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How exposed to AI is a Forest and Conservation Worker?

Of the 21 tasks O*NET lists for forest and conservation workers, 0 could be done in half the time with a chat window today. 19 cannot be sped up at all. Here is which.

Exposure means published research judged an AI could halve the time a task takes, at the same quality. It does not mean the task stops needing a person. How to read this

Also called
Christmas Tree FarmerConservation OfficerField LaborerForest RangerForest Resource SpecialistForestry Support SpecialistPark MaintainerReforestation WorkerTree FarmerTree Planter
Reachable today Needs software built first Cannot be sped up
21
tasks rated for this occupation
43%
hold a degree, from a survey of 20
6k
people do this job in the US
10 of 12
least protected in farming and forestry

Every task, and what AI can do with it

These are O*NET's task statements for this occupation, exactly as written, sorted into the three bands by the ratings behind this report. Nothing has been reworded.

Only with software built on top

2
  • Confer with other workers to discuss issues, such as safety, cutting heights, or work needs
  • Maintain tallies of trees examined and counted during tree marking or measuring efforts

Cannot be sped up

19
  • Check equipment to ensure that it is operating properly
  • Gather, package, or deliver forest products to buyers
  • Sow or harvest cover crops, such as alfalfa
  • Spray or inject vegetation with insecticides to kill insects or to protect against disease or with herbicides to reduce competing vegetation
  • Identify diseased or undesirable trees and remove them, using power saws or hand saws
  • Drag cut trees from cutting areas and load trees onto trucks
  • Sort tree seedlings, discarding substandard seedlings, according to standard charts or verbal instructions
  • Operate skidders, bulldozers, or other prime movers to pull a variety of scarification or site preparation equipment over areas to be regenerated
  • Explain or enforce regulations regarding camping, vehicle use, fires, use of buildings, or sanitation
  • Perform fire protection or suppression duties, such as constructing fire breaks or disposing of brush
  • Examine and grade trees according to standard charts and staple color-coded grade tags to limbs
  • Erect signs or fences, using posthole diggers, shovels, or other hand tools
  • Fight forest fires or perform prescribed burning tasks under the direction of fire suppression officers or forestry technicians
  • Provide assistance to forest survey crews by clearing site-lines, holding measuring tools, or setting stakes
  • Select or cut trees according to markings or sizes, types, or grades
  • Maintain campsites or recreational areas, replenishing firewood or other supplies and cleaning kitchens or restrooms
  • Thin or space trees, using power thinning saws
  • Select tree seedlings, prepare the ground, or plant the trees in reforestation areas, using manual planting tools
  • Prune or shear tree tops or limbs to control growth, increase density, or improve shape
What this does not say

This is not a prediction about your job

Nobody surveyed an employer. Tasks are counted equally, so a percentage here is a share of the list rather than a share of your week. And the ratings were made in 2023, which makes every figure a floor rather than a ceiling.

It must never be used to select anyone for redundancy. The full limits are here.

Where to go next

This is the standard task list for the title. The useful next question is which of the tasks you actually do should go near AI, and which should not.

Sort your own tasks Read the full report

Exposure ratings from Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin and Rock, GPTs are GPTs: Labor market impact potential of LLMs, Science 384, 1306–1308, 2024, used under the MIT licence. This page includes information from the O*NET Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. People Team AI has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Employment figures from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.