Career in Forestry: Course, Jobs, Salary

“The forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people.”- Franklin D. Roosevelt. Had there been no forests, the earth would have been just like any other planet revolving in the universe with no life and natural resources. Today, deforestation is one of the major issues the world is combatting with. Owing to the conservation of forests and wildlife, more and more young minds are flocking towards a career in Forestry so that they can contribute their bit towards the betterment of tomorrow and life their career graph. If you are the one who has an immense love for Environmental Studies and Forestry and wants to work your way up towards what interests you, this blog contains about Forestry as a discipline and different forestry jobs for environmentalists!

What is Forestry?

Forestry- The name itself determines that the term is used for forest related purposes. However, forestry in simple terms is the science or practice of planting, managing, conserving and maintaining forests and its associated resources with the aim to meets the goal of human benefits.

What does a Forester do?

A forester has numerous roles and responsibilities to fulfill. But here we have mentioned the major roles of a forester:

• Involved in various activities that include ecological restoration, timber harvesting, and protection of natural resources.
• Develop forest management plans for public and privately-owned forested lands
• Choosing sites for new trees.
• Planning and supervising of forestry projects.
• Promoting a sustainable economy through renewable forest products.

Best Courses for Forestry

With the growing awareness about the conservation of forests and other related aspects to it, it has become a matter of utmost importance that more and more young minds are educated. Owing to this, many universities and educational institutions around the world have started various undergraduate and postgraduate programs on some major specializations in Forestry.

Certificate and Diploma Courses

• Certificate Course in Wildlife Management
• Certificate Course in Ferns from Warnborough College
• Certificate Courses in Arboriculture from Warnborough College
• Diploma in Zoo and Wild Animal Health Cure and Management
• Diploma in Horticulture
• Post Graduate Diploma in Forestry Management (PGDFM)
• Post Master’s Diploma Non Wood Forest Products

Undergraduate Courses for Forestry

• Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma in Wildlife Management
• Diploma in Forest Resource Technology
• BSc in Forestry, Forest and Wildlife Management
• BSc in Agriculture (Range and Wildlife Management)
• BSc Forestry
• BSc in Forest Health
• BSc in Tree Improvement and Genetic Resources
• Bachelor of Forest Science and Management

Graduate Courses for Forestry

• Graduate Diploma in Forest Science and Management
• MSc Environmental Forestry
• MSc in Forest Biomaterials
• MSc in AgroForestry
• MSc in Forest Products
• MSc in Wood Science and Technology
• Master of Forest Conservation
• Masters in Wildlife Sciences
• MPhil Forestry Studies

Eligibility Criteria for Forestry Courses

Entering the domain of Forestry is not everyone’s cup of tea. The aspirant needs to have a love for the environment and have proper educational qualifications for understanding various technicalities pertaining to various aspects of Forestry. For becoming a highly specialized worker in Forestry, given below is the eligibility criteria which the candidates need to fulfil anyhow.

• Starting from the scratch level, the candidate needs to have passed at least 10+2 level of studies with either MPC subjects or BiPC subjects.
• The candidate should hold a bachelors and a masters degree in any of the above-mentioned courses. For example, a Bachelor of Science or a Master of Science in Forestry or Social Forestry.
• In order to go for a highly-specialized position in the field of Forestry, the candidates can go for research studies such as MPhil, PhD or other doctoral programs.

Top Universities Offering Courses in Forestry

With the growing demand for Forestry courses among international students, more and more universities are introducing various programs. The following universities are known for educating the students using high-end technology and helping them get hands-on work experience through industrial exposure.

• Newcastle University
• Northern Kentucky University
• University of Toronto
• Murdoch University
• Texas A&M University 
• University of Alberta
• The University of Melbourne
• Southern Illinois University, Carbondale
• Bangor University

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Top Universities in India for Forestry

• Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology
• Mewar University
• Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwavidyalaya 
• Vasantrao Nair Marathwada Krishi Vidyapeeth
• Institute of Media Management, Technology, and Agrosciences
• North Eastern Regional Institute of Science and Technology
• Himalayan Institute of Technology
• Guru Ghasidas Vishwavidyalaya 
• Vasantrao Nair Marathwada Krishi Vidyapeeth
• Punjab Agricultural University

Career Scope and Salary for Forestry

Working closely with both the private and public sectors and India and abroad, the field of Forestry has emerged out to be a full-fledged career option having enormous career prospects in the future. You can find opportunities in Land Management, Government Agencies, NGOs, Research and Development, Timber Management, Firefighting and Conservation, Food Companies, Plant Resources Laboratories, and Food Companies. Let us take a look at the popular forestry jobs:

Forester

A Forester plans and carries out forestry projects like planting fresh trees, conserving and monitoring wildlife, choosing and preparing timber plots, assessing value and reducing forest fire. Besides, they are responsible for supervising the forest and employing conservation techniques to ensure the projects are completed consciously and legally.

Forest and Conservation Technicians

These tend to work together with conservation scientists and foresters to successfully carry out forestry projects like collecting forest data, checking the quality of water, soil and wildlife populations, managing the records of logging activities and survey forest areas. Moreover, technicians help with forest distribution and conservation besides, engaging in seasonal activities.

Environmental Compliance Inspector

As an Environmental Compliance Inspector, you have to use your knowledge of local, state and federal laws and on-site fieldwork to investigate the cause and source of pollution and contamination issues. You will have to actively get involved to fetch environmental remediations to remove pollutants.

Forest Fire Prevention Specialist

The role of a Forest Fire Inspector combines firefighting experience and skills with knowledge or regulations, laws and hazard prevention. They are responsible to take measures to prevent fires, report and investigate fires when they do occur to reduce posing wildfire risks.

Wildland and Forest Firefighter

These emphasise to work with smokejumpers on the prevention and reduction of fires in areas with low human presence. As a Wildland Firefighter, you will be specially trained to control forest fires with heavy hoses and also trained to parachute from aeroplanes to reach hard-to-access zones.

Logging Equipment Operator

Another unique forestry job for students to pursue is Logging Equipment Operator. Driving and controlling the machines and vehicles used on logging sites, the work of a Logging Equipment Operator. Besides, they understand and maintain safety standards while using essential equipment like bulldozer, winches, cranes, hoists, etc.

Log Grader or Scaler

These play an important role in the timber and logging industries – examining cut timber for its expected market value and rate logs based on their characteristics. They also assess pulpwood and logs on specific criteria, look for defects, measure their weight, volume and dimension and also identify their species.

Dendrologist

Dendrology is the study of wooded plants and their taxonomic classifications. As a Dendrologist, you will be working in Industrial Forestry and focusing on the identification of economically useful woody plants (native and non-native) that occur in a region. This is amongst the best forestry jobs for environmentalists and nature lovers.

Silviculture 

Silviculture is a unique forestry job to pursue. It is the practice of monitoring the growth, composition and the quality of forests to meet the needs and value of timber production. All forest land is managed and controlled by silviculturists, regardless of whether it is publicly or privately owned.

Forest Ranger

A Forest Ranger works with state and national forests to ensure that these areas are healthy and well-maintained. In order to do so, they may enforce regulations, survey the land, engage in conservation, educate visitors and also gather data on plant population, prevent and suppress wildfires, clear walking paths and conduct search and rescue missions.

Faller

They use cutting tools like axes, chainsaws and specialised methodologies to reduce the fall damage of trees. They are in charge of assessing the trees and making accurate cut decisions to control the direction in which the trees fall. Fallers work in close coordination with buckers, logging equipment operators and climbers.

Salary

The salary of a Forester depends upon the firm or sector you are working for. Depending upon the level of experience and qualification, you can earn an annual salary of around INR 5,00,000 to INR 6,00,000 as a Forester in India. The salary of a Forester in various countries as mentioned below:

Country	Average Salary per Annum	In INR
USA	USD 53,482	41,44,132
UK	£23,760	22,58,081
Canada	CAD 63,922	38,38,758
Australia	AUD 71,398	38,36,457
Ireland	€28,883	23,30,227

Best Books for Forestry

Here’s a list of some of the best books to study Forestry:

Book	Author
Introduction to Forestry Science	De Vere Burton
Forestry : A Subjective Guide for IFS Aspirants	K.T. Parthiban, S.Umesh Kanna, S.Vennila, I.Sekar
Continuous Cover Forestry	Timo Pukkala, Klaus Von Gadow
Forestry : Principles and Applications	Antony Joseph Raj, S.B. Lai
Dictionary of Forestry & Wildlife Science	Kailash Chandra Bebarta

FAQs

Just like forests are important for the sustainability of the earth, the same goes with a flourishing career. If you are struggling to find a course that suits you and your interests, then Leverage Edu is right here for you. From choosing the right Forestry course to helping you select the best university that aligns with your preference is what we aim for!