Best degree programs for Forest and Conservation Technicians, ranked by enrollment
6 college programs and 753 schools train Forest and Conservation Technicians. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $54,560 median wage, 30,410 U.S. jobs. Federal data.
6 college programs at 753 schools train forest and conservation technicians, graduating 15,766 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Environmental Science. The job pays a median of $54,560 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About forest and conservation technicians
Provide technical assistance regarding the conservation of soil, water, forests, or related natural resources. May compile data pertaining to size, content, condition, and other characteristics of forest tracts under the direction of foresters, or train and lead forest workers in forest propagation and fire prevention and suppression. May assist conservation scientists in managing, improving, and protecting rangelands and wildlife habitats.
Fields of study that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.
6 degree programs that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 03.0104 | 10,966 | 69.6% | 635 | $34,020 | $23,032 |
| 2 | CIP 03.0101 | 3,142 | 19.9% | 130 | $34,020 | $23,032 |
| 3 | CIP 03.0501 | 1,235 | 7.8% | 43 | $42,109 | $21,842 |
| 4 | CIP 03.0511 | 283 | 1.8% | 35 | $42,109 | $21,842 |
| 5 | CIP 03.0599 | 89 | 0.6% | 9 | $42,109 | $21,842 |
| 6 | CIP 03.0510 | 51 | 0.3% | 7 | $42,109 | $21,842 |
Top 50 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
What forest and conservation technicians earn
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
Top-paying states
Top-paying metro areas
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Where the jobs are, state by state
Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.
| State | Median pay | Jobs | Concentration | Schools | Graduates / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $58,120 | 6,640 | 1.87× | 84 | 2,280 |
| Texas | $52,200 | 600 | 0.22× | 32 | 788 |
| Florida | $52,420 | 380 | 0.19× | 21 | 767 |
| New York | $58,030 | 190 | 0.10× | 53 | 754 |
| North Carolina | $48,360 | 650 | 0.67× | 23 | 718 |
| New Hampshire | $51,630 | 60 | 0.46× | 7 | 624 |
| Massachusetts | $56,480 | — | — | 29 | 595 |
| Michigan | $45,760 | 560 | 0.65× | 27 | 579 |
| Washington | $54,160 | 1,160 | 1.67× | 22 | 506 |
| Pennsylvania | $57,370 | 420 | 0.36× | 56 | 493 |
| Ohio | $48,840 | 230 | 0.21× | 31 | 471 |
| Oregon | $55,910 | 2,530 | 6.58× | 13 | 442 |
| Virginia | $49,960 | 380 | 0.47× | 16 | 407 |
| Wisconsin | $62,700 | 620 | 1.07× | 19 | 405 |
| Colorado | $57,550 | 1,040 | 1.86× | 12 | 396 |
| Minnesota | $58,990 | 580 | 1.01× | 17 | 378 |
| Illinois | $52,790 | 820 | 0.69× | 18 | 377 |
| West Virginia | $54,600 | 100 | 0.71× | 7 | 348 |
| Maryland | $64,980 | 130 | 0.25× | 12 | 287 |
| Arizona | $56,660 | 1,310 | 2.07× | 12 | 275 |
| Vermontmoderate | $54,160 | 50 | 0.89× | 4 | 272 |
| Indiana | $48,660 | 150 | 0.25× | 16 | 236 |
| Missouri | $33,920 | 600 | 1.05× | 13 | 234 |
| Iowa | $52,000 | 380 | 1.25× | 14 | 216 |
| Georgia | $50,710 | 230 | 0.24× | 19 | 214 |
| Montana | $52,420 | 1,760 | 17.64× | 8 | 205 |
| Alabama | $56,720 | 180 | 0.43× | 10 | 202 |
| Tennessee | $47,940 | 390 | 0.61× | 9 | 176 |
| Nebraska | $51,630 | 100 | 0.48× | 5 | 149 |
| Louisiana | $59,370 | 210 | 0.57× | 6 | 141 |
| Idaho | $53,290 | 2,020 | 12.06× | 6 | 134 |
| South Carolina | $55,910 | 180 | 0.40× | 9 | 127 |
| Arkansas | $53,290 | 310 | 1.20× | 9 | 114 |
| Oklahoma | $53,930 | 130 | 0.40× | 9 | 105 |
| Nevadamoderate | $54,230 | 750 | 2.49× | 4 | 90 |
| Kentucky | $43,660 | 240 | 0.62× | 5 | 83 |
| Hawaiimoderate | $50,040 | 140 | 1.14× | 4 | 63 |
| Utah | $47,940 | 1,140 | 3.35× | 8 | 57 |
| Mississippi | $52,420 | 250 | 1.08× | 7 | 55 |
| New Mexico | $53,000 | 880 | 5.18× | 7 | 29 |
| Wyomingmoderate | $53,290 | 560 | 10.27× | 3 | 27 |
| Alaskamoderate | $68,160 | 500 | 7.88× | 4 | 26 |
| North Dakota | $68,600 | 160 | 1.91× | 6 | 26 |
| Kansasmoderate | $41,660 | 170 | 0.59× | 3 | 24 |
| South Dakotamoderate | $54,770 | 350 | 3.87× | 3 | 22 |
Skills and tools
From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.
What they do day to day
- 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.
- 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.
Skills
- Critical Thinking3.8
- Active Listening3.8
- Reading Comprehension3.4
- Speaking3.3
- Monitoring3.1
- Writing3.0
- Learning Strategies3.0
- Active Learning3.0
Knowledge areas
- Public Safety and Security3.8
- English Language3.7
- Customer and Personal Service3.5
- Law and Government3.4
- Geography3.4
- Administration and Management3.4
Abilities
- Oral Comprehension3.8
- Oral Expression3.8
- Information Ordering3.8
- Problem Sensitivity3.8
- Deductive Reasoning3.6
- Inductive Reasoning3.6
Core activities
- Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment4.4
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems4.3
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates4.2
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships4.2
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events4.1
- Getting Information4.1
Tools and technology
hotmarks an O*NET hot technologyHow to get in
How to become a Forest
Job zone 3 of 5 · SVP 6.0 to < 7.0- Typical entry education
- Associate's degree
Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 6 majors mapped to Forest and Conservation Technicians6 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 03.0101Natural Resources/Conservation, General
- 03.0104Environmental Science
- 03.0501Forestry, General
- 03.0510Forest Resources Production and Management
- 03.0511Forest Technology/Technician
- 03.0599Forestry, Other
Related careers
Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.
Common questions
What degree do you need to become a Forest?+
Associate's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Environmental Science, which awarded 10,966 degrees in 2024-25, 69.6% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Forest?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 6 programs to this occupation. The largest are Natural Resources Conservation and Research, Forestry. Together they graduate about 15,766 people a year.
How much do forest and conservation technicians earn?+
The median is $54,560 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $40,330 at the 10th percentile to $83,630 at the 90th. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for forest and conservation technicians growing?+
BLS projects a -3.2% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, decline, with roughly 3,900 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career?+
753 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 6 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do forest and conservation technicians work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Forestry Aide, Forest Technician, Resource Technician, Forestry Technician (Forestry Tech) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 19-4071.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024-25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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