Forester Career
Foresters spend their days supervising activities like selecting and preparing sites for planting new trees as well as using things like controlled burning, machinery and chemicals to clear forest areas. If you choose to be a forester, you might be responsible for helping to regenerate forest areas as well as help to prevent forest fires.
Foresters tend to work on government-owned land, for private individuals or for social advocacy groups. National parks often employ foresters, and they may also work with lawmakers regarding sustainable land use. If you are a forester, you might work in an office or in a laboratory as well as in the field. Forester work can be physically difficult and may involve working in inclement weather. Risks include walking through dense woods and dealing with insect bites and poisonous plants.
Forester Career Snapshot
Further details on a career as a forester are listed below (statistics from the May 2015 Bureau of Labor Statistics and Onet Online):
is the median annual pay for foresters.
increase in employment between 2014 and 2024.
have a Bachelor’s degree while 7% have an Associate’s degree.
Forester Education
The majority of foresters hold a bachelor’s degree with a few having an associate’s degree. If you are a forester, you may need to learn how to use a clinometer, which measures tree height, or diameter tapes, which measure a tree’s circumference. In today’s technologically advanced society, foresters also use remote sensing equipment and geographic information systems (GIS) to draw maps of forest areas and learn about trends. There are many other advanced pieces of equipment you’ll need to learn about as a forester.
Forester Salaries
New foresters can expect to earn around $38,660 while those experts in the field can pull in $84,830 annually. The median pay was $58,230 in 2015 according to the BLS.gov.
Forester Job Outlook
Employment of foresters is expected to increase 7 percent between 2014 to 2024. Most of the growth will be on government-owned forest lands in the western United States. The prevention of forest fires and the increased demand for timber and wood pellets will be primary drivers in job growth.
Forester Job Duties
Foresters may spend their days creating plans to regenerate forest areas as well as managing tree harvests. If you are a forester, you may help figure out ways to prevent diseases, insects, and wildfires from harming forests. You may have to look at data on soil quality as well as determine levels of damage caused by logging or fires. Foresters also help plant seedlings to replace trees that are harvested.
Forester Skills & Traits
| Forester Skill Set: | Required Abilities: | Tools Used by Foresters: | Typical Work Activities: |
|---|---|---|---|
| • Monitoring • Reading Comprehension • Speaking • Critical Thinking • Decision Making | • Oral Comprehension • Oral Expression • Written Comprehension • Deductive Reasoning • Written Expression | • All terrain vehicles • Clinometers • Navigational compasses • Measuring tapes • Sprayers | • Getting Information • Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events • Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work • Communicating with Others • Documenting Information |
Related Careers
Agricultural & Food Scientists
Bachelor’s Degree
Firefighters
Postsecondary Certificate
Forest & Conservation Workers
High School Diploma or Equivalent
