forestry technician

forester

archaeologist

wildland firefighter

laborer

United States Forest Service

A typical work day begins at the office at 7:00 AM meeting with the forest plant ecologist and fellow invasive plant technicians. We discuss what needs done for the day and what can be accomplished in the current weather conditions. If the weather is forecasted to change for the worse we make alternative plans. Usually weather cooperates and the plan for the day involves spraying and mapping invasive plants along forest service roads. We fill the tanks with herbicide and grab the tools we will need for the day then travel to our destination to spray for the day. The travel time to reach our destination for the day usually takes a little over an hr.  The herbicide field truck usually requires more fuel to reach the given location so we fill up on gas most days. We stay out and spray and map most days until about 4 and return to the office to put away tools and clean up stuff before ending the day at 5:30. 

I learned more about the typical flora of the area of Minnesota and the ecosystem of the northern forests around the great lakes. I also learned how to use a Juno field computer to use Arcpad to keep track of  data which was different than the Archer field computers I used the summer previous.

The supervisors were good at giving us all the necessary information to complete our objectives for the day/ week ect. If the weather did not work (rain) they would have other tasks that could be done feasibly. The supervisors were knowledgeable on the procedures and protocol of the Forest Service as a whole. 


My coworkers were easy to get along with and collaborate on our projects.  They had good work ethics and after starting a task they could be counted on to finish it.

The hardest part of the job was the long hours and the monotony of searching for invasive plants to spray along road sides. Vision some times became blurred after many hour of road side scanning.

The most enjoyable part of the job was being out doors and getting lots of  fresh air. We traveled many different roads and saw a lot of country. I felt I was making a difference for the environment and reducing the invasive plant populations  thus improving the ecosystem for plant and animal communities alike!

I worked for the Forest Service in the southern United States, so my comments may not be universally applicable.  For example, in the west, where most of the Forest Service property is located, starting out as a seasonal employee is a common career path, and less prescribed fire is done.  I worked in the national forest service system, the largest part of the service and the one that manages federally owned land.  I know little about the other branches of the forest service, such as research.

The national forest service system has roughly 4 administrative levels, national, regional, forest, and district.  District employees, such as I was, may spend a good deal of their time working outside, the majority of their time for the non-professional positions.  Employees at the forest level get outside some of the time but mainly do office work.  I believe that regional and national level employees are essentially office workers.  Be aware that at the district level most forest service offices will be a rural or remote areas, so if you want a more urban environment off the job you should look elsewhere.

The forest service is not like the park service; it sells timber and does more active management, so if these activities offend you, you may want to look elsewhere.

The Forest Service is good regarding work/life balance, in that flex time is common.  I found the federal benefits excellent.  The salaries, whose schedule is available at the Office of Personnel Management, are adequate for the professional jobs but may be insufficient for the technician (not college educated) positions.

I spent a good deal of my time writing reports for the environmental review process, tasks I did not enjoy because it was repetitive and because I rarely had any sense that my work would effect the outcome.  I was able to initiate a few small projects that I thought were worthwhile.  The forest service retains a hierarchical management structure and thus isn't particularly open to new ideas or changes of objectives, which are difficult in any case because it is a government agency.

Typically day on a fire includes waking up around 4:30, packing all your sleeping gear up and driving to fire camp for breakfast.  As a seasonal employee I would finish breakfast then perform my assigned duties which was to make sure the supply bin was fully stocked which is medicine supplies, gloves, toiletries, extra yellows (outer shirts), batteries, firing supplies, etc.  Once I'm done with my tasks I go help with others so we're already when I are overhead shows up.  We head to our assigned task for the day which could be the fireline, to mop, road or line clearing, to firing.  We usually work til 8:30, sometimes through the night depending on firing operations and fire behavior.  We usually head back to camp by 9:00 to eat dinner.  We head to our sleeping area after dinner and set our sleeping materials and repeat the next day. 
  I've learned that it takes a team to get some jobs done and you have to rely on your team members because they rely on you. 
     Management various mostly by your pay grade.  We all have our task to do.  The over head deals more with the objectives.  They go to the briefings and talk about the plans for the fire suppression.  You have the squadies take orders from the overhead and are in charge of GS 5 & GS 4.  They inform us of our duties for the day.  The squadies and down usually do most of the physical work while the overhead scouts out ahead and makes sure things are progressing well.  They also plan out ahead for the days ahead and plan of attack.
    The hardest part of the job for myself was being away from my friends and family for 6 months.  Beginning from Michigan and working in California made it hard to see anyone.  The working for 3 months straight working 16 hours a day and only 2 days off every 2 weeks made it a little hard too.  
   The best part of the job for me was being out in the wilderness trying to make a difference.  I like the freedom and knowing I'm at least trying to do something productive.  I also get paid to hike and camp which is a go gig too.

A day working in the field was rewarding and challenging. The USFS has a long tradition of excellence in fire suppression and is adapting to the changing fire paradigm.  I learned the current  HR centralization in Albuquerque is a disaster. The constant teams meetings, online conferences, training and people working remotely has severely affected the amount of work done on the ground.

Sadly management was very poor at the time I took the job as my direct supervisor took a detail and the district ranger and deputy district ranger had minimal fire experience.  They prevented district administrative from assisting me in learning computer programs I had no experience with.

The workplace was tense with an undercurrent of negativity.  Peer to peer relationships were good, however leadership didn’t inspire strong interdisciplinary collaboration.

The hardest part of the job was trying to re certify my RXB2.  Due to the new requirements following tragic escaped prescribed burns have added many additional  modeling, interagency coordination, smoke management and long term post burn patrolling requirements that are cumbersome and require mentoring. I received minimal help in this department. Although my performance implementing the 1 burn I was able to do was successful regarding fire effects, crew management and firefighter safety I was unable to attain proficiency in the smoke and fire behavior models in the probationary period.

The best part of the job was working with firefighters, interagency partners and the public.

After training, our day in the field began meeting at the office around 06:30.  We had to drive about 20 to 60 mile to access points into the national forest(s).  Some points of entry allowed us to drive right up to the site designated by GPS Co-ordinance.  At some points, we had to hike in, any where from 1/2 mile to 5 miles.  Other points allowed us to drive a UTV closer to the destination, before having to hike to the site.  We dug 21 holes to collect soil data, ran some tests in the field and took other soil samples back to the lab for testing.  We learned to run tests for active carbon in soils and carbon release rates of soils.  Increased experience in soil texturing by feel and other methods.  Also, increased experience in soil color determination and pH testing.  Management was usually available by phone when needed, other wise there was limited supervision.  We worked in a team of two, with each of us understanding one another strengths and weaknesses.  The most work came when we had to traverse various terrains, up and down steep slops, through areas of shrub brush and trees, to reach the designated sites.  It was great to be working outdoors in nature, with the best times being when we hiked along mountain streams and could listen to the babbling brooks.

I worked in timber for a year. From my experience, it seems there wasn't a whole lot of work to be done. Felt like no one wanted to put in an honest day's of work and timber always puts on this act that they're busy when they're not most of the time. Silviculture is also kind of bad too and was very behind on their work at the time. They have a hard time keeping people because regen surveys get old very fast.

Recreation had some good people but since the DOGE budget cuts, most of the permanent employees either quit or moved on to something else. Which is too bad because they all actually did work. They should get some summer seasonals but it's too bad that they lost the most.

My experience wasn't bad at all overall. I got to help out in other departments and projects. Sitting in the truck and office doing nothing for most of the day wasn't my thing and neither was timber marking.

I got hired at a time where the region was doing away with seasonal hiring and emphasized permanent hiring. I don't think this was a good choice because a lot of work is seasonal so during winter, timber will have work but other departments like rec or fire won't have much work while during the summer, it would be the opposite. A half and half position permanent position would make a lot more sense.

Would start the day off with Physical Training(Run,Hike,Bike Ride, Push-ups, Pull-ups, Sit-ups, Super Mans etc). Train in class room or outside could vary from hoselays/vehicle fires/pump operations/tools and saw usage etc. Captain and Engineer where excellent, would give instructions, go over JHA's and let us go about our work or what we needed to do. Crewmates would keep the best communications/cohesion possible for all of our safety. Feel the hardest thing is ofcourse being away from your family, other than that it would be keeping a positive/stable mind when things are not goin the way you planned them to go. Example: Winds keep shifting and making the fire jump your constructed line while your trying to get the fire contained or even trying to re-route it away from structures/homes/businesses. Its like they say: theres a thin line beween love and hate. You may hate it at times, but on the other hand you Love it. Really enjoyed the traveling and meeting new people/personel, also really enjoy the sister/brotherhood you have for one another on your own crew aswell as other crews/engines/orginizations.

The day starts with your Fire Team getting suited up and making sure you have all your gear together and that everything is functioning properly, and that you have spare batteries. You also need to check your emergency fire shelter to make sure it is not damaged in any way. Once gear checks are complete our team would get together with our Fire team Coordinator and discuss the location and what type of job we will be doing. Most of the time it is just prescribed burns, but other times its fires started by weather condition or arson. We then grab our Fire Tool and head over to the site. I learned a lot while working as a wild land fire fighter, its really a race against time and making sure everyone is safe. This type of working relationship certainly creates a strong bond among the people around you. My co-workers are the most important people and keeping them safe and secure so they are not injured is priority.
The hardest part of the job is not having a team work oriented spirit, because if you do not, then this job is not for you. I enjoyed this job a lot because I got to see the most amazing things that the average person wont get to see.

The job and work place itself was amazing.  You are exposed to many different job duties, and are trained by the best so you develop some great job skills.

The drawback is that unless you are hired as a professional resource assistant (with a college degree), you are really only considered to be a temporary employee.  You work for the duration of that year's season and/or budget, which changes each year.   Seasonal technicians do not receive retirement benefits or medical insurance.  They do receive annual leave, and sick leave. Seasonal technicians may only work 4 months out of the year, but can work up to 8 months out of the year if a project has a healthy budget and they have the money for your wages.

While the job provides great experience and interesting, challenging work, there is no real job security unless you choose to attend college and get a degree in one of the compatible fields that they want.  Problem is, you will have to be willing to go anywhere in the U.S., not really being able to choose your own location to work.  You also run the risk of being re-assigned to a whole new area in the U.S. if they run into budget restraints, or decide they do not need your particular position anymore.

Being a recreation technician for the Forest Service is an exhilarating experience, combining a love for the outdoors with fulfilling responsibilities. Working amidst the breathtaking natural beauty of forests, rivers, and mountains provides a sense of purpose and a chance to contribute to environmental conservation and public enjoyment. Engaging with visitors, organizing recreational activities, and maintaining trails foster a strong sense of community and a passion for promoting nature-based experiences.

However, it is essential to acknowledge that the compensation for recreation technicians in the Forest Service can be disappointingly low. Despite the rewards of being surrounded by nature, the relatively meager pay can present financial challenges, especially considering the physically demanding and skilled nature of the work. Despite this drawback, many find personal satisfaction in the meaningful impact of their efforts and the opportunity to explore and protect the natural wonders that surround them. Ultimately, the passion for the outdoors and dedication to environmental stewardship outweigh the financial limitations for those who find fulfillment in this unique and rewarding career path.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Forestry technician 1 salary reported	$25.12 per hour
Forester 6 salaries reported	$18.15 per hour
Archaeologist 5 salaries reported	$70,729 per year
Wildland firefighter 6 salaries reported	$27.23 per hour
Laborer 9 salaries reported	$15.22 per hour

Working at United States Forest Service: Company Overview and Reviews

United States Forest Service

United States Forest Service Ratings

Popular jobs at United States Forest Service

Salary Satisfaction

Job Seeker Tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected