I am studying forestry. I have always had a great connection to nature and so it seemed like a perfect career move. And so that is where my path has lead, or is leading.
The Pathways Program
The forest service doesn't usually offer internships itself. The Pathways Program is a student hire program. In January February there will be student positions flown on usajobs, they're part of the pathways program. I would also check the student conservation association or SCA that's probably your best bet to get into the door.
Apparently there are many more job openings than there are internships, and different forests will hire people without too much experience.
Go to the SAF convention. They hire people for internships on the spot.
There will be tons of companies there hiring and some really great talks etc. Your school might even pay for it. I know UF paid for me to go.
I have heard that the university of Montana in Missoula has some amazing forestry programs. You are also surrounded by national forest so a great place to study as well. I talked to them before I found the right fit for myself, the seasonal positions are the way to go since any internships are rare, and thus very competitive.
What To Expect
An entry level forestry position is often assisting a more experienced forester with their duties.
This can include being a chainman (also known as a compass man) while timber cruising, GPS'ing logging boundaries, and helping conduct various surveys. This work is often considered grunt work, and can be extremely physically demanding.
As you gain more experience, you'll start to decide what avenue of forestry you want to work in.
You can focus on the development side (pre-logging), silviculture (post-logging), or go a more research route.
Some jobs consist of all of the above.
As for a career; you can definitely make a living. If you are willing to educate yourself and take additional courses, this will make you more desirable and you'll inevitably be better compensated.
Moves are pretty common but usually only if you want to.
Some hires are put in temporary training locations based work load. They are then placed in a permanent location. Transferring is then up to the employee. Transfers are usually based on seniority. The DNR has hired a bunch of people the last few years. I've been in my original location for twenty years.
Working for the DNR is a great job when you are able to get it.
ECHOs are fine saws and Huskys are on par with STIHL but the truth is you are never going to see a 20-30 year old ECHO sell for the same STIHLs do. My local STIHL dealer sells 90s era mid range pro saws for more than a new ECHO.
STIHL is number one in chainsaws in my opinion, but there are some good Echo & Husqvarna saws out there and in most circumstances they hold their own. You should never compare a Stihl to an ECHO. Echo makes some great saws, but the comparision is like saying a Honda is the same as a BMW, the scale is way off.
A lot of people look at a STIHL and see the price first and don't even consider the quality. Then they see that they only give you a 1 year consumer warranty, factory defect only. ECHO offers a 5 year consumer warranty, also factory defect only. However, you can purchase a 6-pack of the STIHL ultra synthetic oil blend to extend it to 2 years.
But those are just numbers and a saw that is used day in day out is going to have problems. But, you can limit them. Make sure that you do not run it with a dull chain since this will kill any saw. Don't overheat it (limb it). And no matter what you do, always make sure that you use good quality fuel and keep up on maintenance.
Fuel is a biggy. And that is why the warranty (anywarranty) does not cover fuel related issues.
No matter what saw you choose it is important to invest in proper safety gear. Make sure you read the manuals, and watch and talk with the pros that you can find before you get to work. It can be exciting to get started, but you're never fully prepared.
There is quite a range of private companies in forestry. Some like Plum Creek, Weyerhaeser, and Potlatch directly own large tracts of timberland and manage them for production.
Weyerhaeser is pretty vertically integrated and even has its own research division.
What you also see a lot of these days are investment funds.
Companies like Lyme Timber own lots of land and pay share holders profits from the management. Consulting firms can be either pretty big operations like Prentiss and Carlisle, just one forester or anything in between. Consultants don't own their own land, but private landowners pay them to do management. This can be on the scale of Lyme Timber paying Prentiss and Carlisle to manage 200,000 acres, or one forester working on many different privately owned 200 acre mom & pop family woodlots.
People with a 4 year degree can easily get into field work. It's easier for someone with a 4 year degree to get into academic stuff than it is for someone with a 2 year degree.
And as for work in the government, in my opinion it's very difficult to get permanent jobs with the fed. I have several friends that did seasonal work year after year with the USFS for and yet they did not get permanent placement when the graduated. Yet, if you do land a full time job somewhere you can probably expect to keep it until you die if you want. With the USFS, you have the opportunity to move up and move around. But the problem is, there are a lot fewer opportunities when you want to stay in one place vs opportunities for 150 National Forests across the country.
The more opportunities you can take advantage of, the more that will be provided to you.
A career doesn't start once you graduate, it starts as soon as you set your sights on it. For wildlife and forestry careers that means that you need to do volunteer work, and as much as you can. Experience is what will get you farther than anything else. Here are some areas to look into.
- animals
- data entry
- field work
- lab work
- plants
Don't be afraid to do plant jobs or wildlife jobs. Both focus on a lot of plant work and knowing your stuff can be very helpful. Because your focus isn't just "wildlife science" but "wildlife ecology."
Get to know your professors as well as they will let you get to know them. Some are more friendly than others. And some will be willing to help you when you graduate, build a repatrau with them.
Visit them.
Bug them.
Make it clear that you want to get involved.
They will be able to tell you if there is a natural resources-related club in your college.
Make friends with your fellow colleagues as some may get you far.
The more you do during your college years, the more people you get to know and stick with, and keep up with after graduation, the better off you'll be.
And you will find work everywhere. Some people are working happily at zoos, some on conservation projects, some as rangers for national parks like Yellowstone.
The ones who are going for their Masters?
I can work for them and the higher-ups I'm still friends with. And you make those friends by making sure that every summer of college you work in the field work, both inside and out-of-state. The pay was low, but the jobs were fun and the experience was priceless, both on my resume and in my life. Check your college job boards, T A&M frequently, and apply for summer jobs in the early early spring.
Forget All the Illusions
Forget all illusions and romantic stereotypes of working outside. Working outside is great and I really enjoy it, but you have to ask yourself are you the type of person who doesn't mind getting hot and sweaty in the piss pouring rain for 10 hours a day? Will you mind being knee deep in mud/animal shit or snow? Take a look at the climate you live in as you will have to be dealing with it everyday.
Scout the Job Market (First!)
Look for jobs you could get once you finish whatever course you plan to do. The trouble is that forestry is mainly carried out by the government, or at least influenced by it.
Unfortunately in times of budget cuts environmental issues are usually the first to go meaning that finding a job in the field is pretty hard here.
If you are in another country I have no idea what the job market would be like but it would definitely be some thing to look in to.
It Is A Science
Forestry is a scientific subject like any other, the question is "how can you make the most money in the quickest time".
You will see plantations where trees are grown and harvested like corn and work sites where the environment is mistreated just like the animals you mentioned. It seems like the industrial process of farming has put you off the Animal Science, but you'll often find the same sort of thing in forestry.
Conservation
A plant isn't just a plant. And so there are many different paths for you to take into the forest.
For example, conservation biology. There are schools with that major, offering courses that are specifically designed with conservation in mind.
Also conservation jobs usually judge experience on the same level as education, so I would really recommend volunteering with a local organisation. Luckily these types of organisation are pretty common and only too happy to have people aboard.
You have to remember that trees take a long time to grow and therefore forestry is a very slow process.
On the Other Hand
A lot of jobs in forestry deal with the cutting down and management of forests for economic use. In fact classifying forests and soils to be cut down is where the money is.
I don't want to discourage you. We need people that are going to look at and push for better practices, but the economic driver is cutting the trees down. If you don't like how production animals are treated, you may be in for a shock to understand how we treat our forests for production. It is what it is.
A lot of jobs rely on it.
The demand for wood is huge.
It all depends on what you want to do.
There are plenty of options you just have to know what you want. Master of Forestry is a two year coursework based masters and tends to be catered towards people who have a bachelor's in a different field. If you have a bachelor's in natural resources, it would be possible to finish the degree in one year. Depending on what you want to do, your options range from getting an AS in Forest Technology to getting a BS in Forestry to getting an MF (Masters of Forestry).
As you would expect, job prospects are much higher with an Master of Forestry. Most Masters programs are meant to be completed in 2 years, but without experience in things like dendrology (tree ID) it could take you at least an extra year to get caught up with the basics before you can really delve into Master's level forestry studies.
Getting in to the field is easy, getting the position you really want is another thing entirely.
Universities
I can't stress enough that university shouldn't be your only route to research.
The Thompson School
The professors at the University of New Hampshire write the SAF standards for all SAF accredited schools.
The Thompson school owns a Timberjack cable skidder, brand new CAT 574 forwarder, professional sawmill, grapple truck, and industrial wood chipper. You'll learn how to manage a forest, harvest a forest, mill products from that forest, grade wood products, climb trees, write a professional forest management plan, write and manage a controlled burn and draw maps using a tape and compass.
The professors also own the equipment that make it possible for Stihl to put on the lumberjack competitions.
Oregon State University
Oregon State University has an excellent College of Forestry. Multiple family members of mine are graduates with successful careers. Their forest engineering program has money, excellent teachers, and smack dab in the middle of some good timber.
Oregon state is probably best in the west, but if you want to stay in the south there are probably better schools
University of Montana
University of Montana has one of the most respected forestry schools around. They actually own a very large experimental forest right by the University.
Additionally with all the forest service land around its relatively easy to get seasonal forestry work. Added bonus, Missoula is an awesome college town.
Wageningen University
If you're feeling adventurous, Wageningen University in the Netherlands offers an excellent Bsc (and Msc) that combines forestry with wider nature management and a solid policy/society perspective.
You wouldn't be the first American and it's a very internationally oriented university. Good facilities and most courses are taught in English!
