appropriate public use of the district.5) Communicated decisions and explained actions in the larger context of the agency’s mission & purpose to District staff and members of the community.6) Implemented agency policy and navigated dynamic tensions and complex political, human, and socialconcerns while incorporating the interdependence of all mission areas.7) Participated in a Tribal Forum and other communications with the Tübatulabal Tribe, Kern River ValleyIndians, and Tule River Tribe.8) Served as member of the Forest Leadership Team on plans, policies, and objectives. Providedinformation and recommendations to the Forest Supervisor.

Washington Dc-Baltimore Area

• Led efforts to strengthen equity data in support of the Agency’s diversity, equity, inclusion, and access goals• Cultivated working relationships with program managers to problem-solve efforts around equity data collection and reporting related to the Forest Service Equity Action Plan and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law• Using FAC-PPM tools, identified program contacts, their data holdings, and collection priorities and developed mission planning, milestones, and interdependency protocols and documents associated with their equity data collection efforts in Microsoft Teams • Monitored the beginnings of different program areas associated with the Forest Service Equity Action Plan as they implemented equity in their program areas

Managed the Southern Region UCF Program ($7.03m budget for FY2022) and coordinated, communicated, and advised the 13 southeastern state forestry agencies UCF programs and their non-profit partners on support, program delivery, requirements, guidelines, funding, reporting, and payments.

Washington Dc-Baltimore Area

I led the National Forest Stewardship Program (FSP) during a year of transition where I had to implement change as a result of modernization to the Forest Service budget and the program which included the program being halved in budget from $11.9m for FY2021 from an average of $20m/year for the three prior years. I served in this role officially in a 120-Detail and Temporary Promotion (GS14) from February to June 2021 and unofficially from November 2020 to February 2021 and from June to August 2021 until another detailer could fill the position. (GS13) The position was supervised by the Director for Cooperative Forestry (SES) and the Associate Director for the Landowners Assistance Program (GS15). I was the team lead collaborating with 14 Forest Service Regional Forest Stewardship Program Managers to ensure that we delivered the program requirements, guidelines, and funding through communication and coordination with all 50 State Forestry Agencies, 9 Territorial Forestry Agencies, the National Association of State Foresters, the National Association of Conservation Districts, and other non-profits. Through these efforts, we all ensured that non-industrial private forest landowners across the United States who sought service for a Forest Stewardship Plan and Implementation received such service. • Lead a team of internal Forest Service FSP Managers (three employees) and three state foresters in the revision and update of the FSP Standards and Guidelines• Executed FSP modernization efforts that fulfilled Congress’ needs on the program, but with FS and the National Association of State Foresters (NASF) approval• Incorporated a new allocation formula (the FSP was appropriated with $11.9 million for FY2021) for funding FSP across the 50 States and US territories

Montgomery, Alabama Area

Provides guidance, leadership, and support for the National Forests in Alabama for programs in vegetation ecology, botany (non-threatened and endangered), non-native invasive species, soil and water (watersheds). Developed ecological condition, terrestrial ecological unit inventory, potential natural vegetation, hydrology, and watershed models. Integrated field work, geospatial analyses, and management of Ecological Condition Models through collaboration with employees in the U.S. Forest Service, Academia, and others. Worked with multiple partners (federal and state agencies, non-profits, academia, private-sector, and the public) in restoring longleaf pine. Point of contact for Research Natural Areas, Climate Change, and Sustainability for the National Forests in Alabama.Burn Area Emergency Response (BAER) and Sustainable Operations/Green Team coordinator for National Forest in Alabama.

Kilwa Masoko, Tanzania

Participated in a three-person team for the U.S. Forest Service International Programs as GIS Technical Detailer for two weeks (September 26-October 7, 2016). The detail was part three of a three session detail to support the partnership between the U.S. Forest Service and the Mpingo Conservation and Development Initiative with a focus on geospatial infrastructure and development. Objectives of the detail were to:1) build on the findings and recommendations from the prior two sessions; 2) conduct formal training for ESRI ArcGIS Desktop, covering introductory, intermediate, and advanced topics; 3) provide direct guidance on data management and other information technology and mapping priorities; and 4) investigate options for USFS technical cooperation beyond GIS and information technology.

Portland, Oregon

• Located out of the Region 6 (Oregon and Washington States), Regional Office and working within the Natural Resources Division under the Vegetation Inventory & Monitoring Program• Member of the Vegetation Inventory Program team • Provided regional leadership and technical guidance in planning vegetation inventory and monitoring, sampling, and analysis of data using appropriate techniques• Used geospatial (LiDAR), big data/data science, and statistical data analysis through ArcGIS, R, and Python as needed by the Regional Forester, Directors, Regional Biometrician and other regional or Forest staff • Conducted and adapted the use of existing statistical (R and Python) and database management packages (Microsoft Access) for the most efficient methods of solving problems in the statistical analysis of physical vegetative data• Provided expert technical advice for the collection, warehousing, analysis, and reporting of vegetative resource data for the region’s vegetation inventory program • Reviewed all vegetative data acquisition procedures to ensure consistent inventory methods are utilized which align with NFS corporate protocols and databases (FIA, CVS, FS-Veg, and FS-Veg Spatial) • Ensured efficient data entry to the vegetation inventory database and compilation of data to prepare it for analysis • In cooperation with the Pacific Northwest Research Station, aided in the design of sampling procedures, and the design of techniques to evaluate changes of vegetative conditions over time, for the region’s vegetation inventory program, and provides detailed written explanations and procedures• Served as a consultant and advisor to other resource groups dealing with various techniques suitable for the acquisition and analysis of vegetative conditions• Provided technical transfer and training, as needed, in NFS corporate inventory and analysis tools

Montgomery, Al

• GEARs mission is to conduct geospatial and environmental analysis and research to support and aid non-profits and the private sector in their mission priorities• In 2014, consulted with The Nature Conservancy on the dendrochronology of conifers at Fort Benning• Built and developed a hexacopter drone (UAS) for aerial photography and mapping• GEAR is equipped with a DJI Phantom 3 Professional, gps units, 360 cameras, and forest measurements: velmex tree-ring measuring system, computers, and various field equipment• Database scraping of online searchable database to assist in marketing of services for a fabrication company

Clemson, South Carolina

• Funded by a Department of Defense Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) funded research project titled: RC 1693 Temporal and Spatial Patterns of Pine Mortality in the Southeastern United States• Analyzed geospatial, remotely-sensed (Landsat, NAIP, and hemispherical-fisheye photography), dendrochronological, and field data to determine reduced vigor of southern pine trees across four focal sites: Fort Benning, Fort Stewart, Fort Jackson, and Talladega National Forest• Collected USFS Forest Health Monitoring field and data collection for conifers exhibiting poor health at Fort Benning and directed field and data collection at Fort Stewart and Fort Jackson. Ten (Fort Stewart and Jackson) to twenty (Fort Benning) 30m x 30m plots were established and all trees were assessed for health based on forest health monitoring protocols, data on their health was collected along with diameter at breast height, canopy height, canopy diameter, and tree cores for dendrochronological assessment. Fisheye photography was captured to assess LAI and all trees were georeferenced via a sub-centimeter GPS unit• Led field data logistics and collections for other projects• Contributed in authorship to white papers, presentations at conferences, and publications in peer-reviewed journals• Placed job ads, interviewed, hired, and supervised five laboratory technicians• Supervised and managed graduate students, technicians, and research assistants• Generated proposals for extramural funding• Managed Silviculture and Ecology Laboratory: updating and purchasing supplies and computer software and hardware systems; managing research budgets for field and laboratory analyses• Taught an upper-level undergraduate-level research development course with four or more students for three semesters, receiving over $3000.00 in funding for research equipment and to fund students for field and conference trips

Washington D.C. Metro Area

• Conducted field work in the eastern Sierra Nevada of California (Mount Whitney and the Marine Mountain Warfare Training Center near Bridgeport, CA) and in the North Carolina Sandhills (Fort Bragg)• Established permanent circular study plots, identifying tree species and collecting the following tree morphometrics: diameter at breast height, height to live first branch, total height, and canopy diameter) • Georeferenced and surveyed backsights, foresights, and plot centers using survey-grade Leica GPS units and total stations • Conducted terrestrial LiDAR scans around circular study plots based on georeferenced points• Investigated the feasibility of LiDAR Analyst/ArcGIS 9.2 for developing bare earth images, building structures, and forest areas from first and last return digital elevation models• Surveyed scientific literature for current trends and applications for LiDAR research• Extracted and analyzed bare earth imagery, building structures, and forested areas from airborne and terrestrial LiDAR• Used Feature Analyst/ArcGIS 9.2 for extracting man-made features from LiDAR and aerial photography

Blacksburg, Virginia Area

• Assisted with teaching duties for a freshman-level Physical Geography courses• Teaching and laboratory duties for a senior-level Forestry course in Geographic Information Systems• Research (field and laboratory) in graduate-level Geography courses• Maintained and managed the biogeography and paleoenvironments laboratories housed in the Department of Geography.

Blacksburg, Virginia Area

• Worked at Virginia Tech's Research Center: Conservation Management Institute (CMI)• National Wetlands Inventory (U.S. Fish and Wildlife) - Mapped wetlands using the Cowardin classification for Virginia and New York; assisted with reviewing and developing algorithms via Feature Analyst for ArcGIS for wetland mapping; QA/QC data• Switchgrass Biofuels - Located, reviewed, and updated geospatial data, metadata, scientific and gray literature for road infrastructure in Halifax County, Virginia for the optimal placement of switchgrass conversion facilities• Redstone Army Arsenal - Digitized fire compartments for Redstone Arsenal, Alabama

Blacksburg, Virginia Area

• Worked at Virginia Tech's Research Center: Center for Geospatial Information Technology (CGIT) • Assisted with geospatial analysis for the Virginia Base Mapping Project contracted by the Virginia Geographic Information Network (VGIN). This involved compiling Digital Terrain Mapping (DTM) data and creating Triangulated Irregular Networks and Digital Elevation Models (DEM) from DTM data • Supervised other research assistants with the creation of TINs and DEMs and the quality control/assurance and validation of data• Provided additional assistance with entry of Tier 2 EPA Chemical Inventory Reports for the state of Virginia and assisted in the analysis and creation of hazard maps from FEMA’s HAZUS for Virginia• Developed and designed applications for geospatial logistics and methods for chimpanzee research in Tanzania

Washington D.C. Metro Area

• Assisted the staff ecologist at the National Center for Environmental Economics with ongoing research involved in modeling the relationships between land use and bird diversity and abundances. This research was related to the EPA's continuing efforts to improve its ability to value the ecological effects of its actions in regulatory assessments• Surveyed scientific literature on bird-habitat relationships; focusing on models that could be used to predict changes in bird diversity and abundances over space and time in response to changing land use conditions or human activities • Compiled and linked land use data, climatological data, and large scale, long term bird abundance and diversity data from the North American Breeding Bird Survey• Datasets were prepared for use in statistical and geospatial analyses and modeling usigng Microsoft Access, GIS (ArcGIS/INFO 9), and working with statistical software (LIMDEP)

Tuscaloosa, Alabama Area

• Gathered, created, updated, and maintained files for use in the Office of Land Management's GIS system. This included the preparation of computer-based maps for websites and documents; maintaining and updating websites with maps • Rectified imagery for use and implementation in GIS system via ERDAS 6.0. A geodatabase was created for monitoring and evaluating forestry practices on managed lands. • Employed and supervised by The University of Alabama's Forester and Geologist.

Auburn, Alabama Area

• Gathered and prepared data and created detailed logs and reports of manipulated files for the City of Auburn's GIS system• I created digital maps from existing hand drawn maps and geo-referenced points collected by GPS units• Filed, retrieved, revised, and maintained old files and maps in ArcGIS 8.3 ArcInfo version and Microsoft Office• Supervised by the GIS coordinator and GIS II technicians

Auburn, Alabama Area

• Was deployed in the field for two straight years acquiring gopher tortoise radio telemetry and camera mating station photo data • Established and collectd data on gopher tortoises throughout southern Mississippi and Alabama. Data were geo-referenced with sub-meter Trimble GPS unit in real-time mode or post-processed and were exported to a GIS and databases for future analysis • Trapped tortoises at active burrows, recording morphometric data pertinent to the project. • Identified and sexed adults, affixed them with a telemetry tag, and tracked via radio telemetry from their date released until the end of project • Managed “digital camera stations” used to monitor female tortoises for behavior patterns at their burrow• Maintained and purchased necessary field supplies and equipment• Trained other technicians in proper measuring techniques and field collection methods • Worked with minimal supervision, usually alone or with others employed at other sites to solve data collection issues and logistics in the field during all seasons of the year in the southeast

Everglades National Park, Fl

• Worked as a GIS field supervisor on research pertaining to the endangered Cape Sable Seaside sparrow in Everglades National Park• Established study sites and plots (0.5 km2) located within Everglades National Park • Geo-referenced natural land features, plot points, nests, and newly banded, sighted, and recaptured sparrows• Post-processed and incorporated GPS data into a GIS for spatial analysis• Observed sparrow behavior, nest monitoring, and sparrow sightings• Received first aid training through the Red Cross and fire and helicopter safety training through Everglades National Park

Auburn, Alabama Area

• Catalogued herpetological and ichthyological museum specimens into spreadsheet, database, and GIS based on species and site of collection• Used GIS in geolocating the collection of specimens in the field• Provided data to the Alabama State Lands Division for management of lands and determining population distribution problems with collection of museum specimens• Provided technical assistance with software or hardware issues

B.S., Zoology

Herpetology, Ornithology, GIS(Geography and Forestry classes), Silviculture and Forest Ecology

Postdoctoral Fellow, Forestry

Worked under a Department of Defense Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) funded research project titled: RC.

Ph.D., Geospatial And Environmental Analysis

Activities and Societies: National Science Foundation Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant and Biogeography Specialty Group Student.

M.S., Geography

Activities and Societies: Gamma Theta Upsilon American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote SensingThesis Title: A dendroecological.

One Semester Of Graduate School, Geography

One semester as a graduate student in the Department of Geography.

B.S., Environmental Science

Activities and Societies: College of Science and Mathematics Dean's Honor Roll Fall Semester 2002Environmental Law, Entomology

B.A., Geography

Remote Sensing, GIS, Climatology, Physical Geography