Also called: Consulting Forester, Industrial Forester, Land Manager
Manages forests for timber, wildlife, recreation, and health, planning what to cut, plant, and protect.
You hike through the woods with a GPS and a measuring tape, marking which trees to harvest with spray paint. You write management plans, oversee logging crews, and make sure replanting happens. You'll spend lots of days alone in the forest.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Bachelor's in forestry from an SAF-accredited program; some states license foresters.
Ways in: 4-year college, Certification. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Forestry, Forest Management, Natural Resources.
Growing slowly (about 1% over 10 years). Foresters.
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. Lidar, drones and AI estimate timber from above; marking stands and advising landowners stay human, with fewer field hires.
Classes: Biology, Earth science, Algebra II.
Official data: O*NET occupation 19-1032.
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