Best programs to become a forest and conservation worker
You do not need a college degree to become a forest and conservation worker. BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education. The fields of study that lead most directly to this job are Forestry, as well as Plant Nursery Operations and Management (IPEDS completions).
4 college programs at 100 schools train forest and conservation workers, graduating 1,763 people a year (IPEDS completions). The job pays a median of $43,680 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About forest and conservation workers
Under supervision, perform manual labor necessary to develop, maintain, or protect areas such as forests, forested areas, woodlands, wetlands, and rangelands through such activities as raising and transporting seedlings; combating insects, pests, and diseases harmful to plant life; and building structures to control water, erosion, and leaching of soil. Includes forester aides, seedling pullers, tree planters, and gatherers of nontimber forestry products such as pine straw.
Best programs to study to become a forest and conservation worker
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 03.0501 | 1,235 | 70.1% | 43 | $42,109 | $21,842 |
| 2 | CIP 03.0511 | 283 | 16.1% | 35 | $42,109 | $21,842 |
| 3 | CIP 01.0606 | 156 | 8.8% | 26 | $35,900 | $14,000 |
| 4 | CIP 03.0599 | 89 | 5.0% | 9 | $42,109 | $21,842 |
Top 50 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
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.
What forest and conservation workers 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 | $43,680 | 2,270 | 3.20× | 23 | 483 |
| Floridalimited | $36,780 | 70 | 0.17× | 2 | 138 |
| Georgia | $34,150 | 160 | 0.85× | 12 | 106 |
| Virginialimited | $54,560 | — | — | 1 | 92 |
| Texaslimited | $30,470 | — | — | 2 | 86 |
| North Carolina | — | 50 | 0.24× | 5 | 79 |
| Wisconsinlimited | $36,420 | 300 | 2.58× | 1 | 79 |
| Washington | $44,430 | 460 | 3.34× | 5 | 57 |
| Louisianamoderate | $39,900 | 150 | 1.93× | 3 | 51 |
| Coloradolimited | $37,690 | 110 | 1.00× | 1 | 43 |
| Tennesseelimited | $40,320 | 210 | 1.62× | 2 | 38 |
| Pennsylvanialimited | $50,250 | 210 | 0.90× | 2 | 27 |
| Arkansasmoderate | $47,310 | 30 | 0.67× | 3 | 26 |
| Idaholimited | $59,460 | — | — | 1 | 26 |
| Minnesotalimited | $39,590 | 30 | 0.27× | 2 | 25 |
| Oregonmoderate | $46,010 | 70 | 0.97× | 4 | 21 |
| Hawaiilimited | $56,330 | 60 | 2.58× | 1 | 17 |
| South Carolinalimited | $44,050 | 40 | 0.48× | 1 | 13 |
| New Mexicolimited | $36,370 | 30 | 0.99× | 1 | 9 |
| Missourilimited | $37,170 | 120 | 1.09× | 1 | 2 |
Skills and knowledge
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
- Check equipment to ensure that it is operating properly.
- Fight forest fires or perform prescribed burning tasks under the direction of fire suppression officers or forestry technicians.
- Perform fire protection or suppression duties, such as constructing fire breaks or disposing of brush.
- Confer with other workers to discuss issues, such as safety, cutting heights, or work needs.
- Maintain tallies of trees examined and counted during tree marking or measuring efforts.
- Explain or enforce regulations regarding camping, vehicle use, fires, use of buildings, or sanitation.
- Operate skidders, bulldozers, or other prime movers to pull a variety of scarification or site preparation equipment over areas to be regenerated.
- Spray or inject vegetation with insecticides to kill insects or to protect against disease or with herbicides to reduce competing vegetation.
Skills
- Critical Thinking3.1
- Monitoring3.1
- Active Learning3.0
- Active Listening3.0
- Reading Comprehension3.0
- Speaking3.0
- Writing2.6
- Learning Strategies2.6
Knowledge areas
- Public Safety and Security3.5
- English Language3.5
- Customer and Personal Service3.2
- Administration and Management3.2
- Geography3.0
- Biology3.0
Abilities
- Problem Sensitivity3.5
- Oral Comprehension3.5
- Static Strength3.3
- Oral Expression3.3
- Flexibility of Closure3.1
- Multilimb Coordination3.1
Core activities
- Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment4.5
- Performing General Physical Activities4.2
- Getting Information4.0
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates4.0
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems3.8
- Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings3.8
How to get in
How to become a forest and conservation worker
- Typical entry education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 4 majors mapped to Forest and Conservation Workers4 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 01.0606Plant Nursery Operations and Management
- 03.0501Forestry, General
- 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 and conservation worker?+
You do not need a college degree to become a forest and conservation worker. BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education. The fields of study that lead most directly to this job are Forestry, as well as Plant Nursery Operations and Management (IPEDS completions).
Which college majors lead to becoming a forest and conservation worker?+
The fields of study that lead most directly to this job are Forestry, as well as Plant Nursery Operations and Management (IPEDS completions). In all, the NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 4 programs to this job, which together graduate about 1,763 people a year.
How much do forest and conservation workers earn?+
The median is $43,680 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $33,780 at the 10th percentile to $57,220 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 workers growing?+
BLS projects a -4.7% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, decline, with roughly 2,000 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career?+
100 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 4 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 workers work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Tree Farmer, Tree Planter, Forest Ranger, Forestry Support Specialist among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 45-4011.
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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