Forester

Description

Foresters are responsible for monitoring the natural and economic viability of a woodland or forest and for activities related to its management and conservation.

Other titles

The following job titles also refer to forester:

woodland manager
foresters
forestry manager
forest manager

Minimum qualifications

High school diploma is generally required to work as forester. However, this requirement may differ in some countries.

ISCO skill level

ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:

  • the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
  • the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
  • the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.

Forester is a Skill level 4 occupation.

Forester career path

Similar occupations

These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to forester.

forestry adviser
conservation scientist
countryside officer
programme funding manager
environmental policy officer

Long term prospects

These occupations require some skills and knowledge of forester. They also require other skills and knowledge, but at a higher ISCO skill level, meaning these occupations are accessible from a position of forester with a significant experience and/or extensive training.

Essential knowledge and skills

Essential knowledge

This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of forester.

Environmental policy: Local, national and international policies dealing with the promotion of environmental sustainability and the development of projects which reduce negative environmental impact and improve the state of the environment.
Forestry regulations: The legal rules applicable to forestry: agricultural law, rural law, and laws on hunting and fishing.
Animal welfare legislation: The legal boundaries, codes of professional conduct, national and EU regulatory frameworks and legal procedures of working with animals and living organisms, ensuring their welfare and health.
Environmental legislation: The environmental policies and legislation applicable in a certain domain.
Pest control in plants: Types and features of pests in plants and crops. Different kinds of pest control methods, activities using conventional or biological methods taking into account the type of plant or crop, environmental and climate conditions and health and safety regulations. Storage and handling of products.
Agronomy: The study of combining agriculture production and protection and regeneration of natural environment. Includes the principles and methods of critical selection and adequate application methods for sustainability in agriculture.
Health and safety regulations: Necessary health, safety, hygiene and environmental standards and legislation rules in the sector of particular activity.
Plant disease control: Types and features of diseases in plants and crops. Different kinds control methods, activities using conventional or biological methods taking into account the type of plant or crop, environmental and climate conditions and health and safety regulations. Storage and handling of products.

Essential skills and competences

These skills are necessary for the role of forester.

Organise labour: Organise, allocate and coordinate members of the team. Organise production programmes and plan the production and sales. Purchase materials and equipment. Manage stocks.
Monitor forest health: Monitor forest health to make sure all necessary actions are taken by the forestry workers team.
Manage forests: Develop forestry management plans by applying business methods and forestry principles in order to efficiently manage forest resources.
Write technical reports related to trees: Compose written adequate reports about tree-realted issues for parties such as engineers, solicitors, or mortgage and insurance companies, for example if tree roots are causing problems to the integrity of buildings and infrastructure.
Organise tree plantations: Organise the tree plantations. Grow crops in an efficient way.
Monitor forest productivity: Monitor and improve forest productivity by organising growing, timber harvesting, and health measures.
Promote environmental awareness: Calculate the carbon footprint of business processes and other practices in order to promote sustainability and to raise awareness for the environmental impact.
Conserve forests: Strive to conserve and restore forest structures, biodiversity and ecological functions.
Supervise forestry workers: Supervise and coordinate the staff that works in the forestry areas.

Optional knowledge and skills

Optional knowledge

This knowledge is sometimes, but not always, required for the role of forester. However, mastering this knowledge allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

Business management principles: Principles governing business management methods such as strategy planning, methods of efficient production, people and resources coordination.
Animal hunting: The techniques, procedures and legislations concerning the hunting of animals such as wildlife and birds for the purpose of gaining food and animal products, recreation, trade and wildlife management.
Geographic information systems: The tools involved in geographical mapping and positioning, such as GPS (global positioning systems), GIS (geographical information systems), and RS (remote sensing).

Optional skills and competences

These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of forester. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

Organise harvests: Schedule the planting and harvesting of crops.
Communicate with customers: Respond to and communicate with customers in the most efficient and appropriate manner to enable them to access the desired products or services, or any other help they may require.
Use a computer: Utilise computer equipment or digital devices to facilitate quality control, data management, and communication. Follow instructions given by a computer programme, create computer files or documents.
Work independently in forestry services: Perform tasks individually in forestry services by taking decisions without help. Handle tasks and tackle with issues or problems without any outside assistance.
Manage budgets: Plan, monitor and report on the budget.
Apply forest legislation: Ability to efficiently apply forest legislation and principles.
Coordinate forestry research: Coordinate forestry research studies which involve forestry management and conservation, tree improvement, agroforestry, silviculture, pathology and soil selection aiming to improve productivity.
Coordinate timber sales: Efficiently coordinate timber selling in a profitable way. Assist companies in reaching timber production goals by managing timber sales. Takes lead role in timber sale layout and road location activities including clearing and posting timber sale boundaries, cruising timber to determine volumes and grade and marking trees to be removed in commercial thinning operations.
Manage staff: Manage employees and subordinates, working in a team or individually, to maximise their performance and contribution. Schedule their work and activities, give instructions, motivate and direct the workers to meet the company objectives. Monitor and measure how an employee undertakes their responsibilities and how well these activities are executed. Identify areas for improvement and make suggestions to achieve this. Lead a group of people to help them achieve goals and maintain an effective working relationship among staff.
Manage production enterprise: Organise and instruct staff, plan production strategies and programmes including sales. Carry out input purchase orders, materials, equipment and manage stocks etc. Awareness of demands of the businesses customers and adjustments accordingly to plans and strategies. Estimate resources and control budget of enterprise applying business economics, production development and project management principles.
Forecast timber production: Monitor and forecast timber production.
Use communication techniques: Apply techniques of communication which allow interlocutors to better understand each other and communicate accurately in the transmission of messages.
Interact with clients in forestry: Advise clients on elements of good forestry practice and attend meetings of professional forestry bodies and organisations. Liaise and work on forestry projects with other professionals such as landscape architects, biologists, geologists, chartered surveyors, engineers and charitable bodies.
Operate gps systems: Use GPS Systems.
Advise on timber harvest: Provide guidance on how to apply the most appropriate timber harvesting method: clearcut, shelterwood, seed tree, group selection or single-tree selection.
Estimate damage: Estimate damage in case of accidents or natural disasters.
Manage time in forestry: Plan and implement the time sequence of work programmes and schedules regarding the execution of forestry activities.
Perform project management: Manage and plan various resources, such as human resources, budget, deadline, results, and quality necessary for a specific project, and monitor the project’s progress in order to achieve a specific goal within a set time and budget.
Report pollution incidents: Examine the extent of the damage and consequences when an incident causes pollution, and report it to the relevant institution following pollution reporting procedures.
Harvest timber: Organise and apply the most appropriate timber harvesting method: clear-cut, shelterwood, seed tree, group selection or single-tree selection.
Develop natural areas works programmes: Develop, implement and review natural areas works program (service delivery) to enable completion within allocated resources and timeframes.

ISCO group and title

1311 – Agricultural and forestry production managers

 

 


 

 

References
  1. Forester – ESCO
Last updated on August 8, 2022