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The New Way Of Thinking
Forester
As a small child, did you enjoy the outdoors and climbing trees?  How many times have you ever gotten lost after hours of playing in the woods?  Are you still very fond of nature and all its life forms, and are you willing to work tirelessly to protect it?  If so, and if you are gifted in Science and Math and have an affinity for forests and all animals that live in them, then you should consider becoming a Forester.

Foresters are Scientists who manage public and private forested lands for economic, recreational, and conservation purposes, determining how to conserve wildlife habitats, water quality, and soil stability and how best to comply with environmental regulations.  They also devise plans for planting and growing new trees, monitor trees for healthy growth, and determine optimal harvesting schedules.  By keeping inventory of the types, the amount, and the locations of standing timber, appraising the timber's worth, negotiating purchases, and drawing up contracts for procurement, they are able to manage the overall land quality of forests, parks, range-lands, and other natural resources.  Tools include:  clinometers, increment borers, bark gauges, diameter tapes, hand-held computers, and global positioning systems (GPS).

The duties of a Forester include but are not limited to:  advising on the type, number, and placement of trees; using controlled burning, bulldozers, and herbicides to clear land; directing forest-fire-suppression and seed-planting activities; determining ways to remove timber with minimum environmental damage; drawing up plans to regenerate forested lands and monitoring the progress; devising plans to keep forests free from disease, harmful insects, and damaging wildfires; supervising tree harvests and choosing the trees to be harvested and sold to sawmills; evaluating data on forest and soil quality; assessing damage to trees and forest lands caused by fires and logging activities; measuring the heights of trees, a tree’s circumference, and the growth of trees to compute timber volumes and to estimate growth rates; using remote sensing and geographic information systems (GIS) data to map large forest and range areas; studying forest maps;​ appraising timber’s worth/value; negotiating purchases and drawing up contracts; collaborating with contractors to lay out roads to get to the timber; supervising Forest and Conservation Technicians; conducting research; and teaching at universities.

High school students interested in becoming a Forester benefit from taking Biology, Earth Science, Environmental Science, Physical Science, Chemistry, Physics, Horticulture, Botany, Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Calculus, Computer Applications, and Geography.  Students entering Forestry Bachelor's of Science programs from high school with no previous Forestry training should expect a period of four years to complete said program.  Forestry programs, accredited by the Society of American Foresters, are offered at universities in every state.  Foresters work in offices, laboratories, and outdoors, sometimes in remote, isolated locations and in all types of weather, walking long distances through dense forests.

Specialties in Forestry include:  Procurement Foresters (buy/purchase timber); Restoration Planners (study all issues facing forests—climate change, pests, diseases, wildfires, etc.); Conservation Education Foresters (train teachers and students about issues facing forest lands); Urban Foresters (manage urban trees, air quality, and storm water runoff in larger cities); etc.

Due to the increase in the number of people moving into forested lands and subsequent forest fires, the increased need to suppress wildfires and to restore lands affected by them, and the heightened demand for American timber and wood pellets, employment of Foresters is projected to grow 3% over the next decade.  Job prospects are highest for those who have a strong understanding of geographic information systems (GIS).
Job Description
Median Salary & Range
​Median Salary:  $57,110

Salary Range:  ~$37,160 - $83,370+
College Majors & Attainment Routes
​The​ normal routes to becoming a Forester have been to major in Forestry, Plant Science, Biology, Soil Science, Environmental Science, Agricultural Science, Natural Resources, Agricultural and Environmental Systems, Agriculture, Food, and Environment, Applied Science, Applied Chemistry, Bio-Environmental Science, Bioengineering, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Biological Science, Biological and Agricultural Systems Engineering, Integrated Environmental Science, Environmental, Forest Resources, and Plant and Soil Science, Integrative Biosciences, Interdisciplinary Pathobiology, Crop and Soil Science, Earth Science, Earth System Science, International Agriculture, Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, Nutritional Sciences, Nutrition and Food Science, Biochemistry, Marine Science, Chemistry, Natural Resource Sciences, Biological Engineering, Geoscience, Natural Resource Management, Urban Forestry, Marine Environmental Science, Water Resources Management, Biomedical Sciences, Marine and Environmental Science, Natural Sciences, Marine Biology, Marine-Estuarine Environmental Sciences, Environmental Engineering, Natural Resources, Biomedical Research, Environmental Engineering, Environmental Health Science, Environmental Toxicology, Environmental Health and Safety, General Science, Environmental Health, Environmental Physics, Environmental Studies, Energy and Environmental Systems, Sustainable Systems, Fire and Emergency Service Administration, Biophysics, Biotechnology, Food and Agricultural Sciences, Geography, Geographic Information Science, Geology, Health Science, Geomatics, Regulatory Science, Professional Science, Hazardous Materials Management, Landscape Architecture, Landscape Design, Urban Planning and Environmental Policy, Urban Public Health, Toxicology, Urban Studies and Planning, Urban Studies and Public Policy, Human Sciences, Science, or Agricultural Regulations.

College courses include:  Ecology, Forest Resource Measurement, GIS Technology, Computer Modeling, and Biology.   Foresters need a bachelor’s degree for entry-level positions, with many going on to earn a master’s degree or PhD.  They typcially work for the government, sawmills, logging companies, wood preservation organizations, and social advocacy organizations for sustainable land use.
Colleges That Provide Above Majors
Colleges and universities that have Forestry and related majors are:  Alabama A&M University (Huntsville, Alabama); Alabama State University (Montgomery, Alabama); Oakwood University (Huntsville, Alabama); Talladega College (Talladega, Alabama); Tuskegee University (Tuskegee, Alabama); Philander Smith College (Little Rock, Arkansas); University of Arkansas Pine Bluff (Pine Bluff, Arkansas); Charles R. Drew University (Los Angeles, California); North Carolina A&T State University (Greensboro, North Carolina); Delaware State University (Dover, Delaware); Spelman College (Atlanta, Georgia); Wilberforce University (Wilberforce, Ohio); University of the District of Columbia (Washington, DC); Bethune-Cookman University (Daytona Beach, Florida); Florida Memorial University (Miami Gardens, Florida); Florida A&M University (Tallahassee, Florida); Kentucky State University (Frankfort, Kentucky); Albany State University (Albany, Georgia); Central State University (Wilberforce, Ohio); Fort Valley State University (Fort Valley, Georgia); Morehouse College (Atlanta, Georgia); Savannah State University (Savannah, Georgia); Dillard University (New Orleans, Louisiana); Grambling State University (Grambling, Louisiana); Tennessee State University (Nashville, Tennessee); Langston University (Langston, Oklahoma); Southern University and A&M College (Baton Rouge, Louisiana); Xavier University (New Orleans, Louisiana); Bowie State University (Bowie, Maryland); Coppin State University (Baltimore, Maryland); Paine College (Augusta, Georgia); Tougaloo College (Jackson, Mississippi); Lane College (Jackson, Tennessee); Miles College (Fairfield, Alabama); Bennett College (Greensboro, North Carolina); Edward Waters College (Jacksonville, Florida); Voorhees College (Denmark, South Carolina); Stillman College (Tuscaloosa, Alabama); Morris College (Sumter, South Carolina); Meharry Medical College (Nashville, Tennessee); Livingstone College (Salisbury, North Carolina); Shaw University (Raleigh, North Carolina); Rust College (Holly Springs, Mississippi); Benedict College (Columbia, South Carolina); University of Maryland Eastern Shore (Princess Anne, Maryland); Alcorn State University (Lorman, Mississippi); Jackson State University (Jackson, Mississippi); Howard University (Washington, DC); Fisk University (Nashville, Tennessee); Mississippi Valley State University (Itta Bena, Mississippi); Morgan State University (Baltimore, Maryland); Harris-Stowe State University (St. Louis, Missouri); Lincoln University (Jefferson City, Missouri); North Carolina Central University (Durham, North Carolina); Cheyney University (Cheyney, Pennsylvania); Lincoln University (Lincoln University, Pennsylvania); Elizabeth City State University (Elizabeth City, North Carolina); Fayetteville State University (Fayetteville, North Carolina); Johnson C. Smith University (Charlotte, North Carolina); Winston Salem State University (Winston Salem, North Carolina); Saint Augustine's University (Raleigh, North Carolina); Allen University (Columbia, South Carolina); Claflin University (Orangeburg, South Carolina); Virginia State University (Petersburg, Virginia); Wiley College (Marshall, Texas); South Carolina State University (Orangeburg, South Carolina); LeMoyne-Owen College (Memphis, Tennessee); Jarvis Christian College (Hawkins, Texas); West Virginia State University (Charleston, West Virginia); Huston-Tillotson University (Austin, Texas); Prairie View A&M University (Prairie View, Texas); Texas College (Tyler, Texas); Texas Southern University (Houston, Texas); Hampton University (Hampton, Virginia); Norfolk State University (Norfolk, Virginia); Virginia Union University (Richmond, Virginia); Saint Paul's College (Lawrenceville, Virginia); and Bluefield State College (Bluefield, West Virginia).
Available Scholarships