Careers / Forest and Conservation Workers
Forest and Conservation Workers — Career Decision Dashboard
United States
Opens your browser print dialog — choose “Save as PDF”.
Report generated from official BLS OEWS and O*NET data — United States.
Median annual wage
$43,680
United States, 2025
Employment
6,050
United States, 2025
Typical education
High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
Job Zone 2
Skills identified
35
10 related careers
Career overview
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.
- O*NET code
- 45-4011.00
- Job zone
- 2
- Experience required
- Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years
Typical tasks
- 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.
Choose a location
Salary analysis — United States
10th percentile
$33,780
25th percentile
$37,440
75th percentile
$45,760
90th percentile
$57,220
Most important skills
- Critical Thinking3.1
- Monitoring3.1
- Active Listening3.0
- Reading Comprehension3.0
- Coordination3.0
- Speaking3.0
- Active Learning3.0
- Judgment and Decision Making3.0
- Time Management2.9
- Complex Problem Solving2.9
- Operations Monitoring2.8
- Social Perceptiveness2.8
What skills do you need?
Select the skills you already have
Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.
Skill coverage
0%
0 of 8 identified skills
Matched
0
Missing
8
Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.
Skills to develop
| Skill | Importance | Required level | Your level | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coordination | 3.0 | 3.3 | Not selected | 3.3 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.1 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Speaking | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Monitoring | 3.1 | 2.9 | Not selected | 2.9 |
| Active Listening | 3.0 | 2.9 | Not selected | 2.9 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.0 | 2.9 | Not selected | 2.9 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.0 | 2.9 | Not selected | 2.9 |
| Active Learning | 3.0 | 2.8 | Not selected | 2.8 |
Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.
Related careers
Supplemental
National median $82,220
Compare with Forest and Conservation WorkersSupplemental
National median $74,060
Compare with Forest and Conservation WorkersSupplemental
National median $60,020
Compare with Forest and Conservation WorkersSupplemental
National median $41,730
Compare with Forest and Conservation WorkersSupplemental
National median $82,220
Compare with Forest and Conservation WorkersSupplemental
National median $78,850
Compare with Forest and Conservation WorkersSupplemental
National median $59,320
Compare with Forest and Conservation WorkersSupplemental
National median $39,150
Compare with Forest and Conservation WorkersHow salary varies by location
| Location | Median | Employment | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| ID | $59,460 | — | 2025 |
| HI | $56,330 | 60 | 2025 |
| VA | $54,560 | — | 2025 |
| Milwaukee, WI | $52,850 | 30 | 2025 |
| MA | $51,890 | 120 | 2025 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | $51,330 | 30 | 2025 |
| Boston, MA | $51,300 | 80 | 2025 |
| PA | $50,250 | 210 | 2025 |
| Rapid City, SD | $50,110 | 40 | 2025 |
| OH | $48,470 | 160 | 2025 |
| Cleveland, OH | $48,470 | — | 2025 |
| Columbus, OH | $47,730 | 40 | 2025 |
| AR | $47,310 | 30 | 2025 |
| OR | $46,010 | 70 | 2025 |
| New York, NY | $45,530 | 30 | 2025 |
| Seattle, WA | $45,510 | 220 | 2025 |
| WA | $44,430 | 460 | 2025 |
| SC | $44,050 | 40 | 2025 |
| Riverside, CA | $43,680 | 110 | 2025 |
| CA | $43,680 | 2,270 | 2025 |
Career transition paths
Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Forest and Conservation Workers to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.
Build a transition comparisonCareer and skills data: O*NET 31.0.
Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).
Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.