What does a forester do?

What is a Forester?

A forester is involved in the science of managing and protecting forests. With the gradual rise in global pollution over the years ensuring carbon sequestration, air quality and maintaining a proper biodiversity have all come under the jurisdiction of foresters.

Foresters are involved in a large range of activities covering ecological restoration, timber harvesting, and day-to-day management of protected areas. They look after regular activities in the forests, including conservation, outdoor recreation, extraction of raw materials, aesthetics, and hunting.

What does a Forester do?

A forester's job profile covers everything from the creation of original Timber Harvest Plans (THPs) to the protection of natural resources and enforcement of forestry laws.

Foresters can also specialize in certain specific areas that harness their expertise. Timber foresting and conservation foresting are a couple of the most common areas of specialization for foresters. Timber foresters work for the timber companies. This means that they look after the farms and forests privately owned by the timber companies. Their job responsibility includes taking final call on harvesting trees, monitoring ecological impact of harvesting timber, determining whether to approve a Timber Harvest Plan (THP), keeping track of yields and marking trees for harvest.

On the other hand, the conservation foresters generally tend to focus a lot more on global ecosystems and proper watershed preservation in the forested regions. The primary job responsibilities of the conservation foresters cover conducting periodic survey of regional animals and plants and keeping track of human activity in the forests. Conservation foresters might work as timber foresters at times and support timber harvesting. However, their top priority is always to try and create sufficient protected areas in the forests so that visitors can freely enjoy nature.

What is the workplace of a Forester like?

A forester may have an office of their own but in general they have to spend most of their time in remote outdoor places. This always leads them to challenging locations and sometimes they have to deal with turbulent weather conditions. Understandably, the job profile of a forester is physically demanding and requires sincere hard work and dedication as woodlands in most cases are difficult to access and it can take several hours to reach work sites.

Foresters who have to spend a lot of time in the forest generally work for longer periods and take some days off in between work periods. On the other hand, the conservation foresters working for state and federal agencies work around 40 hours every week though hours may not always be fixed like that of the normal nine to five working schedule. In times of natural calamities, forest fires and similar emergencies, foresters might have to work extra hours to bring the situation under control.