Forest and Conservation Workers
Also called: Forest Ranger, Forestry Support Specialist, Tree Farmer, Tree PlanterUnder supervision, perform manual labor necessary to develop, maintain, or protect areas such as forests, forested areas, woodlands, wetlands, and rangelands through such activities as raising and transporting seedlings; combating insects, pests, and diseases harmful to plant life; and building structures to control water, erosion, and leaching of soil. Includes forester aides, seedling pullers, tree planters, and gatherers of nontimber forestry products such as pine straw.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 2 of its 17 tasks, and jobs are projected to shrink 1.5% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 5.1% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 4.3 hires for every 10 job openings in government, which employs about 68% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.4.3 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas | $47,310 | $41,490 to $48,790 | 30 |
| California | $43,680 | $43,680 to $43,680 | 2,270 |
| Colorado | $37,690 | $34,230 to $50,870 | 110 |
| Connecticut | $34,010 | $34,010 to $37,220 | 40 |
| Florida | $36,780 | $35,350 to $37,370 | 70 |
| Georgia | $34,150 | $27,050 to $46,220 | 160 |
| Hawaii | $56,330 | $56,330 to $60,320 | 60 |
| Idaho | $59,460 | $52,000 to $60,320 | not published |
| Iowa | $33,600 | $30,110 to $66,100 | 40 |
| Louisiana | $39,900 | $34,100 to $47,330 | 150 |
| Massachusetts | $51,890 | $43,340 to $65,390 | 120 |
| Minnesota | $39,590 | $35,920 to $39,590 | 30 |
| Missouri | $37,170 | $36,750 to $45,050 | 120 |
| Montana | $32,600 | $32,600 to $49,630 | not published |
| Nevada | $35,760 | $35,760 to $48,980 | not published |
| New Jersey | $41,600 | $37,440 to $47,710 | 40 |
| New Mexico | $36,370 | $34,950 to $40,690 | 30 |
| North Carolina | not published | not published | 50 |
| Ohio | $48,470 | $45,700 to $57,840 | 160 |
| Oregon | $46,010 | $39,230 to $57,260 | 70 |
| Pennsylvania | $50,250 | $46,780 to $56,370 | 210 |
| South Carolina | $44,050 | $39,460 to $48,990 | 40 |
| South Dakota | $38,210 | $37,470 to $44,690 | 490 |
| Tennessee | $40,320 | $31,200 to $41,410 | 210 |
| Texas | $30,470 | $30,470 to $30,470 | not published |
| Virginia | $54,560 | $43,400 to $62,400 | not published |
| Washington | $44,430 | $41,610 to $45,760 | 460 |
| Wisconsin | $36,420 | $33,780 to $52,620 | 300 |
Nationally: $43,680. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 2 of its 17 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Check equipment to ensure that it is operating properly. | Not published |
| Not much | Fight forest fires or perform prescribed burning tasks under the direction of fire suppression officers or forestry technicians. | Not published |
| Not much | Perform fire protection or suppression duties, such as constructing fire breaks or disposing of brush. | Not published |
| AI + software | Confer with other workers to discuss issues, such as safety, cutting heights, or work needs. | Not published |
| Not much | Explain or enforce regulations regarding camping, vehicle use, fires, use of buildings, or sanitation. | Not published |
| AI + software | Maintain tallies of trees examined and counted during tree marking or measuring efforts. | Not published |
See all 17 tasks
| Not much | Thin or space trees, using power thinning saws. | Not published |
| Not much | Erect signs or fences, using posthole diggers, shovels, or other hand tools. | Not published |
| Not much | Identify diseased or undesirable trees and remove them, using power saws or hand saws. | Not published |
| Not much | Select or cut trees according to markings or sizes, types, or grades. | Not published |
| Not much | Spray or inject vegetation with insecticides to kill insects or to protect against disease or with herbicides to reduce competing vegetation. | Not published |
| Not much | Maintain campsites or recreational areas, replenishing firewood or other supplies and cleaning kitchens or restrooms. | Not published |
| Not much | Operate skidders, bulldozers, or other prime movers to pull a variety of scarification or site preparation equipment over areas to be regenerated. | Not published |
| Not much | Prune or shear tree tops or limbs to control growth, increase density, or improve shape. | Not published |
| Not much | Provide assistance to forest survey crews by clearing site-lines, holding measuring tools, or setting stakes. | Not published |
| Not much | Select tree seedlings, prepare the ground, or plant the trees in reforestation areas, using manual planting tools. | Not published |
| Not much | Sort tree seedlings, discarding substandard seedlings, according to standard charts or verbal instructions. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 0 of the 17 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 17 tasks fall under 14 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #37 Determine operational methods or procedures
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cut trees or other vegetation | |||
| Operate agricultural or forestry equipment | |||
| Perform agricultural activities | |||
| Protect people or property from threats such as fires or flooding | |||
| Determine operational methods or procedures | |||
| Advise others on business or operational matters | |||
| Communicate with others about operational plans or activities | |||
| Sort materials or products |
Show all 14 activities
| Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas | |||
| Apply protective solutions or coatings | |||
| Maintain operational records | |||
| Evaluate production inputs or outputs | |||
| Build structures | |||
| Inspect commercial, industrial, or production systems or equipment |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- An email or message46%
- Advice or a recommendation19%
- An explanation or answer15%
- A document or report4%
- A plan or strategy4%
How they worked with Claude
58% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for forest and conservation workers specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 1,012 moves out
- 1 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 8%
- 2 Human Resources Specialists Very high +6.4% 4%
- 3 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers Moderate +3.8% 3%
- 4 Management Analysts Very high +10.1% 3%
- 5 Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary Very high -0.3% 3%
Where people moved in from
of 1,260 moves in
- 1 Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors Low +2.1% 14%
- 2 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand Low +1.8% 6%
- 3 Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants Very high +4.8% 4%
- 4 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 4%
- 5 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 4%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 3% less than high school
- 44% high school
- 2% postsecondary certificate
- 6% some college
- 2% associate's
- 23% bachelor's
- 20% master's
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 20 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 19% less than high school
- 39% high school
- 12% some college
- 8% associate's
- 21% bachelor's
- 1% master's
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 169 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
4 programs, such as Plant Nursery Operations and Management, Forestry, General and Forest Technology/Technician.
See all
- Plant Nursery Operations and Management
- Forestry, General
- Forest Technology/Technician
- Forestry, Other
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/45-4011.00