How to Become a Forest and Wildlife Conservation Worker in South Carolina
A career as a forest and conservation worker or forest conservation technician is a great choice if you enjoy the outdoors and are passionate about improving the quality of forests. In this career, you will
work under the direction of a forester.
As a forest and conservation worker, your duties will be related to maintaining, protecting and developing forests. They’ll include planting seedlings to reforest land, helping to suppress or prevent forest fires, spraying trees with insecticides and planting seedlings. You may also identify diseased trees and remove them if necessary.
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While workers are involved in physical tasks, forest conservation technicians may provide technical assistance regarding conservation of natural resources such as forests, water or soil. If you decide to become a technician, you may train or supervise forest and conservation workers. The southeast has many forests, which creates opportunities for forest and conservation workers or technicians in South Carolina.
What’s Required to Become a Forest or Conservation Worker or Technician in South Carolina?
Many forest and conservation workers in South Carolina are trained on the job. Most of these opportunities require that you have a high school diploma or GED. In many cases, you’ll also be required to have a valid drivers’ license.
Even though you’re not always required to have formal education for jobs as a forest and conservation worker, obtaining formal training in forestry may give you an advantage when competing with other candidates. At forestry programs in community colleges or vocational schools, you can learn more about forest management technology, timber harvesting and wildlife management.
South Carolina Training Programs in Forestry
Formal training can be an advantage when you’re competing with other candidates for forest and conservation jobs. Schools in South Carolina that offer programs in forestry include:
- Horry Georgetown Technical College. This college located in Conway, SC, offers an associate’s degree in Forestry Management Technology – Wildlife Management. This forestry program emphasizes topics related to wildlife management, preparing you for a career working directly with wildlife and managing and manipulating their environmental conditions to enhance populations. Completing this program qualifies you for natural resources technician positions.
- Clemson University. At this university, you can obtain a bachelor’s degree in Forest Resource Management. On the campus’s 17,500-acre experimental forest, you’ll discover many opportunities for research and invaluable hands-on experience.
Career Outlook and Salaries for South Carolina Forest and Conservation Workers and Technicians
Jobs in the field of forest conservation are likely to grow slowly or possibly even decline. CareerOneStop reports that there were 260 people employed in this field in South Carolina as of 2016. The prediction is that there will be approximately 30 more jobs by 2026, which is a growth rate of about three percent.
The median annual salary reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics for forest and conservation workers in South Carolina in 2018 was $24,610. The hourly mean was $13.62 per hour. For forest and conservation technicians in this state the same year, the median annual salary was $44,720, and the hourly mean was $21.87.
Working as a Forest and Conservation Worker or Technician in South Carolina
The state of South Carolina doesn’t have a huge number of jobs in this field, but this doesn’t mean there aren’t opportunities for qualified candidates. The area that has the highest concentration of forest and conservation jobs is the lower Savannah region, followed by the Augusta area.
If you do pursue a career in forest and conservation, you may find that that the work can become physically demanding. You’ll be working outdoors, rain or shine, and you may be required to do a lot of walking. You’ll need plenty of physical stamina and a true love for forests. If you have a genuine desire to make this your career, persistence and determination will help you find the right opportunity for you.