A forester’s duty is to develop and maintain new forest areas. This includes even the most basic steps involved in foresting a new area, such as calculating the required space and marking it appropriately, as well as the actual planting of the new trees and charting the future paths and routes through the forest’s lands. Foresters may work for the government where they plant permanent forests, or for logging companies, which involves planting forests for the sole purpose of farming them for their wood.
Even though the job of a forester may sound simple and without any strict requirements, most companies actually require a Bachelor’s degree in forestry from candidates for the position. There are various skills and bits of information that are vital to the success of a forester, such as knowledge of how different types of trees interact with each other and the environment, how to create a suitable environment for the breeding of different types of animals, etc. Usually, foresters with long years of experience are highly valued and sought after.
Foresters tend to be paid rather highly with regards to their responsibilities and workload, and the job pays noticeably higher than that of a forest worker – the average annual salary is between $50,000 – $73,000, and most foresters report very high rates of job satisfaction, as well as good opportunities for advancing their careers and attaining even better pay rates. The job can be very flexible in most of its aspects, too, further making it an attractive choice.