Forest and Conservation Technicians

AI & job outlook

What today's research says about this occupation's exposure to AI, how AI is actually being used in it, and where employment is headed. These are positions within published studies — measures of exposure and usage, not predictions that this job will disappear.

Exposure to current AI

Each study uses its own scale, so the raw scores are not comparable across rows — the percentile (this job's rank among all U.S. occupations with data) is the comparable figure, and sizes the bars.

OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.1), with simple added tooling (β 0.3), and including AI-powered software (γ 0.6). Higher means more of the job's tasks could be done at least twice as fast — not that they will be automated away.

How AI is actually used in this job

Among measured AI assistant conversations mapped to this occupation (Anthropic Economic Index, 2026-01-15), these task types came up most. These are shares of observed AI conversations — not shares of the job, of worker time, or of what could be automated.

Job outlook

Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.

“Annual openings” counts new jobs plus replacements for workers who leave the occupation, so it can be large even when growth is modest.

Tasks

All 21 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.

• Keep records of the amount and condition of logs taken to mills. Supplemental · importance 3.9
• Thin and space trees and control weeds and undergrowth, using manual tools and chemicals, or supervise workers performing these tasks. Core · importance 3.9
• Manage forest protection activities, including fire control, fire crew training, and coordination of fire detection and public education programs. Supplemental · importance 3.8
• Monitor activities of logging companies and contractors. Supplemental · importance 3.8
• Perform reforestation or forest renewal, including nursery and silviculture operations, site preparation, seeding and tree planting programs, cone collection, and tree improvement. Supplemental · importance 3.7
• Plan and supervise construction of access routes and forest roads. Supplemental · importance 3.7
• Train and lead forest and conservation workers in seasonal activities, such as planting tree seedlings, putting out forest fires, and maintaining recreational facilities. Core · importance 3.7
• Select and mark trees for thinning or logging, drawing detailed plans that include access roads. Supplemental · importance 3.7
• Supervise forest nursery operations, timber harvesting, land use activities such as livestock grazing, and disease or insect control programs. Supplemental · importance 3.6
• Patrol park or forest areas to protect resources and prevent damage. Core · importance 3.5
• Provide information about, and enforce, regulations, such as those concerning environmental protection, resource utilization, fire safety, and accident prevention. Core · importance 3.5
• Develop and maintain computer databases. Supplemental · importance 3.4
• Inspect trees and collect samples of plants, seeds, foliage, bark, and roots to locate insect and disease damage. Supplemental · importance 3.3
• Measure distances, clean sightlines, and record data to help survey crews. Supplemental · importance 3.3
• Issue fire permits, timber permits, and other forest use licenses. Supplemental · importance 3.3
• Map forest tract data using digital mapping systems. Core · importance 3.3
• Survey, measure, and map access roads and forest areas such as burns, cut-over areas, experimental plots, and timber sales sections. Supplemental · importance 3.1
• Provide forestry education and general information, advice, and recommendations to woodlot owners, community organizations, and the general public. Supplemental · importance 3.1
• Conduct laboratory or field experiments with plants, animals, insects, diseases, and soils. Supplemental · importance 2.9
• Provide technical support to forestry research programs in areas such as tree improvement, seed orchard operations, insect and disease surveys, or experimental forestry and forest engineering research. Supplemental · importance 2.9
• Install gauges, stream flow recorders, and soil moisture measuring instruments, and collect and record data from them to assist with watershed analysis. Supplemental

Emerging tasks

Newer responsibilities O*NET has flagged as growing for this occupation.

• Develop contracts related to operations.
• Monitor environmental conditions such as temperature or humidity.
• Operate and manage drone technology for aerial surveys and mapping, wildlife monitoring, and forest health assessments.
• Write reports on forestry or conservation activities.

Work activities

• Survey land or properties.
• Prepare maps.
• Record research or operational data.
• Train personnel in technical or scientific procedures.
• Supervise scientific or technical personnel.
• Manage agricultural or forestry operations.
• Create maps.
• Record agricultural or forestry inventory data.
• Cultivate land.
• Patrol properties to maintain safety.
• Patrol natural areas to ensure safety or enforce regulations.
• Advise others on management of emergencies or hazardous situations or materials.
• Prepare documentation for permits or licenses.
• Develop technical or scientific databases.
• Advise others about environmental management or conservation.
• Conduct research of processes in natural or industrial ecosystems.
• Collect geographical or geological field data.
• Collect environmental data or samples.
• Inspect condition of natural environments.
• Collect biological specimens.

Knowledge, skills & abilities

O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).

Knowledge

Essential skills

Abilities

Transferable skills

Skills in demand

Skills employers ask for in job postings for this occupation (Lightcast), with whether each is a common or specialized skill.

• Information Ordering Specialized Skill
• Critical Thinking Common Skill
• Active Listening Common Skill
• English Language Common Skill
• Inductive Reasoning Common Skill
• Deductive Reasoning Common Skill
• Microsoft Excel Common Skill
• Reading Comprehension Common Skill
• Geography Specialized Skill
• Mathematics Common Skill
• Visualization Specialized Skill
• Time Management Common Skill
• Biology Specialized Skill
• Speech Recognition Specialized Skill
• Social Perceptiveness Common Skill
• Instructing Specialized Skill
• Writing Common Skill
• Systems Analysis Specialized Skill
• Microsoft Word Common Skill
• Microsoft PowerPoint Common Skill
• Microsoft Outlook Common Skill
• Microsoft Access Specialized Skill
• Learning Strategies Specialized Skill
• Finger Dexterity Common Skill
• Facebook Specialized Skill
• Complex Problem Solving Common Skill
• Active Learning Common Skill
• Depth Perception Common Skill
• Telecommunications Specialized Skill
• Psychology Specialized Skill
• Physics Specialized Skill
• Chemistry Specialized Skill
• Negotiation Common Skill
• Equipment Selection Specialized Skill
• Equipment Maintenance Specialized Skill
• Database Software Specialized Skill
• Foreign Language Common Skill
• Installation Specialized Skill
• Presentation Software Specialized Skill

Tools & technology

Work context

How characteristic each condition is of the job, on O*NET's 1–5 context scale (higher = more present in day-to-day work). Each condition links to how it varies across all occupations.

How to get in

Job zone

Zone 3 — Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed

Education

Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Typical entry-level education

Associate's degree · BLS, the typical path — not a requirement

Related experience

Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.

Preparation level

SVP (6.0 to < 7.0) — total schooling plus on-the-job experience.

What to study: Natural Resources and Conservation . Fields of study crosswalked to this occupation (NCES CIP–SOC), not a requirement.

Education of current workers

Share of people in this occupation at each level of education.

Interests & work styles

The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.

Interest areas

Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)

Work styles

Wages & employment

U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)

Industries that employ this occupation

Where these workers are employed, by number of jobs (national, BLS OEWS). Pay shown is the occupation's national median, not industry-specific.

Where this work is most concentrated

Industries where this occupation is far more common than in the economy as a whole. The location quotient is how many times more concentrated it is here (a value of 5 means five times its economy-wide share).

Related occupations

Part of the Agriculture and Energy & Natural Resources career clusters.

• Foresters · 19-1032.00 Compare →
• Range Managers · 19-1031.02 Compare →
• Forest and Conservation Workers · 45-4011.00 Compare →
• Conservation Scientists · 19-1031.00 Compare →
• Forest Fire Inspectors and Prevention Specialists · 33-2022.00 Compare →
• First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers · 45-1011.00 Compare →
• Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health · 19-2041.00 Compare →
• Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health · 19-4042.00 Compare →
• Agricultural Technicians · 19-4012.00 Compare →
• Precision Agriculture Technicians · 19-4012.01 Compare →
• Environmental Restoration Planners · 19-2041.02 Compare →
• Soil and Plant Scientists · 19-1013.00 Compare →

Side-by-side comparisons place two occupations’ pay, preparation, skills, and AI exposure on the same page — same data, same scale, no forecast.

What you can do with this

Options the data surfaces for Forest and Conservation Technicians — not advice or a forecast. Each is a real cross-link you can follow into the evidence.

Sources for this page

Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.

• O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
• BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27) Anthropic
• Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai Microsoft Research
• “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic

Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.

@misc{singulariki-role-19-4071-00,
  title  = {Forest and Conservation Technicians},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/roles/role-19-4071-00}
}