Jobs / Science and research / 19-4071.00
Forest and Conservation Technicians
Provide technical assistance regarding the conservation of soil, water, forests, or related natural resources. May compile data pertaining to size, content, condition, and other characteristics of forest tracts under the direction of foresters, or train and lead forest workers in forest propagation and fire prevention and suppression. May assist conservation scientists in managing, improving, and protecting rangelands and wildlife habitats.
- US jobs
- 30,410
- Median wage
- $54,560 a year
- Job family
- Science and research
Can agents do the work of forest and conservation technicians?
We read the evidence at the level of the job family, Science and research:
- Task levelPartialThin evidence. CORE-Bench asks agents to reproduce the results of published papers in computer science, social science, and medicine from the authors' code and data. Princeton's HAL team declared it solved in December 2025: Claude Code with Claude Opus 4.5 scored 95.5% after manual regrading. No benchmark in our collection tests new experiments or lab work.
- Project levelNot yetThin evidence. On PaperBench, where agents replicate machine learning papers from scratch, the best official result is 26.0% (o1, April 2025). On a small subset, ML PhDs scored 41.4% against o1's 26.6%. No newer official results exist, and no benchmark tests research projects in other sciences.
Benchmarks for the job family
These cover work in science and research, not always this occupation's tasks.
- 95.5%Claude Code + Claude Opus 4.5 (after manual regrading) · 3 Dec 2025Solved
Typical tasks
From O*NET 31.0. Core tasks first. Few of these tasks have a benchmark today.
- Thin and space trees and control weeds and undergrowth, using manual tools and chemicals, or supervise workers performing these tasks.
- Train and lead forest and conservation workers in seasonal activities, such as planting tree seedlings, putting out forest fires, and maintaining recreational facilities.
- Provide information about, and enforce, regulations, such as those concerning environmental protection, resource utilization, fire safety, and accident prevention.
- Patrol park or forest areas to protect resources and prevent damage.
- Map forest tract data using digital mapping systems.
- 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 programs.
- Monitor activities of logging companies and contractors.
- Perform reforestation or forest renewal, including nursery and silviculture operations, site preparation, seeding and tree planting programs, cone collection, and tree improvement.
- Plan and supervise construction of access routes and forest roads.
- Select and mark trees for thinning or logging, drawing detailed plans that include access roads.
- Supervise forest nursery operations, timber harvesting, land use activities such as livestock grazing, and disease or insect control programs.
Other job titles for this occupation (20)
Biological Science Aide · Forest Technician · Forestry Aide · Forestry Technician (Forestry Tech) · Resource Technician · Timber Appraiser · Conservation Agent · Conservation Officer · Conservation Technician · Field Technician (Field Tech) · Forester Aide · Forestry Aid Technician · Forestry Aide Technician · Grazing Aide · Grazing Examiner · Natural Resources Technician · Park Technician (Park Tech) · Range Technician · Timber Management Technician · Timber Sale Preparation Forestry Technician (Timber Sale Preparation Forestry Tech)