Foresters — Career Decision Dashboard
United States
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Report generated from official BLS OEWS and O*NET data — United States.
Median annual wage
$76,400
United States, 2025
Employment
10,430
United States, 2025
Typical education
Not recorded
Job Zone 4
Skills identified
35
10 related careers
Career overview
Manage public and private forested lands for economic, recreational, and conservation purposes. May inventory the type, amount, and location of standing timber, appraise the timber's worth, negotiate the purchase, and draw up contracts for procurement. May determine how to conserve wildlife habitats, creek beds, water quality, and soil stability, and how best to comply with environmental regulations. May devise plans for planting and growing new trees, monitor trees for healthy growth, and determine optimal harvesting schedules.
- O*NET code
- 19-1032.00
- Job zone
- 4
- Experience required
- Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years
Typical tasks
- Establish short- and long-term plans for management of forest lands and forest resources.
- Plan cutting programs and manage timber sales from harvested areas, assisting companies to achieve production goals.
- Determine methods of cutting and removing timber with minimum waste and environmental damage.
- Negotiate terms and conditions of agreements and contracts for forest harvesting, forest management and leasing of forest lands.
- Perform inspections of forests or forest nurseries.
- Monitor contract compliance and results of forestry activities to assure adherence to government regulations.
- Supervise activities of other forestry workers.
- Provide advice and recommendations, as a consultant on forestry issues, to private woodlot owners, firefighters, government agencies or to companies.
Choose a location
Salary analysis — United States
10th percentile
$50,790
25th percentile
$62,710
75th percentile
$91,640
90th percentile
$109,700
Most important skills
- Reading Comprehension4.0
- Critical Thinking4.0
- Speaking4.0
- Monitoring4.0
- Complex Problem Solving3.9
- Judgment and Decision Making3.9
- Active Listening3.9
- Writing3.8
- Systems Analysis3.6
- Coordination3.6
- Systems Evaluation3.6
- Time Management3.5
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 24 identified skills
Matched
0
Missing
24
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | 4.0 | 4.3 | Not selected | 4.3 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.9 | 4.3 | Not selected | 4.3 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.9 | 4.3 | Not selected | 4.3 |
| Critical Thinking | 4.0 | 4.1 | Not selected | 4.1 |
| Speaking | 4.0 | 4.1 | Not selected | 4.1 |
| Monitoring | 4.0 | 4.1 | Not selected | 4.1 |
| Active Listening | 3.9 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Writing | 3.8 | 4.1 | Not selected | 4.1 |
| Systems Analysis | 3.6 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Time Management | 3.5 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Coordination | 3.6 | 3.8 | Not selected | 3.8 |
| Systems Evaluation | 3.6 | 3.8 | Not selected | 3.8 |
| Negotiation | 3.4 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Active Learning | 3.3 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.3 | 3.5 | Not selected | 3.5 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | 3.0 | 3.8 | Not selected | 3.8 |
| Mathematics | 3.0 | 3.6 | Not selected | 3.6 |
| Persuasion | 3.0 | 3.5 | Not selected | 3.5 |
| Management of Material Resources | 3.1 | 3.3 | Not selected | 3.3 |
| Service Orientation | 3.1 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Science | 3.0 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Management of Financial Resources | 3.0 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Learning Strategies | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Instructing | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.
Related careers
Supplemental
National median $55,090
Compare with ForestersSupplemental
National median $59,320
Compare with ForestersHow salary varies by location
| Location | Median | Employment | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco, CA | $112,560 | 70 | 2025 |
| Sacramento, CA | $107,750 | 110 | 2025 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $107,690 | 110 | 2025 |
| CA | $107,120 | 820 | 2025 |
| Fresno, CA | $102,540 | 30 | 2025 |
| San Diego, CA | $93,340 | 40 | 2025 |
| Columbia, SC | $89,990 | 50 | 2025 |
| Portland, OR | $89,780 | 180 | 2025 |
| MA | $89,650 | 130 | 2025 |
| Salem, OR | $89,220 | 110 | 2025 |
| AK | $87,210 | 80 | 2025 |
| Birmingham, AL | $87,050 | 40 | 2025 |
| SC | $86,780 | 250 | 2025 |
| Seattle, WA | $86,310 | 240 | 2025 |
| MD | $86,100 | 120 | 2025 |
| Boston, MA | $86,070 | 90 | 2025 |
| Hartford, CT | $86,060 | 50 | 2025 |
| Chicago, IL | $85,610 | 130 | 2025 |
| CT | $84,820 | 60 | 2025 |
| Houston, TX | $83,720 | 70 | 2025 |
Career transition paths
Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Foresters 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.