Foresters
On the Job
Foresters manage public and private forests for economic, recreational, and conservation purposes. They may work to conserve wildlife habitats, protect water quality, or preserve the stability of soil.
Typical Work Tasks
People who work in this career often:
- Conduct research of processes in natural or industrial ecosystems.
- Monitor environmental impacts of production or development activities.
- Research crop management methods.
- Determine methods to minimize environmental impact of activities.
- Assess compliance with environmental laws.
- Inspect condition of natural environments.
- Measure environmental characteristics.
- Cultivate land.
- Develop agricultural methods.
- Direct natural resources management or conservation programs.
Typical Working Conditions
- Using e-mail.
- Freedom to make decisions without supervision.
- The freedom to determine tasks, priorities, and goals.
- Working outdoors exposed to weather.
- Working with a group or team.
- Wearing common protective or safety equipment such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hearing protection, hard hats, or life jackets.
- Responsibility for others' health and safety.

This page includes information from the O*NET 24.2 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.
Source: You can learn about our data sources in the About Us section.