Forest & Conservation Technician
Skilled Trades
Work outdoors measuring forests, maintaining trails and supporting conservation and fire-prevention crews.
Why it matters here: State forestry services, parks systems and land trusts hire for trail, timber and habitat work.
Labor Market — DMV Region
Sourced from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS releases (DMV metro and nationwide) plus MD, VA, and D.C. workforce agencies.
Local cost of living is why DMV pay often differs from the national median.
- DMV & state figures: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — OEWS wage & employment estimates and Employment Projections, with OEWS area pay relatives for the Washington–Arlington–Alexandria metro, Maryland, D.C., and Northern Virginia · View source
- Occupation profiles & skills: O*NET OnLine (U.S. Department of Labor) · onetonline.org
All salary figures are published estimates for groups of workers, not offers or guarantees for any individual role.
Education & Career Pathways
Multiple ways to get here — pick the one that fits your life.
Career Progression
How you can grow — with expected salary at each step.
- Entry-level Forest & Conservation TechnicianLearning the role, supervised work, building core skills.$40,330
- Forest & Conservation Technician (experienced)Independent work, mentoring newer team members.$50,360
- Senior / Lead Forest & Conservation TechnicianOwning projects, specialization, higher responsibility.$62,130
- Manager or specialist trackSupervising a team or moving into a high-demand specialty.$74,556
Skills Required
What you'll actually do — and how you'll be judged.
Outdoor field work in forests and parks, seasonal rhythms
Where you work
Forests, parks, nurseries and fire lines — almost entirely outdoors.
Hours and schedule
Weekday field days with seasonal peaks; fire assignments can mean long rotations.
Pace and pressure
Physically active days that follow seasons and weather.
Who you work with
Foresters, fire crews, park rangers and volunteers.
Physical demands
Hiking rough terrain, carrying tools and sustained outdoor work.
What people wear
Field uniform and safety gear.
Remote reality
Not remote — the work is the outdoors.
Workplace culture: what's normal here
- Weather decides the workday more than the clock does.
- Crews are tight-knit and safety-focused.
- Seasonal roles are a common entry point to permanent jobs.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook — Work Environment, with regional detail for the DMV.
Official data behind this career
Federal statistics for DMV Region, translated into plain language.
Data unavailable for this category.
Washington–Arlington–Alexandria, DC–VA–MD–WV metro area
Source: U.S. Census Bureau — ACS 2019–2023 5-year estimates (tables DP03, DP02, DP05)
- The DMV functions as one labor market: workers routinely cross state lines to get to work.
- The largest employment destinations are D.C., Fairfax County and Montgomery County.
Top places these workers go to work
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — BEA regional GDP and personal income, most recent published year
Private-sector payroll data from ADP. It is a supplemental near-real-time indicator and does not replace BLS government employment statistics.
Source: ADP National Employment Report — Most recent monthly ADP National Employment Report
- 1U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OOH, OEWS, Employment Projections, CES) — Primary source for occupation wages, outlook, projected openings, education and training.
- 2U.S. Census Bureau — American Community Survey — Primary source for income, educational attainment, labor force and demographic context by place.
- 3Census LEHD (LODES / OnTheMap) — Primary source for where workers live versus where they work, and local workforce flows.
- 4U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Primary source for regional GDP, industry contribution, compensation and personal income.
- 5ADP National Employment Report — Supplemental near-real-time private-sector employment and pay indicator. Not a replacement for BLS.
Figures describe groups of workers, not any one person. Where an official figure is not published for a category, this page says “Data unavailable for this category.” rather than estimating.
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