Also called: Land Clearing Operator, Mulcher Operator
Runs machines with spinning steel teeth that grind brush and small trees into mulch to clear land, trails and fire breaks.
You steer a tracked mulcher through thick brush along a power line, chewing trees into wood chips in seconds. In fire country, you clear a wide fuel break around a town before summer.
Estimated; owner-operators earn more.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 0.5 years after high school. High school plus on-the-job equipment training.
Ways in: On-the-job training, Certification. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Heavy Equipment Operations.
Growing faster than average. Wildfire prevention and right-of-way clearing are growing.
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. Remote-controlled mulchers exist, but rough terrain still needs skilled operators.
Age 18+. One way to start: Apply to land clearing companies for crew jobs; they train you on the machine
Classes: Ag mechanics, Auto or small engines, Environmental science.
Official data: O*NET occupation 47-2073.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.