Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Peer-group outlier SOC 19-4071

Forest and Conservation Technicians

Median pay sits 54% below the mid peer in Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations (neighbors include Industrial-Organizational Psychologists, Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers, Economists, Political Scientists).

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Forest and Conservation Technicians: Industrial-Organizational Psychologists ($194K) , Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers ($102K) , Economists ($125K) , Political Scientists ($142K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Forest and Conservation Technicians publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 19-4071 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Thin and space trees and control weeds and undergrowth, using manual tools and chemicals, or supervise workers performing these tasks
  2. 2. Keep records of the amount and condition of logs taken to mills
  3. 3. Manage forest protection activities, including fire control, fire crew training, and coordination of fire detection and public education…
  4. 4. Monitor activities of logging companies and contractors
  5. 5. Perform reforestation or forest renewal, including nursery and silviculture operations, site preparation, seeding and tree planting progr…
  6. 6. Train and lead forest and conservation workers in seasonal activities, such as planting tree seedlings, putting out forest fires, and mai…
  7. 7. Plan and supervise construction of access routes and forest roads
  8. 8. Select and mark trees for thinning or logging, drawing detailed plans that include access roads
  9. 9. Supervise forest nursery operations, timber harvesting, land use activities such as livestock grazing, and disease or insect control prog…
  10. 10. Provide information about, and enforce, regulations, such as those concerning environmental protection, resource utilization, fire safety…
  11. 11. Patrol park or forest areas to protect resources and prevent damage
  12. 12. Develop and maintain computer databases

Forest and Conservation Technicians: O*NET ranks Active Listening first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 19-4071 - lead skill Active Listening at 3.8 ; lead knowledge Public Safety and Security. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Active Listening 3.8
  2. 2. Critical Thinking 3.8
  3. 3. Reading Comprehension 3.4
  4. 4. Speaking 3.3
  5. 5. Judgment and Decision Making 3.3
  6. 6. Time Management 3.3
  7. 7. Monitoring 3.1
  8. 8. Social Perceptiveness 3.1

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Public Safety and Security 3.8
  2. 2. English Language 3.7
  3. 3. Customer and Personal Service 3.5
  4. 4. Law and Government 3.4
  5. 5. Administration and Management 3.4
  6. 6. Geography 3.4
Pay vs Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations peers
-54%
vs mid peer median $117,790
This role $54,560/yr
$55K
National median
↓ -3%
Growth 2024-2034
3,900
Annual openings
30,410
Estimated US jobs
Industrial-Organizational Psychologists
Highest-pay peer · $194K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Associate's degree

Top Paying States for Forest and Conservation Technicians

1. Louisiana $59,370
2. Maryland $64,980
3. Colorado $57,550
4. Pennsylvania $57,370
5. Alaska $68,160
6. North Dakota $68,600
7. Wisconsin $62,700
8. Minnesota $58,990
9. California $58,120
10. New York $58,030

Other Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations titles

  1. 1. Economists $124,720
  2. 2. Political Scientists $142,080
  3. 3. Industrial-Organizational Psychologists $193,950
  4. 4. Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers $101,920
  5. 5. Physicists $172,250
  6. 6. Geographers $102,040

Among Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations peers on this card, Forest and Conservation Technicians sits 54% below the mid peer median ($117,790). Its own median is $54,560.

Employment Projections expect -3% change between 2024 and 2034 (declining vs baseline 3.1%). About 3,900 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns Associate's degree as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Louisiana at $59,370. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Industrial-Organizational Psychologists at $193,950. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Forest and Conservation Technicians pay-rank #45 in Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations

On the Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations median table (48 detailed occupations with OEWS medians), Forest and Conservation Technicians lands at #45, in the lower third. That rank is a table position, not a statement about individual workers.

Other lower-third titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

Forest and Conservation Technicians pays 54% below its major-group peer median. See the state map and the peers closest to (and furthest from) this line.

Forest and Conservation Technicians salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 19-4071

Louisiana · top state for Forest and Conservation Technicians

$59K published median

Maryland · #2 state pay

$65K · behind Louisiana

Industrial-Organizational Psychologists

Highest-pay peer vs Forest and Conservation Technicians · $194K

Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers

Lower-pay peer beside Forest and Conservation Technicians · $102K

Compare Forest and Conservation Technicians

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Forest and Conservation Technicians with another occupation →

Peer-comparison next reads

Compare Forest and Conservation Technicians

Against another occupation

Industrial-Organizational Psychologists card

Top peer in this major group

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does Forest and Conservation Technicians land on the Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations median table? ▼
Forest and Conservation Technicians is pay-rank #45 of 48 in this major group, lower third of the median table. Closest lower-third titles: Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health ($55K), Geological Technicians, Except Hydrologic Technicians ($53K), Food Science Technicians ($52K), Biological Technicians ($58K). That position is a table rank, not a worker percentile.
What do forest and conservation technicians do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Forest and Conservation Technicians. Leading ones include: Thin and space trees and control weeds and undergrowth, using manual tools and chemicals, or supervise workers performing these tasks; Keep records of the amount and condition of logs taken to mills; Manage forest protection activities, including fire control, fire crew training, and coordination of fire detection and public education…; Monitor activities of logging companies and contractors. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for forest and conservation technicians? ▼
For SOC 19-4071, O*NET importance scores lead with Active Listening (3.8), Critical Thinking (3.8), Reading Comprehension (3.4), Speaking (3.3). Knowledge areas emphasize Public Safety and Security, English Language, Customer and Personal Service. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Forest and Conservation Technicians? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $54,560 as the national median for Forest and Conservation Technicians. The published 10th-90th range is $40,330 to $83,630. Beside Industrial-Organizational Psychologists ($193,950), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Forest and Conservation Technicians? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Forest and Conservation Technicians is -3%. Projected annual openings: about 3,900. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: declining.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Forest and Conservation Technicians? ▼
BLS assigns Associate's degree as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Forest and Conservation Technicians. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Forest and Conservation Technicians? ▼
Louisiana ($59,370), Maryland ($64,980), Colorado ($57,550) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Forest and Conservation Technicians card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 19-4071. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Forest and Conservation Technicians. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics