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.
National median · BLS
$43,680
▲ +0%YoY
H-1B sponsor median
—
Too few H-1B filings
Average salary · BLS
$43,680
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
6,050
Jobs (BLS)
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Pay range for Forest and Conservation Workers
Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation.
Percentile
All U.S. workers (BLS)
10th — entry pay
$33,780
25th
$37,440
Median (50th)
$43,680
75th
$45,760
90th — top pay
$57,220
Hourly ⇄ annual pay
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⇄
Monthly—
Every 2 weeks—
Weekly—
Daily—
Based on
hrs/week ×
weeks/year
= 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035
Job outlook for Forest and Conservation Workers
BLS projects employment of forest and conservation workers to decline 1.5% from 2025 to 2035, while employment across all occupations grows 3.5%.
About 2,200 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.
Jobs 2025 → 2035
14,700 → 14,500
-200 jobs
Projected change
-1.5%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
2,200
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
High school diploma or equivalent
No related experience required
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
Self-employed
26.7% of workers (2025)
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 2)
Very Little to Some Preparation Needed. Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
BLS state medians, plus the same figure adjusted for local prices (BEA Regional Price Parities). Tap a state for its full range and H-1B pay.
State
Median
Jobs
Cost-adjusted
Profile
Forest and Conservation Workers salaries by metro area
Search by city, ZIP code or metro name. Tap a metro for its full range.
Metro area
Median
Jobs
Cost-adjusted
Profile
Skills & tools
Skills needed for Forest and Conservation Workers
How important each skill and knowledge area is for this job, rated by O*NET on a 1–5 scale from surveys of workers and occupational analysts.
Top skills
Critical Thinking3.1
Monitoring3.1
Active Learning3.0
Active Listening3.0
Coordination3.0
Judgment and Decision Making3.0
Reading Comprehension3.0
Speaking3.0
Complex Problem Solving2.9
Time Management2.9
Top knowledge areas
Public Safety and Security3.5
English Language3.5
Customer and Personal Service3.2
Administration and Management3.2
Geography3.0
Biology3.0
Communications and Media2.9
Transportation2.9
Software and technology used
ESRI ArcGIS softwareGeographic information system GIS systemsMicrosoft AccessMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft PowerPointMicrosoft ProjectMicrosoft WindowsMicrosoft WordDatabase softwareGeographic information system GIS softwareIBM Lotus 1-2-3IBM Lotus NotesLeica Geosystems ERDAS IMAGINE
Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
About the job
What forest and conservation workers do
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.
Also called
Forest RangerForestry Support SpecialistTree FarmerTree PlanterChristmas Tree FarmerConservation OfficerField LaborerForest Resource SpecialistPark MaintainerReforestation Worker
Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.
Similar jobs and how they pay
Occupations O*NET lists as closely related to Forest and Conservation Workers, with BLS national medians compared with this occupation's $43,680.
