---
title: "Forest and Conservation Technician"
description: "Provide technical assistance regarding the conservation of soil, water, forests, or related natural resources. May compile data pertaining to size…"
canonical: "https://nuecareer.com/careers/forest-and-conservation-technician"
last-updated: "2026-10-09T10:57:55.138Z"
---

# Forest and Conservation Technician

**Category:** Life, Physical, and Social Science · **SOC code:** 19-4071 · **O\*NET-SOC code:** 19-4071.00

Provide technical assistance regarding the conservation of soil, water, forests, or related natural resources. May compile data pertaining to size, content, condition, and other characteristics of forest tracts under the direction of foresters, or train and lead forest workers in forest propagation and fire prevention and suppression. May assist conservation scientists in managing, improving, and protecting rangelands and wildlife habitats.

Also advertised as: Biological Science Aide; Forest Technician; Forestry Aide; Forestry Technician (Forestry Tech); Resource Technician; Timber Appraiser.

## At a glance

- **Median annual wage:** $54,560 (BLS OEWS, May 2025)
- **Median hourly wage:** $26.23/hr
- **Wage range (10th–90th percentile):** $40,330 to $83,630, with the middle half between $47,360 and $68,600
- **Total US employment:** 30,410
- **Typical entry education:** Associate's
- **Preparation required:** Some preparation — O\*NET rates this "Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed"
- **Projected growth:** -2.1% over 2025–2035 (BLS EP, 2025–2035)
- **Annual job openings:** 3,800 openings a year
- **AI-resilience score:** 60/100 — a NueCareer heuristic over O\*NET work activities and context, not a BLS or O\*NET figure

## Pay

National wage distribution, BLS OEWS, May 2025, across 30,410 US jobs.

| Percentile | Annual wage |
| --- | --- |
| 10th | $40,330 |
| 25th | $47,360 |
| 50th (median) | $54,560 |
| 75th | $68,600 |
| 90th | $83,630 |
| Mean (average) | $59,060 |

### Pay by state

The 15 highest-paying states, by median annual wage. The cost-of-living-adjusted column divides the state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, so the columns answer different questions: the first is what the job pays there, the second is what that pay buys there.

| State | Median annual wage | Cost-of-living adjusted | Employment |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| ND | $68,600 | $77,114 | 160 |
| AK | $68,160 | $66,589 | 500 |
| MD | $64,980 | $61,910 | 130 |
| WI | $62,700 | $66,635 | 620 |
| LA | $59,370 | $67,308 | 210 |
| MN | $58,990 | $59,815 | 580 |
| CA | $58,120 | $52,493 | 6,640 |
| NY | $58,030 | $53,771 | 190 |
| CO | $57,550 | $55,846 | 1,040 |
| PA | $57,370 | $58,798 | 420 |
| AL | $56,720 | $63,857 | 180 |
| AZ | $56,660 | $56,279 | 1,310 |
| MA | $56,480 | $53,405 | Not published by BLS |
| OR | $55,910 | $54,092 | 2,530 |
| SC | $55,910 | $59,638 | 180 |

30 more states with published wage data are omitted here. The full table for all 45 states is at https://nuecareer.com/careers/forest-and-conservation-technician/salary-by-state, or as JSON at https://nuecareer.com/api/v1/careers/forest-and-conservation-technician.

## Outlook

BLS projects employment to move from 32,800 in the 2025–2035 base year to 32,200 by the end of the cycle — a loss of 700 jobs, or -2.1%. Declining: -2.1% against 3.5% projected for all occupations over the same cycle. About 3,800 openings a year are expected on average, counting openings from growth as well as from workers leaving the occupation permanently. Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035.

## How to get in

- **Typical entry education:** Associate's degree (BLS Employment Projections).
- **Preparation level:** Some preparation — O\*NET's preparation band for this occupation is "Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed".
- **Related work experience typically required:** None.
- **Typical on-the-job training:** None.

### Education people in this job actually hold

O\*NET surveys incumbents, so this distribution describes who is in the job today and can differ from the BLS entry requirement above.

| Education level | Share of workers |
| --- | --- |
| High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) | 35.3% |
| Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree | 34.9% |
| Bachelor's Degree | 14.0% |
| Some College Courses | 10.4% |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 4.6% |
| Post-Baccalaureate Certificate | 0.8% |

## What the work involves

- Provide information about, and enforce, regulations, such as those concerning environmental protection, resource utilization, fire safety, and accident prevention.
- Thin and space trees and control weeds and undergrowth, using manual tools and chemicals, or supervise workers performing these tasks.
- Train and lead forest and conservation workers in seasonal activities, such as planting tree seedlings, putting out forest fires, and maintaining recreational facilities.
- Patrol park or forest areas to protect resources and prevent damage.
- Map forest tract data using digital mapping systems.

## Skills and knowledge

### Essential skills

- Active Listening — importance 3.8 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Critical Thinking — importance 3.8 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Reading Comprehension — importance 3.4 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Speaking — importance 3.3 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Monitoring — importance 3.1 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Writing — importance 3.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Active Learning — importance 3.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Learning Strategies — importance 3.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale

### Transferable skills

These are the skills that carry into other occupations, and they drive the related-occupation and career-change rankings on this site.

- Judgment and Decision Making — importance 3.3 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Time Management — importance 3.3 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Social Perceptiveness — importance 3.1 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Coordination — importance 3.1 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Instructing — importance 3.1 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Service Orientation — importance 3.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Complex Problem Solving — importance 3.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Systems Analysis — importance 3.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale

### Knowledge areas

- Public Safety and Security — importance 3.8 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- English Language — importance 3.7 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Customer and Personal Service — importance 3.5 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Law and Government — importance 3.4 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Administration and Management — importance 3.4 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Geography — importance 3.4 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale

### Abilities

- Oral Comprehension — importance 3.8 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Oral Expression — importance 3.8 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Problem Sensitivity — importance 3.8 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Information Ordering — importance 3.8 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Written Comprehension — importance 3.6 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Deductive Reasoning — importance 3.6 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale

## Who it suits

O\*NET rates every occupation on the six Holland (RIASEC) interest areas, on a 1–7 scale. This occupation's strongest areas are Realistic (R), Conventional (C), Investigative (I).

| Interest area | Score (1–7) |
| --- | --- |
| R — Realistic | 6.53 |
| C — Conventional | 4.72 |
| I — Investigative | 4.37 |
| S — Social | 2.81 |
| E — Enterprising | 2.47 |
| A — Artistic | 1.00 |

### Personality fit

These scores are **derived by NueCareer**, not published by any government agency: they are cosine similarities between a personality type's trait profile and this occupation's O\*NET interest and work-style ratings, expressed 0–100. Treat them as a starting point for exploration, not as evidence that a type belongs in a job.

| Type | Fit score (0–100) |
| --- | --- |
| ISTJ | 91.9 |
| ISTP | 76.6 |
| ESTJ | 76.1 |
| ISFJ | 75.5 |
| INTJ | 67.9 |

Best-fitting types: ISTJ.

## Related occupations

O\*NET's primary related occupations, in its own ranked order.

- [Forester](https://nuecareer.com/careers/forester) — median $76,400
- [Range Manager](https://nuecareer.com/careers/range-manager) — median $73,010
- [Forest and Conservation Worker](https://nuecareer.com/careers/forest-and-conservation-worker) — median $43,680
- [Conservation Scientist](https://nuecareer.com/careers/conservation-scientist) — median $73,010
- [Forest Fire Inspector and Prevention Specialist](https://nuecareer.com/careers/forest-fire-inspector-and-prevention-specialist) — median $56,870
- [First-Line Supervisor of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers](https://nuecareer.com/careers/first-line-supervisor-of-farming-fishing-and-forestry-workers) — median $59,320
- [Environmental Scientist and Specialist, Including Health](https://nuecareer.com/careers/environmental-scientist-and-specialist) — median $82,220
- [Environmental Science and Protection Technician, Including Health](https://nuecareer.com/careers/environmental-science-and-protection-technician) — median $55,090
- [Agricultural Technician](https://nuecareer.com/careers/agricultural-technician) — median $49,630
- [Precision Agriculture Technician](https://nuecareer.com/careers/precision-agriculture-technician) — median $49,630

## Sources

- **O\*NET** — O\*NET 31.0 Database, August 2026. https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html
- **BLS OEWS** — BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. https://www.bls.gov/oes/
- **BLS EP** — BLS Employment Projections, Table 1.2, 2025–2035. https://www.bls.gov/emp/
- **BEA RPP** — BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024. https://www.bea.gov/data/prices-inflation/regional-price-parities-state-and-metro-area

---

This bank includes information from the 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 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). O\*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. NueCareer has transformed the data by joining it to BLS wage and projection data and deriving facet, personality-fit and AI-resilience scores. BLS and BEA data are public domain (17 U.S.C. §105).

O\*NET content is used under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). How these figures are sourced and derived: https://nuecareer.com/careers/methodology

JSON representation of this page: https://nuecareer.com/api/v1/careers/forest-and-conservation-technician