Forest and Conservation Workers
Significant human skills needed
Some tasks in this role may be augmented by AI, but human oversight and interpersonal skills remain important.
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.
Core Tasks
- 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.
Supplemental Tasks (13)
- 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.
- Maintain campsites or recreational areas, replenishing firewood or other supplies and cleaning kitchens or restrooms.
- Erect signs or fences, using posthole diggers, shovels, or other hand tools.
- Select tree seedlings, prepare the ground, or plant the trees in reforestation areas, using manual planting tools.
- Provide assistance to forest survey crews by clearing site-lines, holding measuring tools, or setting stakes.
- Sort tree seedlings, discarding substandard seedlings, according to standard charts or verbal instructions.
Emerging Tasks
New and evolving responsibilities for this role:
- Create field maps using geographic information systems technology.
Education & Training
Education Level Distribution
Percentage of workers in this occupation with each education level.
Technology & Tools
Hot Technologies
Software (16)
Tools & Equipment (38)
Where This Career Leads
Career progression organized by specialty track and experience level.
Plant Systems Advanced Manufacturing
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