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Forest and Conservation Workers Occupation Detailed Description

Forest and Conservation Workers career

General Job Description and Education/Training Levels for Forest and Conservation Workers

The main tasks and work activities of Forest and Conservation Workers are to inspect equipment or facilities to determine condition or maintenance needs, communicate with other workers to coordinate activities, perform forest firefighting activities, cut trees or logs. In general, for the Forest and Conservation Workers, speaking, coordination, critical Thinking, active Listening and other 6 skills are required.
Forest and Conservation Workers Job Description
EducationMost occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Related ExperiencePrevious 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.
Job TrainingEmployees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
ExampleThese occupations usually involve using communication and organizational skills to coordinate, supervise, manage, or train others to accomplish goals. Examples include hydroelectric production managers, travel guides, electricians, agricultural technicians, barbers, court reporters, and medical assistants.
The following chart shows the education/training levels for Forest and Conservation Workers jobs. 8.32% of Forest and Conservation Workers have High School Diploma (or the equivalent) and 1.85% of Forest and Conservation Workers have Post-Secondary Certificate.
Less than a High School Diploma
5.32%
High School Diploma (or the equivalent)
8.32%
Post-Secondary Certificate
1.85%
Some College Courses
12.04%
Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)
14.45%
Bachelor's Degree and Above
58.02%

Tasks and Work Activities of Forest and Conservation Workers

  • Check equipment to ensure that it is operating properly.
  • Confer with other workers to discuss issues, such as safety, cutting heights, or work needs.
  • Fight forest fires or perform prescribed burning tasks under the direction of fire suppression officers or forestry technicians.
  • Perform fire protection or suppression duties, such as constructing fire breaks or disposing of brush.
  • Select or cut trees according to markings or sizes, types, or grades.
  • Identify diseased or undesirable trees and remove them, using power saws or hand saws.
  • Spray or inject vegetation with insecticides to kill insects or to protect against disease or with herbicides to reduce competing vegetation.
  • Drag cut trees from cutting areas and load trees onto trucks.
  • Thin or space trees, using power thinning saws.
  • Maintain tallies of trees examined and counted during tree marking or measuring efforts.
  • Gather, package, or deliver forest products to buyers.
  • Erect signs or fences, using posthole diggers, shovels, or other hand tools.
  • Prune or shear tree tops or limbs to control growth, increase density, or improve shape.
  • Select tree seedlings, prepare the ground, or plant the trees in reforestation areas, using manual planting tools.
  • Provide assistance to forest survey crews by clearing site-lines, holding measuring tools, or setting stakes.
  • Explain or enforce regulations regarding camping, vehicle use, fires, use of buildings, or sanitation.
  • Operate skidders, bulldozers, or other prime movers to pull a variety of scarification or site preparation equipment over areas to be regenerated.
  • Examine and grade trees according to standard charts and staple color-coded grade tags to limbs.
  • Maintain campsites or recreational areas, replenishing firewood or other supplies and cleaning kitchens or restrooms.
  • Sow or harvest cover crops, such as alfalfa.
  • Performing for or Working Directly with the PublicPerforming for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.
  • Performing General Physical ActivitiesPerforming physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling of materials.
  • Communicating with Persons Outside OrganizationCommunicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
  • Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing WorkDeveloping specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
  • Making Decisions and Solving ProblemsAnalyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
  • Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or SubordinatesProviding information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
  • Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or EquipmentRunning, maneuvering, navigating, or driving vehicles or mechanized equipment, such as forklifts, passenger vehicles, aircraft, or water craft.
  • Identifying Objects, Actions, and EventsIdentifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
  • Getting InformationObserving, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
  • Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with OthersHandling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.
  • Inspect equipment or facilities to determine condition or maintenance needs.
  • Communicate with other workers to coordinate activities.
  • Perform forest firefighting activities.
  • Cut trees or logs.
  • Determine forestry techniques or methods.
  • Evaluate quality of plants or crops.
  • Apply chemical solutions to plants to protect against disease or insects or to enhance growth.
  • Transport animals, crops, or equipment.
  • Operate forestry equipment.
  • Trim trees or other vegetation.
  • Record agricultural or forestry inventory data.
  • Build agricultural structures.
  • Plant crops, trees, or other plants.
  • Advise others on farming or forestry operations, regulations, or equipment.
  • Sort forestry or agricultural materials.
  • Mark agricultural or forestry products for identification.
  • Clean equipment or facilities.
  • Harvest agricultural products.

Skills and Abilities for Forest and Conservation Workers

  • SpeakingTalking to others to convey information effectively.
  • CoordinationAdjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
  • Critical ThinkingUsing logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
  • Active ListeningGiving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  • Judgment and Decision MakingConsidering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
  • MonitoringMonitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
  • Time ManagementManaging one's own time and the time of others.
  • Complex Problem SolvingIdentifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
  • Active LearningUnderstanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
  • Problem SensitivityThe ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
  • Oral ExpressionThe ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Oral ComprehensionThe ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Information OrderingThe ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
  • Static StrengthThe ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects.
  • Deductive ReasoningThe ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
  • Arm-Hand SteadinessThe ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
  • Near VisionThe ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
  • Speech RecognitionThe ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
  • Manual DexterityThe ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
  • Depth PerceptionThe ability to judge which of several objects is closer or farther away from you, or to judge the distance between you and an object.
  • Written ComprehensionThe ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
  • Far VisionThe ability to see details at a distance.
  • StaminaThe ability to exert yourself physically over long periods of time without getting winded or out of breath.
  • Flexibility of ClosureThe ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
  • Trunk StrengthThe ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without 'giving out' or fatiguing.
  • Category FlexibilityThe ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
  • Dynamic StrengthThe ability to exert muscle force repeatedly or continuously over time. This involves muscular endurance and resistance to muscle fatigue.
  • Inductive ReasoningThe ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
  • Multilimb CoordinationThe ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
  • Backhoese.g. Backhoes
  • Sprayerse.g. Backpack sprayers
  • Mowerse.g. Brush hogs
  • Power sawse.g. Chain saws
  • Claw hammere.g. Claw hammers
  • Dibblerse.g. Dibblers
  • Geological compassese.g. Directional compasses
  • Dump truckse.g. Dump trucks
  • Distance meterse.g. Electronic measuring devices
  • Forestry sawse.g. Epicormic knives
  • Earthmoving shovelse.g. Fire plows
  • Fire or rescue truckse.g. Fire trucks
  • All terrain vehicles tracked or wheelede.g. Four wheel drive 4WD vehicles
  • Global positioning system GPS receivere.g. Geodetic ground global positioning system GPS receivers
  • Sawse.g. Hand saws
  • Hard hatse.g. Hard hats
  • Harvesterse.g. Harvesting machines
  • Sprayerse.g. Herbicide sprayers
  • Secateurs or pruning shearse.g. Loppers
  • Pickse.g. Mattocks
  • GeographyKnowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
  • English LanguageKnowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  • Public Safety and SecurityKnowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
  • ClericalKnowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
  • BiologyKnowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
  • Law and GovernmentKnowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
  • MathematicsKnowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
  • Computers and ElectronicsKnowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
  • Economics and AccountingKnowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
  • Administration and ManagementKnowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
  • Customer and Personal ServiceKnowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
  • Education and TrainingKnowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.