Online Wildlife and Forestry Degree Programs

If escaping the confines of a cubicle to work among beautiful, ancient forests sounds more like an extended summer camp than a traditional job, you may want to consider a career as a forest or conservation worker. Before you trade in your tie for a ranger's hat, though, be aware that forestry jobs are considered some of most strenuous and dangerous professions around.

Forest conservation workers and loggers spend nearly 100 percent of their time outdoors, engaged in a number of varied activities. A typical day for a conservation worker may include planting new seedlings, combating insects and diseases that threaten trees, and curtailing soil erosion. Timber-cutters and loggers administer the initial stages of lumber production, cutting down trees, splitting logs, and loading them onto trucks. Conservation scientists work on farms and ranches, helping protect valuable land from fire, erosion, and drought.

Recent advances in machinery have eliminated some of the heavy labor and dangers associated with forestry jobs, yet this work environment is far from safe. Those interested in conservation and logging professions should possess physical strength and stamina as well as familiarity with and an appreciation of the untamed outdoors.

Career Training and Degrees for Forestry Jobs

A college degree in environmental wildlife and forestry can put you at the forefront of environmental protection and conservation efforts. Courses in a forestry degree program will include biological studies and management of birds, plants, and mammals, as well as parks, lands, and forestry use and management. You'll also learn effective conservation techniques that can help you protect our natural resources.

Online degrees in environmental wildlife and forestry can help you qualify for a job as a forester, overseeing national forests and their economical, recreational, and environmental uses. Or you might choose to become a conservation scientist, devising ways to protect our natural resources, or a wildlife technician, gathering and testing animals for the purposes of wildlife management and protection.

A college degree in wildlife and forestry can help to make you more competitive in the job market. Most employers--including the federal government--prefer candidates with two- or four-year degrees.

Students seeking extracurricular experience can apply for seasonal employment, which may consist of short-term duties like planting tree seedlings or thinning trees in order to prepare them for commercial use.

Job Outlook for Forest, Conservation, and Logging Workers

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that employment for logging workers is expected to decline slightly in the coming years. Demand for forest and conservation workers, however, should increase, as more land is allocated for the protection of natural resources and wildlife habitats. Conservation scientists will enjoy similarly favorable job prospects, especially those with master's degrees.

The average annual income of forestry and conservation workers was $28,750 in early 2008, with that of logging workers slightly higher at $32,460. Conservation scientists earn considerably more; in 2006, the median annual income was $54,970.