Conservation Scientists/Foresters

Career Overview

$64,010

median salary in 2020

39,000

jobs in 2020

growth in the next ten years

Oversee forestry and conservation activities to ensure compliance with government regulations and habitat protection.

Establish plans for managing forest lands and resources.

Work with private landowners, governments, farmers, and others to improve land for forestry purposes, while at the same time protecting the environment.

Supervise activities of forest and conservation workers and technicians.

Choose and prepare sites for new trees, using controlled burning, bulldozers, or herbicides to clear land.

Monitor the regeneration of forests.

What It Takes

Foresters play critical roles in conservation efforts and land management and rehabilitation. These professionals develop, plan and implement various projects that work to protect and maintain the environment, include monitoring wildlife habitats and agricultural effects on wildlife, suppressing wildfires and performing conservation tasks to protect wildlife, ecosystems and agricultural land.

Analytical skills

Conservation scientists and foresters must evaluate the results of a variety of field tests and experiments, all of which require precision and accuracy. They use sophisticated computer modeling to prepare their analyses.

Critical-thinking

Conservation scientists and foresters reach conclusions through sound reasoning and judgment. They determine how to improve forest conditions, and they must react appropriately to fires.

Decisionmaking

Conservation scientists and foresters must use their expertise and experience to determine whether their findings will have an impact on soil, forest lands, and the spread of fires.

Management skills

Conservation scientists and foresters need to work well with staff and technicians they supervise, so effective communication is critical.

Physical stamina

Conservation scientists and foresters often walk long distances in steep and wooded areas. They work in all kinds of weather, including extreme heat and cold.