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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.
- Median pay
- $70,660
- per year
- 10-year outlook
- +1.2%
- Stable
- Typical entry
- Bachelor's degree
Key skills
- Active Listening
- Reading Comprehension
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Complex Problem Solving
- Writing
- Monitoring
- Judgment and Decision Making
What they do
- Monitor contract compliance and results of forestry activities to assure adherence to government regulations.
- Negotiate terms and conditions of agreements and contracts for forest harvesting, forest management and leasing of forest lands.
- Plan and implement projects for conservation of wildlife habitats and soil and water quality.
- Establish short- and long-term plans for management of forest lands and forest resources.
- Plan cutting programs and manage timber sales from harvested areas, assisting companies to achieve production goals.
- Determine methods of cutting and removing timber with minimum waste and environmental damage.
- 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.
- Monitor forest-cleared lands to ensure that they are reclaimed to their most suitable end use.
- Develop techniques for measuring and identifying trees.
Majors that lead here
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections) and O*NET, used under CC BY 4.0.