Are There Green Careers in the Forest?

To view the photo-rich magazine version, click here.

Originally appears in the Spring 2023 issue.

Content supported by

By Jerri Taylor

How many students say they want to find a job to be proud of that gives them a chance to make a difference in the world? How many teachers include the idea of working in a forest-related job in their answer? My experience tells me that students ask the first question over and over again, but at the same time I’m doubtful many teachers and other educators ask students to check out forests as a career path. 

Not mentioning forest- and forestry-related opportunities when discussing sustainable green career paths with students means they are missing out on some exciting opportunities. There were 9.8 million green jobs in renewable energy alone in 2016 ^[1], and by 2030 there will be an additional 15 million to 60 million new green jobs. ^[2]

These green jobs can offer fulfilling, career-oriented pathways for students to explore. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics defines green jobs as jobs that produce goods or services that benefit the environment or conserve natural resources. ^[3] This means putting students on a green jobs pathway not only helps secure their future, but green jobs work to help conserve the planet we share. 

Green jobs are found in forests and conservation, as well as in more traditional sectors like manufacturing and construction. They can be in non-profit organizations, government, business, or education settings and can encompass areas as diverse as energy, environmental education, food, forestry, transportation, waste management, and water and watersheds.

Come work in the forest

Some of the most exciting — and perhaps greenest — green jobs involve forests. Teachers know that forests provide a huge variety of environmental benefits and services. But many teachers, especially in more urban areas, may not know that all kinds of professionals and skilled workers are needed to ensure that forests and the products they produce are managed sustainably. 

Working in a green forest job means supporting forests in the vital role they play in so many of Earth’s essential systems, including the carbon cycle, soil cycle, water cycle, and climate cycle. Forests clean the air we breathe, filter the water we drink, and are home to rich biodiversity.

A wide array of jobs are related to forests, offering opportunities for people with diverse backgrounds, skills, interest areas, and personal qualities. These include careers in the following:

• Forest management, inventory, and planning
• Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning
• Education and research
• Wood products manufacturing
• Health and recreation
• Wood and energy production
• Social and urban development

Teaching resources to help students make green career choices

Project Learning Tree’ Green Jobs: Exploring Forest Careers (plt.org/curriculum/green-jobs-forest-careers) is full of resources and activities to engage middle school and high school students in the world of green careers. Project Learning Tree is committed to advancing environmental education, forest literacy, and green career pathways, using trees and forests as windows on the world. 

PLT’s award-winning resources offer a lifetime of learning, from early childhood through adulthood, and our wide and diverse network provides professional development for educators and opportunities for young adults to explore forests and green careers. PLT is an initiative of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (forests.org). SFI is a non-profit charitable organization with the mission of advancing sustainability through forest-focused collaboration.

Connecting forests, curricula, students, and careers

Teaching and learning about forests and green jobs can be incorporated into diverse subject areas, including science, math, geography, English, social studies, career education, biology, environmental education, communication technologies, and vocational education.

Green Jobs: Exploring Forest Careers shows educators how to identify curriculum links in your state for your specific subject areas or content areas of interest. You can also request supporting professional development on standards alignment from your PLT State Coordinator for this PLT resource or any other. To contact your state coordinator, visit plt.org/your-state-project-learning-tree-program.

Helping students prepare for green careers

As students struggle to map out a potential career path, it’s nice to know that the green economy encompasses an ever-growing array of careers and jobs. While this is definitely good news, the sheer number and variety of green jobs makes it difficult to say exactly what education or training will be needed for a given job. 

The good news is that teachers can help students prepare for green jobs in general by discussing green jobs as a viable option for all learners, no matter their education pathway — especially if they are from under-represented groups in the forest sector, including women, Indigenous youth, people of color, immigrant youth, students with disabilities, and youth from low-income households.

Encouraging students to see STEM courses as a pathway to working in the woods is another key approach. Biology, environmental science, and agriculture courses will be beneficial, regardless of whether or not learners pursue careers in these specific fields.

Offering different opportunities for students to use technology to conduct research, solve problems, use models, and present their findings will come in handy in many green jobs. Even entry-level green jobs may require proficiency in basic tech skills like word processing and data entry.

Many green jobs involve leadership or people-oriented skills. Employers are looking for workers who can communicate, collaborate, and be creative leaders. 

Learning about green jobs shows that forest-related work makes for a great career choice 

Preparing students for a green career is a truly interdisciplinary endeavor, with connections to science, social studies, mathematics, health, business, and many other subjects. Helping your students learn about green careers will help build understanding of the importance of forests as ecosystems and sustainability solutions. The more students we can interest in working in and on behalf of forests, the better job we will all do in conserving our precious planet.

Jerri Taylor is Director of Diversity in Career Pathways at the Sustainable Forestry Initiative. She leads the career pathways work at SFI. Jerri has an extensive background in creating and implementing comprehensive school counseling programs. She specializes in opening career pathways tailored to disenfranchised communities.

Endnotes: 

[1]Renewable Energy and Jobs Annual Review 2017, International Renewable Energy Agency, https://www.actu-environnement.com/media/pdf/news-29073-irena-emploi.pdf#page=3 

[2]Transition to green economy could yield up to 60 million jobs, ILO says, 2012, International Labour Organization, https://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/newsroom/news/WCMS_181795/lang–en/index.htm 

[3]Measuring Green Jobs, 2023, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, https://www.bls.gov/green/home.htm#:~:text=Green%20jobs%20are%20either%3A,or%20use%20fewer%20natural%20resources