Forest and Conservation Workers

What the job really is

Under supervision, perform manual labor necessary to develop, maintain, or protect areas such as forests, forested areas, woodlands, wetlands, and rangelands through such activities as raising and transporting seedlings; combating insects, pests, and diseases harmful to plant life; and building structures to control water, erosion, and leaching of soil. Includes forester aides, seedling pullers, tree planters, and gatherers of nontimber forestry products such as pine straw.

At a glance

• Sector: Farming, Fishing & Forestry
• O*NET-SOC code: 45-4011
• O*NET job zone: 2 — some preparation
• Work sample tasks on file: 12
• Tools and technologies listed: 12

What you actually do

Work sample tasks recorded for this occupation:

• Check equipment to ensure that it is operating properly.
• Fight forest fires or perform prescribed burning tasks under the direction of fire suppression officers or forestry technicians.
• Perform fire protection or suppression duties, such as constructing fire breaks or disposing of brush.
• Confer with other workers to discuss issues, such as safety, cutting heights, or work needs.
• Maintain tallies of trees examined and counted during tree marking or measuring efforts.
• Explain or enforce regulations regarding camping, vehicle use, fires, use of buildings, or sanitation.
• Operate skidders, bulldozers, or other prime movers to pull a variety of scarification or site preparation equipment over areas to be regenerated.
• Spray or inject vegetation with insecticides to kill insects or to protect against disease or with herbicides to reduce competing vegetation.
• Thin or space trees, using power thinning saws.
• Identify diseased or undesirable trees and remove them, using power saws or hand saws.
• Select or cut trees according to markings or sizes, types, or grades.
• Prune or shear tree tops or limbs to control growth, increase density, or improve shape.

Tools and technology

ESRI ArcGIS software, Microsoft Access, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Project, Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Word, Backhoes, Backpack sprayers, Brush hogs

What employers expect you to already be comfortable with.

Where this job leads

Related occupations — the usual moves up and sideways:

• Forest and Conservation Technicians
• Foresters
• Range Managers
• Forest Fire Inspectors and Prevention Specialists
• Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse
• Conservation Scientists
• Tree Trimmers and Pruners
• First-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers

Getting in

O*NET assigns this occupation job zone 2 (some preparation). The related occupations above are the realistic routes in and out.

Find openings

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Check this against the source

O*NET OnLine: Forest and Conservation Workers — the authoritative public-domain profile this page is derived from, including the full task list, reported skills and the wage estimates for your region.

Derived and rewritten from the public-domain O*NET database (U.S. Department of Labor / Employment and Training Administration). Figures are observations, not promises — always confirm salary, licensing and visa requirements with the employer and the relevant authority.