A forester is a person who practises

forest management Forest management is a branch of forestry concerned with overall administrative, legal, economic, and social aspects, as well as scientific and technical aspects, such as silviculture, forest protection, and forest regulation. This includes man ...

and

forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests and woodlands for associated resources for human and Natural environment, environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and ...

, the science, art, and profession of managing

forest A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...

s. Foresters engage in a broad range of activities including

ecological restoration Ecological restoration, or ecosystem restoration, is the process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged, destroyed or transformed. It is distinct from conservation in that it attempts to retroactively repair ...

and management of

protected areas Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewoo ...

. Foresters manage forests to provide a variety of objectives including direct extraction of

raw material A raw material, also known as a feedstock, unprocessed material, or primary commodity, is a basic material that is used to produce goods, finished goods, energy, or intermediate materials/Intermediate goods that are feedstock for future finished ...

outdoor recreation Outdoor recreation or outdoor activity refers to recreation done outside, most commonly in natural settings. The activities that encompass outdoor recreation vary depending on the physical environment they are being carried out in. These activitie ...

, conservation, hunting and aesthetics. Emerging management practices include managing forestlands for

biodiversity Biodiversity is the variability of life, life on Earth. It can be measured on various levels. There is for example genetic variability, species diversity, ecosystem diversity and Phylogenetics, phylogenetic diversity. Diversity is not distribut ...

carbon sequestration Carbon sequestration is the process of storing carbon in a carbon pool. It plays a crucial role in Climate change mitigation, limiting climate change by reducing the amount of Carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere, carbon dioxide in the atmosphe ...

and air quality. Foresters work for the

timber industry Lumber is wood that has been processed into uniform and useful sizes (dimensional lumber), including beams and planks or boards. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, window frames). ...

, government agencies, conservation groups, local authorities,

urban Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of people ...

parks boards, citizens' associations, and private

landowners In common law systems, land tenure, from the French verb "" means "to hold", is the legal regime in which land "owned" by an individual is possessed by someone else who is said to "hold" the land, based on an agreement between both individuals ...

. The forestry profession includes a wide diversity of jobs, with educational requirements ranging from college bachelor's degrees to PhDs for highly specialized work. Industrial foresters plan forest regeneration starting with careful harvesting. Urban foresters manage trees in

urban green spaces In land-use planning, urban green spaces are open-space areas reserved for parks and other "green spaces." These include plant life, water features also known as blue spaces and other kinds of natural environments. Most urban open spaces are g ...

. Foresters work in tree nurseries growing

seedlings A seedling is a young sporophyte developing out of a plant embryo from a seed. Seedling development starts with germination of the seed. A typical young seedling consists of three main parts: the radicle (embryonic root), the hypocotyl (embry ...

for woodland creation or regeneration projects. Foresters improve tree

genetics Genetics is the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity in organisms.Hartl D, Jones E (2005) It is an important branch in biology because heredity is vital to organisms' evolution. Gregor Mendel, a Moravian Augustinians, Augustinian ...

. Forest engineers develop new building systems. Professional foresters measure and

model A model is an informative representation of an object, person, or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin , . Models can be divided in ...

the growth of forests with tools like

geographic information systems A geographic information system (GIS) consists of integrated computer hardware and software that store, manage, analyze, edit, output, and visualize geographic data. Much of this often happens within a spatial database; however, this is not ...

. Foresters may combat

insect Insects (from Latin ') are Hexapoda, hexapod invertebrates of the class (biology), class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (Insect morphology#Head, head, ...

infestation, disease, forest and

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominance (ecology), dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes such as clover, and other Herbaceo ...

wildfire A wildfire, forest fire, or a bushfire is an unplanned and uncontrolled fire in an area of Combustibility and flammability, combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identified as a ...

, but increasingly allow these natural aspects of forest

ecosystems An ecosystem (or ecological system) is a system formed by Organism, organisms in interaction with their Biophysical environment, environment. The Biotic material, biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and en ...

to run their course when the likelihood of

epidemics An epidemic (from Ancient Greek, Greek ἐπί ''epi'' "upon or above" and δῆμος ''demos'' "people") is the rapid spread of disease to a large number of Host (biology), hosts in a given population within a short period of time. For example ...

or risk of life or property are low. Increasingly, foresters participate in wildlife conservation planning and

watershed Watershed may refer to: Hydrology * Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins * Drainage basin, an area of land where surface water converges (North American usage) Music * Watershed Music Festival, an annual country ...

protection. Foresters have been mainly concerned with timber management, especially

reforestation Reforestation is the practice of restoring previously existing forests and woodlands that have been destroyed or damaged. The prior forest destruction might have happened through deforestation, clearcutting or wildfires. Three important purpose ...

, forests at prime conditions, and fire control. Many people confuse the role of the forester with that of the logger, but most foresters are concerned not only with the harvest of timber, but also with the

sustainable management Sustainable management takes the concepts from sustainability and synthesizes them with the concepts of management. Sustainability has three branches: the environment, the needs of present and future generations, and the economy. Using these bran ...

of forests. The forester Jack C. Westoby remarked that "forestry is concerned not with trees, but with how trees can serve people".

Career

United States

The median salary of foresters in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

was $53,750, in 2008. Beginning foresters without bachelor's degrees make considerably less. Those with master's degrees are able to command salaries closer to the average. The

Council for Higher Education Accreditation The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) is an American organization of degree-granting colleges and universities. It identifies its purpose as providing national advocacy for academic quality through accreditation in order to ...

considers the

Society of American Foresters The Society of American Foresters (SAF) is a professional organization representing the forestry industry in the United States. Its mission statement declares that it seeks to "advance the science, education, and practice of forestry; to enhance t ...

as the principal accreditor for academic degree programs in professional forestry, both at a

Bachelor's A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ( ...

and

Master's A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

level. Usually a bachelor's degree is considered the minimum education required, but some individuals are able to secure a job without a college education based on their experience. Some states have a licensing requirement for foresters, and most of those require at least a four-year degree. Foresters are often employed by private industry, federal and state

land management Land management is the process of managing the land use, use and development of land resources. Those resources are used for a variety of purposes for example agriculture, forestry, water resource management, Human settlement, human settlements an ...

agencies, or private consulting firms.

Medieval foresters

Forester was a title used widely during

Medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

times. The forester usually held a position equal to a sheriff or local law enforcer, and he could act as a barrister or arbiter. He was often based in a

forester's lodge A forester's lodge, forester's house or forester's hut is the residence of a forester, usually one who is in charge of a forest district. History Woodcutters' huts are as old as forestry itself. To begin with, temporary accommodation was usually ...

, and was responsible for patrolling the woodlands on a lord or noble's property, hence the synonymous term 'woodward'. His duties included negotiating sales of lumber and timber and stopping poachers from illegally hunting. Frequently outlaws would take refuge in heavily wooded regions. When this occurred it was the duty of the forester to organize armed

posse Posse is a shortened form of posse comitatus, a group of people summoned to assist law enforcement. The term is also used colloquially to mean a group of friends or associates. Posse may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Posse'' (1975 ...

s to capture or disperse the criminals and during war time foresters were used as scouts to spy on enemy troop movement. The pay and status of foresters was usually above average, reflecting the responsibility of their role in a medieval environment and economy.

Notable foresters

Margaret Stoughton Abell Margaret Stoughton Abell (June 25, 1908 – February 22, 2004) was an American forester. Early life On June 25, 1908, Abell was born as Margaret Stoughton in Osage, Iowa. Abell's father was Herbert Leonard Stoughton. Abell's mother was ...

(1908–2004) - First American research forester in US Forest Service. *

Dietrich Brandis Sir Dietrich Brandis (31 March 1824 – 28 May 1907) was a German-British botanist and forestry academic and administrator, who worked with the British Imperial Forestry Service in colonial India for nearly 30 years. He joined the British civi ...

(1824–1907) * Ralph E. Brock (1881–1959), first Black forester in the United States * John Ednie Brown (1848–1899) *

Aimo Cajander Aimo Kaarlo Cajander (4 April 1879 – 21 January 1943) was the Prime Minister of Finland up to the Winter War. Cajander was born in Uusikaupunki, and became a botanist, a professor of forestry 1911–34; director-general for Finland's Fores ...

(1879–1943) - Professor of forestry and Director-General of Forest and Park Service in Finland. * Carl von Carlowitz (1645–1714) - Father of

sustainable yield Sustainability is a social goal for people to co-exist on Earth over a long period of time. Definitions of this term are disputed and have varied with literature, context, and time. Sustainability usually has three dimensions (or pillars): env ...

forestry *

Geoffrey Chaucer Geoffrey Chaucer ( ; – 25 October 1400) was an English poet, author, and civil servant best known for ''The Canterbury Tales''. He has been called the "father of English literature", or, alternatively, the "father of English poetry". He w ...

(1343–1400) *

Hugh Francis Cleghorn Hugh Francis Clarke Cleghorn (9 August 1820 – 16 May 1895) was a Madras-born Scottish physician, botanist, forester and land owner. Sometimes known as the father of scientific forestry in India, he was the first Conservator of Forests for the ...

(1820–1895) *

Jean-Baptiste Colbert Jean-Baptiste Colbert (; 29 August 1619 – 6 September 1683) was a French statesman who served as First Minister of State from 1661 until his death in 1683 under the rule of King Louis XIV. His lasting impact on the organization of the countr ...

(1619–1683) *

John Evelyn John Evelyn (31 October 162027 February 1706) was an English writer, landowner, gardener, courtier and minor government official, who is now best known as a diary, diarist. He was a founding Fellow of the Royal Society. John Evelyn's Diary, ...

(1620–1706) *

Bernhard Fernow Bernhard Eduard Fernow ( ; January 7, 1851 – February 6, 1923) was the third chief of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Division of Forestry of the United States from 1886 to 1898, preceding Gifford Pinchot in that position, and laying much ...

(1851–1923) *

Douglas Hamilton General Douglas Hamilton (8 April 1818 – 20 January 1892) was a British Presidency armies, Indian Army officer, gazetted to the 21st Regiment of the Madras Army, Madras Native Infantry from 1837 to 1871. He was a well known surveyor of the ea ...

(1820–1895) * Georg Ludwig Hartig (1764–1837) *

Ralph Hosmer Ralph Sheldon Hosmer (March 4, 1874 - July 20, 1963) was Hawaii's first territorial forester, a contemporary of Gifford Pinchot who was among the group of educated American foresters that organized what is now the United States Forest Service. Hos ...

(1874–1963) *

Jens Hvass Jens Hvass (8. April 1898 - 23. February 1996) served as the Camp Chief of the 2nd World Scout Jamboree, held from August 9 to 17, 1924 at Ermelunden, Denmark, and was later a state forester and Divisional Scout Commissioner in Rold Skov, North ...

Norman Jolly Norman William Jolly (5 August 1882 – 18 May 1954) was a first-class cricketer and forester. He was South Australia's first Rhodes Scholar. Early life Norman William Jolly was born on 5 August 1882 in Mintaro, South Australia, the son of s ...

(1882–1954) *

Charles Lane Poole Charles Edward Lane Poole (16 August 1885 – 22 November 1970) was an English Australian forester who introduced systematic, science-based forestry practices to various parts of the Commonwealth, most notably Australia. Biography Early life a ...

(1885–1970) *

Aldo Leopold Aldo Leopold (January 11, 1887 – April 21, 1948) was an American writer, Philosophy, philosopher, Natural history, naturalist, scientist, Ecology, ecologist, forester, Conservation biology, conservationist, and environmentalist. He was a profes ...

(1887–1948) *

Michel de Montaigne Michel Eyquem, Seigneur de Montaigne ( ; ; ; 28 February 1533 – 13 September 1592), commonly known as Michel de Montaigne, was one of the most significant philosophers of the French Renaissance. He is known for popularising the the essay ...

(1533–1592) Man of essays and wood"*

John Muir John Muir ( ; April 21, 1838December 24, 1914), also known as "John of the Mountains" and "Father of the national park, National Parks", was a Scottish-born American naturalist, author, environmental philosopher, botanist, zoologist, glaciologi ...

(1838–1914) Father of National Parks"* Herman von Nördlinger (1818–1897) *

Gifford Pinchot Gifford Pinchot (August 11, 1865October 4, 1946) was an American forester and politician. He served as the fourth chief of the U.S. Division of Forestry, as the first head of the United States Forest Service, and as the 28th governor of Pennsyl ...

(1865–1946) *

Christian Ditlev Frederik Reventlow Christian Ditlev Frederik, Count of Reventlow (11 March 1748 – 11 October 1827) was a Danish statesman and reformer, the son of Privy Councillor Christian Ditlev Reventlow (1710–1775) by his first wife, baroness Johanne Sophie Frederikke vo ...

(1748–1827) * Roy Robinson, 1st Baron Robinson (1883–1952) *

Viktor Schauberger Viktor Schauberger (; 30 June 1885 – 25 September 1958) was an Austrian forest caretaker, natural history, naturalist, philosopher, inventor and pseudoscientist. Early life Schauberger was born in Holzschlag, Austria, Holzschlag, Upper Aus ...

(1885–1958) *

Carl A. Schenck Carl Alwin Schenck (March 25, 1868 – May 17, 1955) was a German forester and pioneering forestry educator. When Schenck came to the United States to work for George W. Vanderbilt at the Biltmore Estate, he became the third formally trained fo ...

(1868–1955) * Sir William P.D. Schlich (1840–1925) * F.X. Schumacher (1892–1967) *

Richard St. Barbe Baker Richard St. Barbe Baker (9 October 1889 – 9 June 1982) was an English biologist and botanist, environmental activist and author, who contributed greatly to worldwide reforestation efforts. As a leader, he founded an organisation, Men of ...

(1889–1982) Global Forester/Environmentalist *

Israel af Ström Israel af Ström (5 September 1778 – 24 October 1856) was a Swedish botanist and forestry researcher. He introduced systematic forest management in Sweden and initiated the founding the Swedish National Forest Institute. Biography Israel Adolf ...

(1778–1856) * Michael Taylor (b. 1966) - American Forester who discovered

Hyperion (tree) Hyperion is a coast redwood ('' Sequoia sempervirens'' D.Don, Endl.) tree in California, which is the world's tallest known living tree, measured at tall in 2019. Hyperion was discovered on August 25, 2006, by naturalists Chris Atkins ...

and many tall redwood trees. * T. B. Walker (1840–1928) * Jack C. Westoby (1913–1988)Leslie, Alf. 1989. "Obituary: Jack C. Westoby, C.M.G., 1913-1988," ''New Zealand Forestry'', August, p.28.
Accessed: May 7, 2012. *

Peter Wohlleben Peter Wohlleben (born 1964) is a German forester and author who writes on ecological themes in popular language and has controversially argued for plant sentience. He is the author of the ''New York Times'' Best Seller ''The Hidden Life of Tre ...

- German forester. *

Raphael Zon Raphael Zon (December 1, 1874 – October 27, 1956) was a prominent United States Forest Service, U.S. Forest Service researcher. Early life Raphael Zon was born in Ulyanovsk, Simbirsk in the Russian Empire in 1874, to parents Gabriel Zon and E ...

(1874–1956) * Frank H. Wadsworth (1915–2022)

References

External links

SAF Accredited Professional Forestry Degree ProgramsSAF Recognized Forest Technology Degree ProgramsCenter for International Forestry ResearchInternational Union of Forest Research OrganizationsFAO Forestry Department

The National Forest (England)Forestry Commission (Great Britain)
{{Authority control Foresters History of forestry