Occupation

Range Managers

Human Advantage 72%

Significant human skills needed

AI Automation Risk Low Risk
2.4 / 10

This occupation requires complex human judgment, social interaction, and creative problem-solving that are difficult to automate.

Research or study range land management practices to provide sustained production of forage, livestock, and wildlife.

Also Known As: Conservationist, Forestry and Wildlife Manager, Land Management Supervisor, Natural Resource Management Specialist, Natural Resource Manager, Natural Resource Officer, Natural Resource Specialist, Natural Resources Officer +17 more

Core Tasks

  1. Regulate grazing, such as by issuing permits and checking for compliance with standards, and help ranchers plan and organize grazing systems to manage, improve, protect, and maximize the use of rangelands.
  2. Manage forage resources through fire, herbicide use, or revegetation to maintain a sustainable yield from the land.
  3. Coordinate with federal land managers and other agencies and organizations to manage and protect rangelands.
  4. Measure and assess vegetation resources for biological assessment companies, environmental impact statements, and rangeland monitoring programs.
  5. Maintain soil stability and vegetation for non-grazing uses, such as wildlife habitats and outdoor recreation.
  6. Study grazing patterns to determine number and kind of livestock that can be most profitably grazed and to determine the best grazing seasons.
  7. Offer advice to rangeland users on water management, forage production methods, and control of brush.
  8. Plan and direct construction and maintenance of range improvements, such as fencing, corrals, stock-watering reservoirs, and soil-erosion control structures.
  9. Mediate agreements among rangeland users and preservationists as to appropriate land use and management.
  10. Study rangeland management practices and research range problems to provide sustained production of forage, livestock, and wildlife.
  11. Tailor conservation plans to landowners' goals, such as livestock support, wildlife, or recreation.
  12. Develop technical standards and specifications used to manage, protect, and improve the natural resources of range lands and related grazing lands.
  13. Plan and implement revegetation of disturbed sites.
  14. Study forage plants and their growth requirements to determine varieties best suited to particular range.

Supplemental Tasks (2)

  1. Develop methods for protecting range from fire and rodent damage and for controlling poisonous plants.
  2. Develop new and improved instruments and techniques for activities, such as range reseeding.

Emerging Tasks

New and evolving responsibilities for this role:

  • Apply herbicide to eliminate harmful plants.

Education & Training

Job Zone 4 Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
Education: Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Experience: A considerable amount 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.
On-the-Job Training: Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

Education Level Distribution

Percentage of workers in this occupation with each education level.

Bachelor's Degree
80%
Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)
10%
Master's Degree
9%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.
1%

Technology & Tools

Hot Technologies

  • Adobe Photoshop
  • ESRI ArcGIS software
  • Facebook
  • Linux
  • Microsoft Access
  • Microsoft Active Server Pages ASP
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Office software
  • Microsoft PowerPoint
  • Microsoft Windows
  • Microsoft Word
  • Oracle Java
  • Perl
  • Python
  • R
  • SAS
  • The MathWorks MATLAB
  • UNIX

Software (54)

  • Aquatic Plant Information Retrieval System APIRS
  • Automated Geospatial Watershed Assessment AGWA
  • BehavePlus
  • Clark Labs IDRISI Selva
  • CorridorDesigner
  • Data mining software
  • ESRI software
  • ESSA Technologies Path Landscape Model
  • ESSA TechnologiesTool for Exploratory Landscape Scenario Analyses TELSA
  • FARSITE
  • FEAT/Firemon integrated FFI
  • Fire Spread Probability FSPro
  • FlamMap
  • Fuel Characteristic Classification System FCCS
  • GNU Image Manipulation Program GIMP
  • Geographic information system GIS systems
  • Geographic resources analysis support system GRASS
  • Global positioning system GPS software
  • Leica Geosystems ERDAS IMAGINE
  • Microsoft Great Plains Personal Data Keeper
  • National Resources Conservation Service Ecological Site Information System ESIS
  • National Resources Conservation Service Grazing Spatial Analysis Tool
  • National Resources Conservation Service Web Soil Survey WSS
  • Parbat
  • RSAC Riparian Mapping Tool
  • Satellite image databases
  • The Nature Conservancy Weed Information Management System WIMS
  • USDA Comet
  • USDA Database for Inventory, Monitoring and Assessment (DIMA)
  • USDA NRCS Soil Data Viewer
  • USDA NRCS VegSpec
  • USDA SamplePoint
  • United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization Livestock and Environment Toolbox LEAD
  • University of Arizona RangeView
  • Viper Tools
  • Word processing software

Tools & Equipment (20)

  • Compact digital cameras
  • Desktop computers
  • Double-ring infiltrometers
  • Global positioning system GPS devices
  • Gram scales
  • Hand sieves
  • Impact penetrometers
  • Laptop computers
  • Laser plumb bobs
  • Measuring tapes
  • Personal computers
  • Plant canopy analyzers
  • Portable dataloggers
  • Quadrat frames
  • Robel poles
  • Single-ring infiltrometers
  • Soil sampling scoops
  • Stereoscopes
  • Strain gauges
  • Tablet computers

Where This Career Leads

Career progression organized by specialty track and experience level.

Ecological Research & Development Advanced Manufacturing

Zone 4
Range Managers You are here

Conservation & Land Management Advanced Manufacturing

Zone 4
Range Managers You are here

Local, State, & Federal Services Advanced Manufacturing

Zone 4
Range Managers You are here

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