...the Web's Best Employment Resources

Forestry Technicians Job Overview

Forestry technicians gather information on the condition of forest land. They also collect data on the contents of the forest and the size of the forest. They assess, maintain and inventory the forest’s conditions. They also make observations, record relevant results and draw conclusions.

Forestry Technicians Schools and Degrees

Forestry technicians who have no college education start as trainees under the guidance and supervision of experienced technicians. It is only after working for two years under such supervision that they qualify to earn a two-year degree in technology.

Job Requirements

Training in this vocation is important. The training of forestry technicians generally includes an education in surveying land, management of wild life and logging.

Experience and training helps a forestry technician get promoted to positions of greater responsibility. The wages of forestry technicians increase with responsibility and experience. Further education enhances the career of forestry technicians.

It is important for a person who wishes to become a forestry technician to want to work in close connection with nature. They are also required to have a sharp eye for detail and an ability to work with a team and alone. Communication skills, interpersonal relation management and organizational skills are therefore very important.

Nature of Work

Forestry technicians usually work under the supervision of a forester. Their job is comprised of keeping an eye on harvesting operations, looking after timber measurements, helping in operations of road construction and in discovering the features of the property. They also collect data on the number of trees present, and the mortality rate of tree sapling. Forestry technicians collected information about the diseases and the damage caused by insects. They also investigate the situations and conditions that may lead to forest fires. They also help to lead and train conservation workers in activities like planting saplings and looking after facilities for recreation.

Conditions in which forestry technicians work differ depending on the kind of work they do. Forestry technicians sometimes have to travel into the forest area. They have to work for about forty hours a week, but the nature of their work often makes their hours very irregular. It also varies according to the season.

Forestry Technicians Jobs and Outlook

There were about 34,000 forestry technicians in the U.S. in 2006. Projections show that the demand for forestry professionals will remain the same in the next ten years.

The mean hourly wage for forestry technicians in the US is about $14.83, while the mean annual wages are around $40,534, according to Federal government statistics in 2007.

Job Numbers and Growth

There were about 34,000 forestry technicians across the US in 2008. Unemployment for workers was considered low in the recent past, relative to other occupations. The percentage of employees unemployed in 2008 was 4%.

Area Job Conditions

The cities with the most forestry technicians per capita are Wenatchee (Washington), Redding (California), and Corvallis (Oregon), while the worst cities are Charlotte (North Carolina), Chicago (Illinois), and Atlanta (Georgia).

The highest salaries for workers are in and around Olympia (Washington), Atlanta (Georgia), and Corvallis (Oregon). The lowest-paying areas are Provo (Utah), Idaho Falls (Idaho), and Montgomery (Alabama).

Training and Education

Education or job training for employees typically involves an associate degree. At least 46% of forestry technicians had a degree of four or more years. About 35% of workers had some college below a bachelor's degree. An estimated 19% of employees had just a high-school diploma. Recommended schools are shown in the column to the right; request information from them to help you decide which if any could help you with this career.

Part-Time Work and Self-Employment

An estimated 19% of forestry technicians work part-time. An estimated 2% of workers were self-employed.

Forestry Technicians by Metropolitan Area (city and its surroundings)

In the table below, a Job Density near 0% means the area has an average number of people in this occupation, for its population. A higher or lower Job Density (e.g., +22% or -45%) tells you there are that many more or fewer workers of that type there than in the average US metro area. So, the higher the number, the more common the occupation.

Alabama

Alaska

Arizona

California

Colorado

Connecticut

Georgia

Hawaii

Idaho

Illinois

Iowa

Louisiana

Maryland

Minnesota

Mississippi

Missouri

Montana

Nevada

New Mexico

North Carolina

Ohio

Oklahoma

Oregon

South Carolina

Tennessee

Utah

Washington

Wisconsin