Career Details :: Foresters
Description
Manage 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 the best time for harvesting. Develop forest management plans for public and privately-owned forested lands.
Experience
A minimum of two to four years of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Education
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Training
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
Tasks
- Plans and directs forestation and reforestation projects.
- Investigates adaptability of different tree species to new environmental conditions, such as soil type, climate, and altitude.
- Determines methods of cutting and removing timber with minimum waste and environmental damage.
- Studies classification, life history, light and soil requirements, and resistance to disease and insects of different tree species.
- Manages tree nurseries and thins forest to encourage natural growth of sprouts or seedlings of desired varieties.
- Assists in planning and implementing projects for control of floods, soil erosion, tree diseases, infestation, and forest fire.
- Develops techniques for measuring and identifying trees.
- Advises landowners on forestry management techniques.
- Directs suppression of forest fires and fights forest fires.
- Supervises activities of other forestry workers.
- Suggests methods of processing wood for various uses.
- Conducts public educational programs on forest care and conservation.
- Plans and directs construction and maintenance of recreation facilities, fire towers, trails, roads, and fire breaks.
- Participates in environmental studies and prepares environmental reports.
- Maps forest areas and estimates standing timber and future growth.
- Analyzes forest conditions to determine reason for prevalence of different variety of trees.
- Researches forest propagation and culture affecting tree growth rates, yield, and duration and seed production, growth viability, and germination of different species.
- Plans cutting programs to assure continuous production or to assist timber companies to achieve production goals.
Related Careers
- Biologists
- Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health
- First-Line Supervisors and Manager/Supervisors of Horticultural Workers
- Fish and Game Wardens
- Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists
- Nursery and Greenhouse Managers
- Park Naturalists
- Range Managers
- Soil Conservationists
Important Abilities
General Work Activities
- Getting Information Needed to Do the Job
- Analyzing Data or Information
- Developing Objectives and Strategies
- Monitor Processes, Material, Surroundings
- Communicating With Other Workers
Important Skills
- Solution Appraisal
- Systems Perception
- Identifying Downstream Consequences
- Implementation Planning
- Identification of Key Causes
Frequent Work Context
- Job-Required Social Interaction
- Objective or Subjective Information
- Coordinate or Lead Others
- Provide a Service to Others
- Consequence of Error
Related Majors
| Major | Add to XapPack |
|---|---|
| Agriculture/Natural Resources |  [ add ] |
| Biology/Forestry | [ add ] |
| Conservation | [ add ] |
| Environmental/Forest Biology | [ add ] |
| Environmental/Renewable Resource Economics | [ add ] |
| Forest Resource Science | [ add ] |
| Forest Resources | [ add ] |
| Forest Resources Management | [ add ] |
| Forest Science | [ add ] |
| Forest Technology | [ add ] |
| Forestry | [ add ] |
| Forestry/Biology | [ add ] |
| Forestry/Environmental Studies | [ add ] |
| Natural Resources | [ add ] |
| Pre-Forestry | [ add ] |
| Public Horticulture Administration | [ add ] |
| Water Resources | [ add ] |
Institutions Offering Related Majors
No institutions found.