Forest Technician job description: duties, skills and qualifications.

Core duties

5

O*NET task statements

O*NET occupation

Forest and Conservation Technicians

O*NET-SOC 19-4071.00

Preparation

Job Zone 3 of 5

medium preparation

Typical entry education

Associate's degree

BLS 2025–35

Median pay

$54,560

BLS May 2025

Data Government data groups this job as Forest and Conservation Technicians (O*NET-SOC 19-4071.00). O*NET 31.0 lists “Forest Technician” as a job title for this occupation only (evidence: O*NET's Sample of Reported Titles (titles job holders report), O*NET job-incumbent data and the SOC Index). Figures on this page are for that occupation. TryHired has no separate career page for this title yet.

1. Thin and space trees and control weeds and undergrowth, using manual tools and chemicals, or supervise workers performing these tasks. importance 3.9 of 5
2. Train and lead forest and conservation workers in seasonal activities, such as planting tree seedlings, putting out forest fires, and maintaining recreational facilities. importance 3.7 of 5
3. Provide information about, and enforce, regulations, such as those concerning environmental protection, resource utilization, fire safety, and accident prevention. importance 3.5 of 5
4. Patrol park or forest areas to protect resources and prevent damage. importance 3.5 of 5
5. Map forest tract data using digital mapping systems. importance 3.3 of 5

Work activities O*NET rates most important here: Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships and Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events.

Also part of the job

Supplemental tasks O*NET lists for this occupation: less central than the core duties above, and not done in every job.

• Keep records of the amount and condition of logs taken to mills.
• Manage forest protection activities, including fire control, fire crew training, and coordination of fire detection and public education programs.
• Monitor activities of logging companies and contractors.
• Perform reforestation or forest renewal, including nursery and silviculture operations, site preparation, seeding and tree planting programs, cone collection, and tree improvement.
• Plan and supervise construction of access routes and forest roads.
• Select and mark trees for thinning or logging, drawing detailed plans that include access roads.

Knowledge areas: Public Safety and Security, English Language, Customer and Personal Service, Law and Government and Administration and Management.

Software O*NET lists for this occupation: ESRI ArcGIS software, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Geographic information system GIS systems, Facebook, Microsoft Access. These are examples O*NET records for the job, not a list of tools every employer uses or a checklist of what you must know.

• Education: BLS lists an associate's degree as the typical entry-level education.
• Experience: BLS lists no work experience in a related occupation as typical to enter.
• Training on the job: BLS lists no typical on-the-job training once hired.
• Preparation: O*NET places the job in Job Zone 3 of 5 (medium preparation). Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations.
• Licenses and certifications: not listed here. A license is a legal requirement set by a state; a certification is a credential from a private or professional body. Rules vary by state and employer, and a missing entry on this page does not mean none is required: check with your state's licensing board.

In O*NET's data, “high school diploma or the equivalent (such as a ged)” and “associate's degree or other 2-year degree” were reported about equally often (35% each) by forest technicians surveyed by O*NET, so no single level is the most common.

Job title: Forest Technician
[Company] · [City, State] · [Full-time or part-time] · [Pay range, where your state requires one]

About the role
[Company] is hiring a Forest Technician to provide technical assistance regarding the conservation of soil, water, forests, or related natural resources.
[One sentence on your team and why this role matters.]

What you will do
- Thin and space trees and control weeds and undergrowth, using manual tools and chemicals, or supervise workers performing these tasks.
- Train and lead forest and conservation workers in seasonal activities, such as planting tree seedlings, putting out forest fires, and maintaining recreational facilities.
- Provide information about, and enforce, regulations, such as those concerning environmental protection, resource utilization, fire safety, and accident prevention.
- Patrol park or forest areas to protect resources and prevent damage.
- Map forest tract data using digital mapping systems.

What we are looking for
- [Education: BLS lists an associate's degree as typical for this occupation; set the level this role truly needs]
- [Experience: BLS lists no related work experience as typical to enter; set what this role needs]
- Strength in active listening, critical thinking and reading comprehension
- Working knowledge of Public Safety and Security and English Language
- [Software your team uses, e.g. ESRI ArcGIS software or Microsoft Excel]
- [Any license or certification your state or company requires]

[Schedule, benefits and how to apply]

Illustrative: every name, employer, school, date and number in these samples is fictional or a bracketed placeholder. Replace each bracket with your own true details; never copy a result you did not achieve.

Not a real job posting. This template is TryHired's illustration built from government occupational data. It is not an opening at any employer, and no employer wrote it.

For Forest and Conservation Technicians, the median annual wage was $54,560 in May 2025. The median hourly wage was $26.23. BLS estimates about 30,410 jobs in this occupation in the U.S.

BLS projects employment of Forest and Conservation Technicians to decline 2.1% from 2025 to 2035, with about 3,800 openings a year over that period, including openings to replace workers who leave.

• Read a real forest technician posting next to the core duties above. Duties it repeats, such as “Thin and space trees and control weeds and undergrowth, using manual…”, tell you what that employer weighs most; anything it adds is specific to that team.
• Tailor your resume to the posting, not to this page: describe only forest technician work you have actually done, with your own results.
• Prepare a story for each of the top-rated skills (active listening and critical thinking): a real situation, what you did and what changed.