Profession forestry technician

Forestry technicians assist and support the forest manager and implement their decisions. They supervise a team of forestry equipment operators and support and supervise forestry and environmental protection through research and data collection. They also manage resource conservation and harvesting plans.

Would you like to know what kind of career and professions suit you best? Take our free Holland code career test and find out.

Personality Type

Knowledge

  • Logging

    The process of felling, cutting trees and transforming them into timber, including mechanical felling and processing.

  • Forest ecology

    The ecosystems existing in a forest, starting from bacteria to trees and soil types.

  • Fire-fighting systems

    The devices and systems used to extinguish fires; the classes and chemistry of fire.

  • Environmental policy

    Local, national and international policies dealing with the promotion of environmental sustainability and the development of projects which reduce negative environmental impact and improve the state of the environment.

Skills

  • Vegetation control

    Spray vegetation by the sides of roads to control its encroachment on forest roads.

  • Provide first aid

    Administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation or first aid in order to provide help to a sick or injured person until they receive more complete medical treatment.

  • Supervise forestry workers

    Supervise and coordinate the staff that works in the forestry areas.

  • Apply forest legislation

    Ability to efficiently apply forest legislation and principles.

  • Perform tree thinning

    Remove some trees from a stand in order to improve tree health, timber value and production.

  • Maintain forest roads

    Inspect the forest roads in order to spot malfunctions, such as fallen trees, and organise repair processes.

  • Manage forest fires

    Protect life, property and resources by preventing forest fires. Detect, control, restrict and suppress fires when they occur. Integrate knowledge of fire regimes, the effects of fire and the values at risk, the required level of forest protection, and costs of fire-related activities.

  • Apply prescribed herbicides

    Carry out, under supervision and as authorised, the spraying of prescribed herbicides in accordance with training and skills acquired, using manufacturers’ application rates, in accordance with materials safety data sheets and any formal procedure and practice in place, and for which clearance has been issued.

  • Monitor work site

    Regularly ensure that working conditions on site meet health and safety requirements; ensure that the proposed work will not pose a threat to the physical integrity of others.

  • Conduct reforestation surveys

    Determine the maintenance and distribution of seedling . Identify disease and damage done by animals. Prepare and submit notifications, written plans and budgets for reforestation.

  • Operate forestry equipment

    Operate various forest instruments such as skidders, bulldozers to pull scarification or site preparation equipment over forest areas to be regenerated.

  • Monitor logging operations

    Ensure that logging operation follow the contractually agreed terms and specified procedures. Strive to solve any problems that arise during the operation. Improve on existing methods and ensure compliance with safety, company, and government regulations.

  • Maintain forestry equipment

    Check forestry equipment to make sure that it is in working order.

  • Plant green plants

    Plant seeds manually or by using ground equipment.

  • Coordinate timber sales

    Efficiently coordinate timber selling in a profitable way. Assist companies in reaching timber production goals by managing timber sales. Takes lead role in timber sale layout and road location activities including clearing and posting timber sale boundaries, cruising timber to determine volumes and grade and marking trees to be removed in commercial thinning operations.

Optional knowledge and skills

work in a forestry team advise client on technical possibilities advise on timber harvest monitor drivers monitor equipment advise supervisors lead a team in forestry services operate gps systems read maps monitor workload monitor forest productivity use different communication channels advise contractors report pollution incidents advise on tree issues

Source: Sisyphus ODB