Foresters
Manage public and private forested lands for economic, recreational, and conservation purposes. May inventory the type, amount, and location of standing timber, appraise the timber's worth, negotiate the purchase, and draw up contracts for procurement. May determine how to conserve wildlife habitats, creek beds, water quality, and soil stability, and how best to comply with environmental regulations. May devise plans for planting and growing new trees, monitor trees for healthy growth, and determine optimal harvesting schedules.
Meet the Writer: O*NET Occupational Analysts
Annual Salary
$70,660/ year
Median wage · BLS🇺🇸 USA
What You'll Actually Do
The core tasks and responsibilities that fill a typical day.
- Monitor contract compliance and results of forestry activities to assure adherence to government regulations.
- Establish short- and long-term plans for management of forest lands and forest resources.
- Supervise activities of other forestry workers.
- Choose and prepare sites for new trees, using controlled burning, bulldozers, or herbicides to clear weeds, brush, and logging debris.
- Plan and supervise forestry projects, such as determining the type, number and placement of trees to be planted, managing tree nurseries, thinning forest and monitoring growth of new seedlings.
- Negotiate terms and conditions of agreements and contracts for forest harvesting, forest management and leasing of forest lands.
- Determine methods of cutting and removing timber with minimum waste and environmental damage.
- Monitor forest-cleared lands to ensure that they are reclaimed to their most suitable end use.
- Plan and implement projects for conservation of wildlife habitats and soil and water quality.
- Plan and direct forest surveys and related studies and prepare reports and recommendations.
- Perform inspections of forests or forest nurseries.
- Map forest area soils and vegetation to estimate the amount of standing timber and future value and growth.
- Plan cutting programs and manage timber sales from harvested areas, assisting companies to achieve production goals.
- Provide advice and recommendations, as a consultant on forestry issues, to private woodlot owners, firefighters, government agencies or to companies.
- Develop techniques for measuring and identifying trees.