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Forest and Conservation Workers: Career Profile

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.

What Do Forest and Conservation Workers Take On?

The core tasks performed by forest and conservation workers cover:

• 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.

Key Skills and Knowledge

Effective forest and conservation workers rely on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.

Top Skills

The competencies that matter most in this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Knowledge Areas

Other Forest and Conservation Workers Job Titles

People in this occupation may also be known by titles such as:

• Blister Rust Eradicator
• Box Chipper
• Box Cutter
• Brusher
• Chemical Sprayer
• Chopper
• Christmas Tree Farm Worker
• Christmas Tree Farmer

Employment and Demand

The U.S. employs around 360,249 forest and conservation workers working in the United States today. Employment is projected to grow by +11.1% over the projection horizon.

Forest and Conservation Workers Pay

Statistic	Value
Annual median	$22,542
Hourly median	$10.84
10th percentile	$20,000
25th percentile	$22,000
75th percentile	$26,631
90th percentile	$30,720

Compensation varies based on experience, location, and industry.

Pay by State

State	Annual median salary
Illinois	$64,430
Ohio	$53,350
Pennsylvania	$49,160
Arkansas	$46,110
Idaho	$46,010
Colorado	$45,420
California	$43,680
Massachusetts	$43,630
Washington	$43,480
Missouri	$43,330
Oregon	$42,810
New Jersey	$41,600
Louisiana	$40,830
Tennessee	$40,320
Indiana	$40,140
Texas	$38,720
North Carolina	$38,000
Georgia	$37,930
South Dakota	$37,690
Florida	$36,970
South Carolina	$36,810
New Mexico	$36,460
Wisconsin	$35,320
Connecticut	$35,300
Iowa	$30,290

Pay by U.S. Region

Compensation for forest and conservation workers shift depending on where you work. These regions lead on median pay:

Region	Median annual wage	Share of U.S. jobs	Location quotient
Middle Atlantic	$47,540	5.9%	0.88
Rocky Mountains	$45,715	2.5%	1.28
Far Western US	$43,605	46.1%	2.63
Great Lakes	$42,671	9.7%	1.71
Southeast	$38,803	19.5%	1.94
Southwest	$38,720	1.1%	0.11
Plains States	$37,690	14.2%	40.33
New England	$35,300	1.1%	0.79

Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Forest and Conservation Workers

Metro area	State	Median annual wage	Employment
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN	IL	$55,790	70
Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA	PA	$48,200	30
Pittsburgh, PA	PA	$48,050	40
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	WA	$44,720
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	CA	$43,680	310
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA	CA	$43,680	160
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA	CA	$43,680	100
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA	CA	$43,680	270

Top Industries Employing Forest and Conservation Workers

The bulk of forest and conservation workers are found across these industries:

Industry	Employment	Median annual wage
Other Services (except Public Administration)	1,010	$42,810
Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation	190	$43,230
Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services	120	$37,930

Below are examples of industries where forest and conservation workers work:

Tech Stack

• Geographic information system: ESRI ArcGIS software (hot technology)
• Data base user interface and query software: Microsoft Access (hot technology)
• Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
• Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
• Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook (hot technology)
• Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint (hot technology)
• Project management software: Microsoft Project (hot technology)
• Operating system software: Microsoft Windows (hot technology)
• Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)

Work Environment

Daily working conditions for forest and conservation workers reflects the following characteristics:

• E-Mail
• Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
• Outdoors, Exposed to All Weather Conditions
• Telephone Conversations
• In an Enclosed Vehicle or Operate Enclosed Equipment

Education and Training

Typical forest and conservation workers positions require a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education. This occupation sits in Some Preparation Needed (Job Zone 2), reflecting the level of preparation typically expected.

Other Careers to Consider

Similar Occupations

• Soil and Plant Scientists (Supplemental)
• Conservation Scientists (Primary-Long)
• Range Managers (Primary-Short)
• Foresters (Primary-Short)
• Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health (Supplemental)
• Environmental Restoration Planners (Supplemental)
• Agricultural Technicians (Primary-Long)
• Forest and Conservation Technicians (Primary-Short)

References

This profile draws on the following authoritative sources:

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
• BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
• O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.

SOC code: 45-4011.00 (Forest and Conservation Workers).