Description
Under supervision, perform manual labor to harvest, process, and transport pine straw from managed pine stands while protecting soil, seedlings, and habitat. Duties include raking and windrowing needles, removing debris and competing vegetation, baling and loading straw, maintaining tools and access trails, and implementing erosion control, safety, and fire prevention practices in accordance with landowner and agency standards.
- • Inspect and service rakes, blowers, balers, trailers, and PPE before use.
- • Coordinate with crew on safety, harvest areas, and production targets.
- • Rake, blow, and windrow pine needles for efficient collection.
- • Hand-clean straw beds by removing sticks, cones, limbs, and litter.
- • Bale pine straw to specified weights and dimensions.
- • Tag, tally, and stack bales; maintain daily production and area logs.
- • Load, secure, and transport bales to staging or delivery points.
- • Maintain harvest lanes, gates, and staging areas for safe access.
- • Install silt fences, water bars, or check dams to prevent erosion after harvest.
- • Apply herbicides selectively to reduce understory vegetation that contaminates straw, following labels.
- • Avoid damage to trees, roots, seedlings, and wildlife habitat while working.
- • Identify and report insect outbreaks, disease, or invasive plants to supervisors.
- • Establish buffers around streams, wetlands, and sensitive sites per guidelines.
- • Post signs and flag boundaries to mark active harvest areas and access restrictions.
- • Follow fire prevention practices and keep extinguishers on site during operations.
- • Clean, repair, and store hand tools and equipment after use.
- • Dispose of trash and restore sites to specified condition after harvest.
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Agriculture
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Tasks & skills:
O*NET occupational data (work activities, skills, knowledge).
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Last reviewed: Jan 2026
