1. Agricultural Careers Research Forester By: Dr. Frank Flanders and Nina Maxey Georgia Agricultural Education Curriculum Office Georgia Department of Education June 2005 START

2. Job Duties & Responsibilities Maintain expertise in the field by keeping up with scientific journals (reading, reviewing, and publishing) Research topics in forestry Gathering data using a wide variety of sensitive equipment, ranging from Geographic Information Systems to bark gauges Share results with others in the field through conferences or writing articles Maintain data on research projects

3. Qualities and Skills Enjoy being outdoors on a regular basis Be passionate about forest conservation Have good oral and written communication skills Be proficient with computers, particularly with skills related to Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Technologies. Must be able to hike on rough terrain into forested areas for data collection Must be physically able to operate laboratory equipment Be able to work outdoors in all types of weather Must have good stamina for long periods of strenuous work

4. Salary Median annual earnings of forest researchers in 2002 were $50,340. The middle 50 percent earned between $39,300 and $61,440. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $30,630, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $70,770.

5. Work Environment In an office at a computer, working with data sets or writing papers and articles to be published At a research laboratory, raising specimens and performing experiments In the field, collecting data and samples Classroom, teaching others about forestry

6. Becoming a Research Forester It is possible to enter this field with merely a Bachelor’s or Associate’s degree, but further training and experience is usually necessary to advance in this competitive job market. Foresters who wish to perform specialized research or teach forestry should have an advanced degree, preferably a Ph.D.

7. Career Resources Society of American Foresters 5400 Grosvenor Lane Bethesda, MD 20814-2198 Internet: http://www.safnet.org National Association of State Foresters 444 N. Capitol St., NW, Suite 540 Washington, DC 20001 Internet: http://www.stateforesters.org