Who Works in this Forest?
Get this Guide
Find Training
As an introduction to some of the people who work in and on behalf of forests, learners research different forest sector careers to learn what it takes to perform these jobs.
To get PLT’s Green Jobs: Exploring Forest Careers unit, purchase a copy from Shop.PLT.org or find information about an in-person workshop in your area.
Supporting resources for this activity include the Worksheets from the guide (also known as Student Pages) and 12 additional Green Job Fact Sheets for the following green jobs: Forester, Environmental Educator, GIS Specialist, Indigenous Relations Specialist, Forestry Technician, Park Ranger, Hydrologist, Silviculture Technician, Urban Forester, Machine Operator, Wildlife Biologist, and Sustainability Manager.
Green Jobs: Exploring Forest Careers is a supplementary curriculum that is multi-disciplinary, with an emphasis on science, reading, writing, mathematics, and social studies.
Each activity displays explicit connections to practices and concepts expected by the following national academic standards so teachers can easily see where the materials will fit into their lesson plans:
- Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
- Common Core Toolkit, includes
- English Language Arts (CCSS.ELA)
- Mathematics (CCSS.MATH)
- College, Career, and Civic Life Framework for Social Studies (C3)
Our professional development further demonstrates these connections, as well as to state and local standards, contact your state coordinator.
EE Resources
Adaptations for Remote Learning: Activity 1, Who Works in This Forest?
To support you in teaching remotely we have adapted this activity for the virtual environment. Download this PDF, Educator Adaptations for Remote Learning with suggestions for using technology to support and deepen learning.
Remote Ready Student Pages – Who Works In the Forest
Google Slides and Docs are great tools for facilitating remote learning and student collaboration. They can be integrated into Google Classroom or other e-learning platforms. Check the Who Works In the Forest for our remote-ready educator instructions and student pages. Please note: Resources are available as view only and require that you make a copy to your own Drive... Read more »
NGSS Toolkit for Green Jobs: Exploring Forest Careers
Download this PLT Green Jobs NGSS Correlations Toolkit. The Toolkit includes guiding questions, a list of science connections, and explicit NGSS correlations for each activity. Each is organized around the three dimensions of science, making it useful for educators even if their state has not adopted NGSS.
SAF College Guide
The Society of American Foresters (SAF) College Guide is a go-to resource for students interested in pursuing a career in forestry or natural resources. The 2019 SAF College Guide includes a listing of all SAF-accredited programs at two-year and four-year colleges and universities, as well as 19 institutions describing their programs in their own words. It... Read more »
Conservation Careers: Video Series from New York
The video series On the Front Lines, created by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, profiles conservation professionals working in New York’s natural lands and environments. Select the playlist “On the Front Lines” to choose from 25 videos highlighting a variety of green careers including Wildlife Biologist, Forest Health Specialist, and Environmental Educator.
Outdoor Careers and Connections to Nature: Video Series from New Hampshire
The video series North Country Calling: Finding Home in Northern New Hampshire documents four young people in New Hampshire who have found rewarding careers in forestry and the manufacture of wood products, in outdoor recreation and education. Their chosen paths strengthen their close connection with nature and fulfill their thirst for outdoor adventure. The videos, created by... Read more »
Career Profile Cards
Explore jobs in the environment, natural resource, outdoor recreation, and renewable energy sectors with these Career Profile Cards, developed by the Pacific Education Institute. The cards highlight voices of individuals in those careers. Learn about the day-to-day, career pathway, and tips and tools of the trade from an Assistant Forester, Salmon Habitat Restoration Manager, Water Quality... Read more »
Make That Paper: Careers in Forestry Online Game
Make That Paper: Careers in Forestry is an online game designed to help high school students learn about the forestry industry and career employability skills. In the game, students are managers in three different forest industry career tracks, hiring personnel, solving industry-related problems, and making sound business decisions. Objectives include maintaining sustainable, efficient, and successful management of... Read more »
Cool Jobs Video Series
Want to show your students how fun, interesting, and just downright cool being a scientist can be? Share with them this Cool Jobs video series that highlights what scientists do, how they do it, and how they got their jobs. There are 40 videos highlighting a variety of green careers including Biologist, Wildlife Conservationist, and Zoologist.
PLT Green Jobs Youth Personality Quiz
Project Learning Tree has launched an interactive quiz that allows youth to answer a few simple questions online and receive recommendations for a rewarding green career path that suits their personality. It’s fast, easy, and fun to do! — perfect for youth ages 12-25 looking to learn about what it takes to perform jobs in sustainability,... Read more »
PLT’s 12 Green Job Fact Sheets
Learn more about the wide array of jobs related to forests with PLT’s 12 Green Jobs Fact Sheets, which highlights the following green jobs: Forester, Environmental Educator, GIS Specialist, Indigenous Relations Specialist, Forestry Technician, Park Ranger, Hydrologist, Silviculture Technician, Urban Forester, Machine Operator, Wildlife Biologist, and Sustainability Manager. Green jobs offer opportunities for people with... Read more »
“Meet a Forester” webinar
Conservation and Youth Education Specialist and Colorado PLT Coordinator, Danielle Ardrey, and forester/firefighter, Kelsey Lesniak, with the Colorado Forest Service co-hosted a “Meet a Forester” webinar for Girl Scouts of Colorado. More than 30 Girl Scouts from across Colorado participated in this webinar on May 27, 2020 to learn about their jobs and the science... Read more »
Forest Team GO!
Oregon Forest Resources Institute created a fun video for grades 4-6, to show them the range of careers in the forest sector and how these professionals work together to manage forests. Forest Team GO! explains the sustainable cycle of forestry while introducing students to: tree growers (botanists and seedling managers), who oversee the germination of seeds in... Read more »
Natural Inquirer Scientist Cards
Explore more than 250 different Forest Service scientist and engineer career opportunities with the Natural Inquirer’s downloadable career cards, made in partnership with Cradle of Forestry in America Interpretive Association (CFAIA) and the US Forest Service. Available in both English and Spanish, career cards are available direct for download and will help youth explore the important... Read more »
Finding Your Path
Learn more about the life of a field forester and more in this booklet Find Your Path from the Oregon Forest Resources Institute. Joe Newton, once a professional football player for the Seattle Seahawks, now works for Lone Rock Timber in Roseburg, Oregon as a Field Forester. He collaborates with tree-planters, helicopter pilots, and other... Read more »
Careers with the MN Forestry Division
Explore forestry careers with Minnesota’s Department of Natural Resources through five short videos. Learn how your tasks as a Minnesotan forester can differ depending on the season and where you work in the state – you can go from planting trees and conducting prescribed burns in the spring to snowmobiling across frozen ground to remote... Read more »
Guide: Regional Government Agencies – Outdoor Career Opportunities
Learn some tips and tricks for pursuing regional opportunities working in and for the outdoors in this handy outdoor career opportunities guide. This guide provides practical advice on how to research regional agencies, where to find job openings associated with these agencies, and the ways in which to build your experience – from seasonal jobs... Read more »
Environmental Job Boards
Explore environmental job openings through online job boards such as the Conservation Job Board and Texas A&M’s Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences Job Board. Filter between categories, locations, and job type—and subscribe to receive email alerts for up-to-date job openings around the country. The Conservation Job Board frequently features different conservation-related online graduate programs in... Read more »
Podcast Series: Learning About Green Careers
Learn more about the work of a tree conservation ecologist in this episode from the podcast series Planted: Finding your roots in STEM Careers. Dr. Silvia Alvarez-Clare works at The Morton Arboretum, located 25 miles west of Chicago. She collaborates with individuals and institutions all over the world to save the brandegee oak (Quercus brandegeei) from extinction. Dr.... Read more »
Login to download supporting materials such as appendices and teaching tips.
LoginYou Might Also Like
Seeking Sustainability
Learners explore the concept of sustainability by examining the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals, while also taking a look at some jobs involved in ensuring forest sustainability.
Monitoring Forest Health
Through a variety of health indicators, learners assess the health of a forest area and see how soil scientists, wildlife biologists, arborists, and other forest professionals monitor forests.
If You Were the Boss
Acting as foresters, learners grapple with decisions about how to manage a forest sustainably while serving different needs.
Forest Biotechnology
Students learn how traditional methods of artificial selection and modern methods of bioengineering have been used to improve the quality of forests products worldwide. Students investigate both the risks and benefits of genetically modifying trees.