Becoming a Forest and Wildlife Conservation Technician in Wisconsin

If you live in Wisconsin and enjoy being outdoors much of the time, becoming a forest and conservation technician could be the right career path for you. According to the USDA Forest Service, Wisconsin contains 17.1 million acres of forest land and about 11.4 billion live trees. Forested area in the state has increased 2.1 percent since 2009.

Forest technicians work with a team to protect forests, preserve natural resources and help with conservation studies. They are directed by foresters to complete tasks such as cutting trees, operating machinery and gathering data. Some forest technicians specialize in preventing and fighting forest fires, while others work in urban settings with trees and other wildlife.

Preparing for Your Career

Forest and conservation technicians should hold at least an associate’s degree in forestry, conservation, natural sources or another related field before beginning work. Studying in a college program gives you important technical and scientific skills you need to perform the job. Some students pursue four-year bachelor’s degrees so they can advance to higher levels of work in the forestry field.

Where to Study in Forestry

Community and technical colleges are likely to offer two-year programs specializing in forestry technology. Four-year bachelor’s degree programs are available in many shapes and forms at larger universities and colleges. There are a variety of two-year and four-year forestry programs available in Wisconsin, including:

• Mid-State Technical College. The Wisconsin Rapids campus of this school offers a two-year Urban Forestry Technician associate’s degree. It runs 68 to 69 credits in length. Students learn techniques in pruning, plant health, tree planting and maintenance, plant identification and more. This program is eligible for full financial aid. Mid-State has transfer agreements with many schools to turn your degree into a bachelor’s degree.
• Fox Valley Technical College. Located in Appleton, this school offers a two-year Natural Resources Technician associate’s degree. The program can be completed on either a part-time or full-time basis. To be accepted into the program, students must have a high school GPA of at least 2.75 or a completed associate’s degree.

How Many Are Employed and What Are They Paid?

According to the Projections Managing Partnership, 640 Wisconsin forest and conservation technicians were employed in 2016. Employment for these specialists in Wisconsin is expected to grow 4.7 percent by 2026, with an average of 80 job openings per year.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported a median income of $16.65 for forest technicians in Wisconsin in 2018, which was slightly lower than the national median wage for these workers, at $17.37 per hour that same year.

Finding Forest Technician Work

Sixty percent of all forest land in Wisconsin is concentrated in the top third of the state. The southwestern part of the state also contains a large amount of forest. These are areas with much land that needs to be cared for, so they are probably good places to find work in Wisconsin. Where are people actually employed, though?

In 2018, highest numbers of forest and conservation technicians were employed in the northwestern and northeastern nonmetropolitan areas of Wisconsin as well as Madison. They were paid highest in the south-central Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area, with a median income of $20.38 per hour. The area of the state with the highest density of employed forest technicians per 1,000 jobs was the northwestern Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area. Those working in Madison were paid the lowest, at a median rate of $13.71 per hour.

With a slow but steady increase in the forest and conservation technician workforce, it looks like you can find work in this field all over the state. Because the jobs are numbered, however, this may be a career that causes you to relocate in search of work.