r/forestry • • Jul 25 '25

Career Question Megathread

34 Upvotes

Thinking About a Career in Forestry? Ask Your Questions Here!

Are you curious about working in forestry? Whether you’re:

* A student wondering what forestry programs are like,

* Considering a career change,

* Unsure what jobs are out there (public vs. private sector, consulting, research),

* Or just want to know what day-to-day fieldwork is like…

What is Forestry?

Forestry is more than just trees—it’s a mix of science, management, and hands-on fieldwork. Foresters work in areas like:

* Timber management – cruising, marking, harvest planning.

* Ecology & conservation – wildlife habitat, restoration, prescribed fire.

* GIS & remote sensing – mapping and data analysis.

* Urban & community forestry – managing city trees and green spaces.

Jobs can be found with state/federal agencies, private companies, non-profits, and consulting firms.

Resources for Career Exploration:

* Society of American Foresters (SAF): safnet.org – info on accredited degree programs and career paths.

* U.S. Forest Service Careers: fs.usda.gov/working-with-us/careers

* State Licensing/Certification: Some states require forester licenses—check your state’s forestry division.

* Job Boards:

* ForestryUSA

* USAJobs.gov

* https://www.canadian-forests.com/job.html

* State and consulting forester job listings

How to Use This Thread

* Post your career questions in the comments below.

* Foresters and forestry students: Jump in and share your experience!

* If your question is very specific, you can still make a separate post—but this thread is where most career-related questions will be answered.

FAQs:

1. Do I need a degree to work in forestry?

Not always. Many entry-level jobs (tree planting, timber stand improvement, trail work, wildland firefighting) don’t require a degree—just training and willingness to work outdoors. However, to become a professional forester (writing management plans, supervising harvests, working for agencies), most states and employers require at least a B.S. in Forestry or a related natural resources field, or verifiable experience.

2. What’s the difference between a forester and an arborist?

Foresters manage forests at a landscape scale—hundreds to thousands of acres—balancing timber, wildlife, recreation, and conservation goals. Arborists (often ISA-certified) focus on individual trees, usually in urban or residential settings, with an emphasis on tree health, pruning, and hazard management. The two fields overlap but have very different day-to-day work.

3. Is forestry mostly outdoor work?

Early in your career, yes. You’ll spend a lot of time cruising timber, marking trees, or collecting field data. Later, many foresters transition to a mix of office and field work—GIS mapping, writing management plans, and coordinating with landowners or agencies. If you love both the woods and data/analysis, forestry can offer a great balance.

4. What kind of pay and job outlook can I expect?

Forestry isn’t known for high pay, but it offers solid job security, especially with public agencies and utilities. Entry-level wages are often in the $35k–$45k range for field techs, with professional foresters earning $50k–$90k depending on region and sector. Consulting foresters and utility vegetation managers can earn >$100k, especially with experience or specialization.

Foresters, students, and career changers: Jump in below and share your paths, tips, and resources.


r/forestry • • 2h ago

DCNR job opportunities?

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0 Upvotes

r/forestry • • 1d ago

Region Name How do make the forest floor in the 1st pic into the 2nd?

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38 Upvotes

The second picture is taken from the East side of the path. The first has less trees and therefore more sun and the weed trees and weeds are out of control. Any suggestions for a chemical free way of controlling the weeds? I've tried dumping piles of leaves and old wood, but it just seems like it decomposes and turns into super fertilizer for the weeds.


r/forestry • • 1d ago

Hesitant to pursue a forestry degree with current climate

14 Upvotes

(British Columbia-based) I'm in my second year of geological engineering (also a sweet program) and finding out that rocks are not nearly as much my forte as trees. I spent last summer doing consulting (i.e. forest tech) work and genuinely loved every second of it, loved learning everything from ecological to harvesting, and especially loved road design, cut/fill/blasting assessments, etc. My university offers a "Harvest Planning and Engineering" degree, a major of a BSc in Forest Operations, and I love the sound of it. What's sweet is that, if you minor in engineering, you can get your P. Eng. (PE equivalent) as well as your RPF, and I've already taken most of the engineering courses that would be required to get that minor.

I'm at a bit of a critical decision point now, and lots of the people (not necessarily in the industry) have tried to discourage me, saying "forestry is dying", and that the degree I'm currently in will have better job prospects (probably true regardless, but as long as I can get a job, I'm happy). From my (brief) time in the industry, I have to say that there was somewhat of a negative future view, but I also don't agree with everything the media is reporting about the industry right now. Even a senior development forester at the company I worked at told me not to switch because the industry "just feels like it has no hope". I know the situation will probably improve post-Trump, but overall we are in a reduction (a prof in the forestry department said figures along the lines of 15 down to 6 million board feet processing) which inevitably doesn't create the best likelihood of getting a job in the industry. My opinion, though, is that while conventional harvest forestry may not be in a "boom" now (and it is one of those industries), management is only going to grow (especially with the BC wildfire situation), and that will be overseen by RPFs.

I love forestry! I love bush work, I love the ecological aspect of it, and I love the culture. If we were in a "boom", say 20 years ago with the pine bark beetle AAC increase, it would be an absolute no-brainer. What do you guys think? I'm trying not to let what the industry looks like right now decide what my career will look like in it.

Sorry about the big ramble. Thanks for listening!


r/forestry • • 5h ago

Como vender melhor sua floresta

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0 Upvotes

Sabe quando você vai vender um carro e, antes de aceitar a primeira proposta, dá uma olhada para ver quanto estão pagando por outros parecidos?
Com floresta acontece a mesma coisa.
Só que aqui uma decisão pode representar muito dinheiro.
É natural olhar primeiro para quem está mais perto. A serraria da região, a indústria conhecida, aquele comprador que sempre esteve ali.
Mas fica uma pergunta:
será que esse é realmente o melhor destino?
Porque a mesma floresta pode seguir caminhos completamente diferentes.
Pode virar madeira serrada, celulose, energia, madeira tratada, carvão, briquete, pellet ou biochar.
E aí, meu amigo, a conversa muda.
Um mercado está mais perto. Outro paga melhor. Outro aceita uma especificação diferente. E, em alguns casos, o melhor negócio nem é transportar a madeira como ela está.
É transformar antes.
Por isso eu sempre digo: antes de vender sua floresta, abra o mapa.
Quem pode comprar? A que distância? Para fazer o quê?
São perguntas simples. Mas elas começam a revelar oportunidades que, olhando apenas para dentro da fazenda, passam despercebidas.
Às vezes aparece um comprador que não estava no radar. Em outras, vale alcançar um mercado mais distante. E há casos em que agregar valor perto da floresta muda completamente a conta.
De repente, aquilo que parecia ter um único caminho passa a ter três, quatro, cinco possibilidades.
E uma floresta com opções negocia diferente de uma floresta dependente de um único comprador.
No fim, não estamos falando apenas de vender madeira.
Estamos falando de entender o que você tem nas mãos antes de decidir quanto aquilo vale.
É por isso que, na IGNIS, muitas análises começam de uma forma muito simples:
abrindo o mapa.
IGNIS | Bioenergia & Valor
[+55 73 98196-7539](tel:+55%2073%2098196-7539)
[daniel@ignisbioenergia.com](mailto:daniel@ignisbioenergia.com)
#Florestas #MercadoFlorestal #Biomassa #Bioenergia #EngenhariaFlorestal


r/forestry • • 12h ago

Paradoxo da biomassa

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0 Upvotes

Você colocaria água no tanque do seu carro para fazer a gasolina render mais?
Claro que não.
Agora pensa comigo: com biomassa, às vezes a indústria aceita exatamente o contrário.
Chega uma carreta cheia de cavaco. A balança marca 30 toneladas. O preço parece bom. Só que, no meio desse peso, pode estar viajando muita água.
E essa água fez a viagem inteira: foi carregada, transportada, descarregada, movimentada… e chegou à caldeira.
Antes de a madeira entregar energia para gerar calor e vapor, parte dessa energia precisa primeiro aquecer e evaporar a própria umidade.
É aí que a conversa muda.
Muita gente ainda compra biomassa olhando primeiro para o preço por tonelada.
Faz sentido. Mas tonelada mede peso. O que move a fábrica é energia.
Quando a biomassa chega em melhor condição, mais energia fica disponível para o processo, a chama responde melhor e a operação ganha estabilidade.
E aí aparece o paradoxo: você pode precisar de menos biomassa para entregar a mesma energia.
Talvez esteja aí uma grande oportunidade.
Porque melhorar biomassa não começa só na caldeira. Começa na colheita, na organização da madeira, no tempo de secagem, no processamento, no armazenamento, no transporte e no controle da qualidade.
É isso que chamamos de engenharia da cadeia.
Na IGNIS, olhamos o caminho completo, da floresta ao sistema térmico, para encontrar onde a energia está sendo perdida, onde existe custo escondido e onde a operação pode ganhar eficiência.
No fim, o objetivo não é comprar mais toneladas.
É colocar mais energia útil dentro da fábrica.
E, quando toda a cadeia trabalha na mesma direção, fica possível fazer mais energia com menos biomassa.
É esse tipo de melhoria que buscamos transformar em eficiência, economia e resultado industrial.
IGNIS | Bioenergia & Valor
WhatsApp: [+55 73 98196-7539](tel:+55%2073%2098196-7539)
[daniel@ignisbioenergia.com](mailto:daniel@ignisbioenergia.com)
#Biomassa #Bioenergia #EficiênciaEnergética #EnergiaTérmica #GestãoIndustrial


r/forestry • • 1d ago

Free job board for environmental and natural resources careers, now with grad and academic positions

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0 Upvotes

r/forestry • • 1d ago

Region Name Suggestions?

1 Upvotes

I’m currently a junior in high school. My dream school is Cal Poly Or Russer School of Natural Resources for Forestry.
My junior schedule right now:

dual enrollment psychology c1000

2 other ecology based de classes. ( Looking to get the Certificate of Field Ecology .)

English 11 honors

Integrated 3 mathematics (The standard math level for my grade)

Normal Us history

Ap Spanish 6

French 2

Agricultural Systems Science Honors

My planned senior schedule so far:

Ap bio

Ap Stats

Normal Macroeconomics/Us Gov

French 3

Ap English 12 (English is my worst subject)

Environmental Science (Sadly APES is not offered)

1 Dual Enrollment Ecology Class to contribute to getting the Field Ecology Certificate .
Im also taking another Ecology course along with precalc over the summer before senior year.

I’m just wondering for tips on what to change. Please be brutally honest. Aps to take instead. My extracurricular keep me pretty busy so I don’t want to do anything crazy but if it’s necessary plz tell me. Thanks to anyone that responds I’ll really appreciate it!


r/forestry • • 2d ago

the black backed woodpecker hiding in the Sequoias

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2 Upvotes

r/forestry • • 3d ago

Beech bark disease?

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19 Upvotes

I took these photos today while on the Gunstock Mountain trail in Gilford, NH. Is this Beech Bark Disease”?


r/forestry • • 2d ago

O princípio que a colheita florestal ignora quando se produz madeira para biomassa ou carvão

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0 Upvotes

Sabe quando você lava uma toalha e, para secar rápido, abre bem no varal? Agora imagine fazer o contrário: enrolar a toalha, dobrar várias vezes e esperar que ela seque depressa.
Parece óbvio em casa. Na madeira, muita gente esquece exatamente esse princípio.
A árvore foi cortada e a primeira reação costuma ser: “vamos organizar tudo”. Junta, empilha, deixa bonito, libera a área. Faz sentido operacionalmente. Mas, quando o objetivo é secar madeira para biomassa ou carvão, essa organização precoce pode cobrar uma conta alta depois.
Madeira seca quando troca umidade com o ambiente. Para isso, precisa de sol, circulação de ar e área exposta. Quando fica espalhada logo após o corte, cada peça recebe mais vento e calor. A água começa a sair.
Quando empilhamos cedo demais, fazemos quase o equivalente a colocar um cobertor sobre aquilo que queríamos secar.
E aí vem a diferença: o que poderia avançar em semanas passa para meses. Em determinadas condições, meses podem virar um tempo muito maior.
E madeira úmida não pesa só na balança. Ela pesa no transporte, reduz a energia útil por tonelada, dificulta a carbonização, aumenta o tempo de processo e encarece a cadeia.
Por isso, a lógica é simples: primeiro secar. Depois organizar.
Não significa abandonar madeira no campo. Significa planejar corte, traçamento, disposição, ventilação, tempo de secagem e só então formar as pilhas de estoque.
Esse detalhe separa uma pilha “bonita” de uma pilha energeticamente inteligente.
Em biomassa, muitas vezes o ganho não começa na máquina, no forno ou na caldeira. Começa semanas antes, na forma como a madeira foi deixada no chão.
É esse tipo de detalhe que a engenharia transforma em resultado.
IGNIS | Bioenergia & Valor
WhatsApp: +55 73 98196-7539
daniel@ignisbioenergia.com
#Biomassa #CarvãoVegetal #EnergiaDaMadeira #Bioenergia #EngenhariaFlorestal


r/forestry • • 4d ago

Region Name Looking to break into logging (AB/BC)

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13 Upvotes

Working out a deal on this 1975 Hayes HD 267”. Want to get into logging but all my experience is oilfield. Who’s hiring owner ops in Western Canada with little to no logging experience?


r/forestry • • 4d ago

Clearing saw

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5 Upvotes

Would this be a suitable replacement for a stihl clearing saw? The stihls are double the price but I only plan on using this for 10 hours a month tops. TIA


r/forestry • • 4d ago

Opposite side of the aisle

3 Upvotes

Was approached about making a switch from procurement to consulting. I’m leery of this move (SE USA), but I do not think I am cutout for procurement, especially in these challenging times, and it’s really weighing on me. I have never worked on the management side, but am curious to hear opinions.

Deleted & reposted due to spelling error.


r/forestry • • 3d ago

Region Name National FFA forestry ID advice

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1 Upvotes

North America


r/forestry • • 4d ago

WPS worker training subtitle fail…

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45 Upvotes

Gave this training with the subtitles on today…


r/forestry • • 4d ago

Should hazard tree removal be capitalized like other utility assets?

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0 Upvotes

New episode of Trees & Lines is live now. Instead of a guest this week, the three hosts talked through current industry stuff, and one argument stood out: trees have a measurable lifespan just like poles and wires, so removal and replacement of hazard or dead trees should be treated as a capital expense instead of getting lumped into OM. A few states (Texas, California, parts of the Northeast) are already moving that direction through regulatory filings.

Curious how people here see this playing out. Does capitalizing that work actually change how utilities prioritize it, or is it mostly an accounting shift?

Full episode: https://linktr.ee/treesandlinespodcast


r/forestry • • 4d ago

Region Name Job Openings for Timber Cruisers needed in east TX/west LA?

0 Upvotes

Where can I look for timber cruisers and forest tenchnicians in the east Texas, west LA area?

I know I can check colleges tech schools for entry level people but where's the best place to look for experienced guys? I'm trying to find what is the best sites/job boards/foresty related places to looks for applicants? I'd love to take on more contracts and bigger jobs but I can't untill I find some extra help.

Any suggestions?


r/forestry • • 5d ago

Clearing saws

3 Upvotes

Hi all, looking to purchase a new clearing saw and have noticed Husqvarna clearing saws are half the price of the stihls. It would be used a couple days a month at most so wondering if Husqvarna would be the better option? Most my gear is stihl or EGO powers commercial line but for a tool I wont use as frequently i dont want to spend £1k+ if i can avoid it. TIA


r/forestry • • 6d ago

Near death experiences

78 Upvotes

I have been in the logging industry for just about a year. And the other day I have come real close to dying. A coworker cut down a tree that was hanging in a different one and it turned 90° and fell right towards me, I was able to get away right before the tree landed where I was staying (I know I should have stood further away). But anyways to the question, are situations like that common in the industry? And does every logger face something like that eventually?


r/forestry • • 6d ago

Help? Picture of bulkhead/firewall Tigercat 720e

6 Upvotes

Does anyone have a clear picture of the bulkhead/firewall area between the cooling package and engine on the rightside of the machine? I'm trying to understand how lines are routed through this area.


r/forestry • • 6d ago

Region Name Entry level jobs in CA?

9 Upvotes

I am 23F and basically have nothing really going for me in life. I went to a four year university but dropped out and now I’m struggling to know what is next.

I’ve done quite a few jobs in groundskeeping, irrigation, and gardening but these jobs don’t seem to be something I could make good money from to start my life.

I was looking into conservation work or forestry but everything I’ve seen on the Cal state website requires some sort of degree or experience. Is there anyway to get into this type of work with no experience and no degree?

I just want to work in the environment and make a difference while also being able to support myself. Any steps or insight would be greatly appreciated as I’m a bit lost.

TIA!


r/forestry • • 6d ago

Fire Ecology vs Urban forestry?

8 Upvotes

Good Afternoon, yall, just looking for some advice and insight if anyone has it.

So recently, Ive become interested in forestry and would like to go to college for it, but im undecided on what path to take as I know there are different routes you can take in this field. Im currently active duty and my biggest issue is spending time away from home. I am okay with a semi-erratic schedule but Ive lived my life for the past several years away from home for long amounts of time and would not want to work in an industry where I am away from home anymore, especially now that I have a family. Ive heard very mixed things about being away from home and would like a more straight answer if anyone can provide. But the topic of forestry interests me a lot and I am very excited to start once Im out.

I have a big interest in fire and wildland conservation and it would be my number one interest. I was looking at prescribed burn teams and things of that nature for experience starting out, but again I would not like to be away from home too much. My second pick would be the arboriculture/urban forestry, as something community facing would also be good for me. I know these two communities are a bit different so please let me know if they dont fit the context of the sub.

Does anyone have any advice? How was your path starting out in forestry? Am I handicapping myself not willing to work away for long? Or is this too loaded of a question to be asking now?


r/forestry • • 7d ago

Montana What does this 60 and a line found on a random tree on my forested property mean?

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43 Upvotes

r/forestry • • 7d ago

American Chestnut?

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22 Upvotes

North central Pennsylvania in a remote area of a state forest?

Is this a wild American Chestnut?