How to Become a Forest and Wildlife Conservation Worker in Texas

If you live in Texas and enjoy being in the woods, now is the time to start your career as a forest or conservation worker. These forestry professionals assist foresters, forest technicians and conservation scientists by performing duties to measure and improve forest quality. Some of the tasks performed by forest and conservation workers include spraying plants with insecticides, clearing debris from pathways and camping areas, and collecting field data for conservation scientists.

This job takes place primarily outdoors, sometimes in extreme weather conditions. You must be able to spend long hours outdoors and walk long distances to be successful as a forest or conservation worker. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), 27 percent of forest and conservation workers are employed by state government agencies, and 13 percent are employed by local agencies.

Career and Education Steps for Forest and Conservation Workers

To become a forest or conservation worker, you need to first graduate high school or earn your GED equivalent. Then, you can immediately begin applying to jobs with local and state agencies. These entry-level jobs will usually provide on-the-job training. Or, you can pursue a two-year forestry program at a community college to gain some valuable background before beginning work.

You’ll earn more money and find better jobs as you advance in your forestry career, so it’s a good idea to study in a forestry program while you work part-time. You can study to become a forester, forest technician or conservation scientist while paying the bills and gaining experience as a forest worker.

Earn Your Degree in Forestry

There aren’t many short programs in forestry in Texas, but there are some great four-year bachelor’s degree options. These programs can help you become a technician, forester or conservation scientist. Check out these universities’ forestry programs:

• Stephen F. Austin State University. Located in Nacogdoches, east Texas, this school offers a four-year bachelor’s degree in Forestry. The major can be tailored to fire management, urban forestry and more. Another degree in Forest and Wildlife Management is also available. This university is close to lots of wildlife with over half a million acres of forest land within driving distance.
• Texas A & M, College Station. At this school, earn your Bachelor of Science degree in Forestry from the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management. Students in the program learn the scientific management of forest resources, and the program lasts 120 credit hours.

Salary Expectations and Employment

The job prospects for forest and conservation workers aren’t very good compared to those of forest and conservation technicians. Therefore, you should consider training to become a technician after gaining some experience as a forest worker.

The Projections Managing Partnership reports that in 2016, Texas employed 240 forest workers and 400 forest technicians. While forest worker employment is not expected to increase anytime soon, employment levels for Texas forest technicians are expected to grow 10 percent by 2026. That’s a very fast rate for the industry, showing promise for those who want to enter the field.

Technicians in Texas were also paid higher in 2018, at a rate of $20.16 per hour, while forest and conservation workers made only $15.27 per hour. The income difference is yet another reason to eventually become a forest technician.

Locations for Texas Forest Workers

Demand for forest workers and technicians seems to be spread evenly throughout the state of Texas. The BLS states that in 2018, forest and conservation workers in the Houston area were paid a median income of $15.25 per hour. For technicians, the highest pay rate was found in the Austin-Round Rock area, with a median of $22.12 per hour.

The highest rate of forest technician employment in 2018 was in the Big Thicket Region nonmetropolitan area. With such little data for the field, it’s difficult to figure out the best place to get started in your career. However, it looks like there is need for forest and conservation workers just about everywhere throughout Texas.