Forest and Conservation Workers
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations- O*NET-SOC code
- 45-4011.00
Under supervision, perform manual labor necessary to develop, maintain, or protect areas such as forests, forested areas, woodlands, wetlands, and rangelands through such activities as raising and transporting seedlings; combating insects, pests, and diseases harmful to plant life; and building structures to control water, erosion, and leaching of soil. Includes forester aides, seedling pullers, tree planters, and gatherers of nontimber forestry products such as pine straw.
- Data source: BLSPublished: 2026-08
Low· relative
LowFour relative bandsVery highGroup-level value
Scale, basis and source
Four relative bands (Low / Moderate / High / Very high)
831 detailed occupations in the BLS Employment Projections table. Assigned per National Employment Matrix (NEM) code, so occupations sharing a NEM code carry the same band
- Data source: AnthropicPublished: 2026-03
0.000
0.000Range of values carried here0.745Scale, basis and source
Observed exposure index, 0–1 as published
Mapped onto O*NET tasks
Published per SOC 2018 occupation; every O*NET occupation with the same SOC 2018 code carries this value
- Data source: ILOPublished: 2025
0.09–0.12· 2 ISCO-08 groups
Scale, basis and source
Generative AI exposure index, 0–1 as published
Published per ISCO-08 unit group. Linked to this occupation, wholly or in part, by applying U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics crosswalks (ISCO-08 to 2010 SOC, 2010 SOC to 2018 SOC) as published
What kind of figure this source publishes
The BLS category is a relative rank, not an absolute level, and it is not a first-hand measurement: it groups an occupation's percentile ranks across several published studies into four bands. It is not an employment or wage forecast, not a probability of adoption, and it does not separate automation from augmentation.
ILO value for each linked ISCO-08 group
- ISCO-08 6210Forestry and Related Workers0.12
- ISCO-08 9215Forestry Labourers0.09
Task-level exposure
Exposed tasks only21 rated tasks · 1 tasks with β ≥ 0.5 (4.8%)
β = direct exposure (E1) + 0.5 × exposure when tools are available (E2), per the source repository's definition.
- Source unit: O*NET 27.2 tasks → O*NET 31.0 occupation code
- 4 rated tasks are not in the O*NET 31.0 task list; their scores are kept as published for O*NET 27.2.
- Source
- OpenAI "GPTs are GPTs" exposure rubric
- Release
- gh-main-0471612
- License
- MIT License, Copyright (c) 2024 OpenAI
Values in this tab are predicted labels, not observations. Eloundou et al. (2023) published two rating regimes — human raters and GPT-4 — and the β shown here is derived from the GPT-4 rater basis alone; the same task can take a different value under the other regime.
| Task (O*NET 27.2) | βE1 + 0.5 × E2 |
|---|---|
Maintain tallies of trees examined and counted during tree marking or measuring efforts.O*NET Task ID 7035 | 1.0 |
Check equipment to ensure that it is operating properly.O*NET Task ID 7026 | 0.0 |
Confer with other workers to discuss issues, such as safety, cutting heights, or work needs.O*NET Task ID 7027 | 0.0 |
Fight forest fires or perform prescribed burning tasks under the direction of fire suppression officers or forestry technicians.O*NET Task ID 7028 | 0.0 |
Perform fire protection or suppression duties, such as constructing fire breaks or disposing of brush.O*NET Task ID 7029 | 0.0 |
Select or cut trees according to markings or sizes, types, or grades.O*NET Task ID 7030 | 0.0 |
Identify diseased or undesirable trees and remove them, using power saws or hand saws.O*NET Task ID 7031 | 0.0 |
Spray or inject vegetation with insecticides to kill insects or to protect against disease or with herbicides to reduce competing vegetation.O*NET Task ID 7032 | 0.0 |
Drag cut trees from cutting areas and load trees onto trucks.O*NET Task ID 7033 | 0.0 |
Thin or space trees, using power thinning saws.O*NET Task ID 7034 | 0.0 |
Gather, package, or deliver forest products to buyers.O*NET Task ID 7036 | 0.0 |
Erect signs or fences, using posthole diggers, shovels, or other hand tools.O*NET Task ID 7037 | 0.0 |
Prune or shear tree tops or limbs to control growth, increase density, or improve shape.O*NET Task ID 7038 | 0.0 |
Select tree seedlings, prepare the ground, or plant the trees in reforestation areas, using manual planting tools.O*NET Task ID 7039 | 0.0 |
Provide assistance to forest survey crews by clearing site-lines, holding measuring tools, or setting stakes.O*NET Task ID 7040 | 0.0 |
Explain or enforce regulations regarding camping, vehicle use, fires, use of buildings, or sanitation.O*NET Task ID 7041 | 0.0 |
Operate skidders, bulldozers, or other prime movers to pull a variety of scarification or site preparation equipment over areas to be regenerated.O*NET Task ID 7042 | 0.0 |
Examine and grade trees according to standard charts and staple color-coded grade tags to limbs.O*NET Task ID 7043 | 0.0 |
Maintain campsites or recreational areas, replenishing firewood or other supplies and cleaning kitchens or restrooms.O*NET Task ID 7045 | 0.0 |
Sow or harvest cover crops, such as alfalfa.O*NET Task ID 7046 | 0.0 |
Sort tree seedlings, discarding substandard seedlings, according to standard charts or verbal instructions.O*NET Task ID 20632 | 0.0 |
β = E1 + 0.5 × E2 · E1 = tasks where direct LLM access alone cuts time by at least 50%, E2 = tasks where software built on top of an LLM cuts time by at least 50%. Values take only 0 / 0.5 / 1.0.
Data sources & licenses — O*NET®, Eloundou et al. (2023): see full notices on the Credits page
All O*NET 31.0 task statements (17)
All O*NET 31.0 task statements for this occupation (English, as published; task type core or supplemental). Exposure values are not listed here; they are in the table above, next to each task statement as worded in the O*NET version each source used.
| Task (O*NET 31.0) | Type |
|---|---|
| Check equipment to ensure that it is operating properly. | Core |
| Confer with other workers to discuss issues, such as safety, cutting heights, or work needs. | Core |
| Fight forest fires or perform prescribed burning tasks under the direction of fire suppression officers or forestry technicians. | Core |
| Perform fire protection or suppression duties, such as constructing fire breaks or disposing of brush. | Core |
| Select or cut trees according to markings or sizes, types, or grades. | Supplemental |
| Identify diseased or undesirable trees and remove them, using power saws or hand saws. | Supplemental |
| Spray or inject vegetation with insecticides to kill insects or to protect against disease or with herbicides to reduce competing vegetation. | Supplemental |
| Thin or space trees, using power thinning saws. | Supplemental |
| Maintain tallies of trees examined and counted during tree marking or measuring efforts. | Supplemental |
| Erect signs or fences, using posthole diggers, shovels, or other hand tools. | Supplemental |
| Prune or shear tree tops or limbs to control growth, increase density, or improve shape. | Supplemental |
| Select tree seedlings, prepare the ground, or plant the trees in reforestation areas, using manual planting tools. | Supplemental |
| Provide assistance to forest survey crews by clearing site-lines, holding measuring tools, or setting stakes. | Supplemental |
| Explain or enforce regulations regarding camping, vehicle use, fires, use of buildings, or sanitation. | Supplemental |
| Operate skidders, bulldozers, or other prime movers to pull a variety of scarification or site preparation equipment over areas to be regenerated. | Supplemental |
| Maintain campsites or recreational areas, replenishing firewood or other supplies and cleaning kitchens or restrooms. | Supplemental |
| Sort tree seedlings, discarding substandard seedlings, according to standard charts or verbal instructions. | Supplemental |
1.15/ 3· Robot exposure index
Scale, basis and source
Each physical task is graded 0–3 by the setting in which robots that have been deployed, sold or demonstrated could do it (0 none · 1 purpose-built robot settings such as a fenced machine cell or a bottling line · 2 structured facilities such as a hospital pharmacy or a container port · 3 unstructured settings such as a private home or a construction site), and the grades are averaged by share of working time
Physical tasks among this occupation's O*NET 29.3 tasks
Anthropic estimated the grades and time shares with Claude Opus 5 using web search, as of 2026.
The robot exposure index is a different measure from the AI exposure figures on this site and cannot be added to or compared with them. It does not measure actual adoption or cost, and 0 also covers occupations with no physical tasks.
Tier of each physical task
Robot environment tiers (E0–E3)
E0 noneDetails
Rated not doable by robots that have been deployed, sold or demonstrated, even in a purpose-built setting
E1 purpose-built robot settingsDetails
Rated doable in a setting built around the machine, such as a fenced machine cell or a bottling line
E2 structured facilitiesDetails
Rated doable in a human work facility that an institution keeps to a working standard, such as a hospital pharmacy or a container port
E3 unstructured settingsDetails
Rated doable in a setting that no institution keeps to a working standard, such as a private home or a construction site
Only tasks classified as physical are listed; other tasks have no tier in the source.
| Task (O*NET 29.3) | Robot environment tier |
|---|---|
| Check equipment to ensure that it is operating properly. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Fight forest fires or perform prescribed burning tasks under the direction of fire suppression officers or forestry technicians. | E0 none |
| Perform fire protection or suppression duties, such as constructing fire breaks or disposing of brush. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Select or cut trees according to markings or sizes, types, or grades. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Identify diseased or undesirable trees and remove them, using power saws or hand saws. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Spray or inject vegetation with insecticides to kill insects or to protect against disease or with herbicides to reduce competing vegetation. | E2 structured facilities |
| Thin or space trees, using power thinning saws. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Erect signs or fences, using posthole diggers, shovels, or other hand tools. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Prune or shear tree tops or limbs to control growth, increase density, or improve shape. | E2 structured facilities |
| Select tree seedlings, prepare the ground, or plant the trees in reforestation areas, using manual planting tools. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Provide assistance to forest survey crews by clearing site-lines, holding measuring tools, or setting stakes. | E2 structured facilities |
| Operate skidders, bulldozers, or other prime movers to pull a variety of scarification or site preparation equipment over areas to be regenerated. | E2 structured facilities |
| Maintain campsites or recreational areas, replenishing firewood or other supplies and cleaning kitchens or restrooms. | E2 structured facilities |
| Sort tree seedlings, discarding substandard seedlings, according to standard charts or verbal instructions. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
Occupation information
Employment outlook (BLS)
- Employment, 2025
- 15K
- Projected employment, 2035
- 15K
- Change (2025–35)
- -1.5%
- Median annual wage, 2025
- $43,680
- Typical education needed for entry
- High school diploma or equivalent
Korea classification links (KSCO)
Links from the current release of the Korea Occupation Direct Crosswalk v1.1, made by AI Changing Work. Relation values are read from the O*NET-SOC occupation side.
| KSCO code | KSCO title | Relation | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62011 | 조림원 및 산림 경영인 | This occupation is broader | confirmed |
| 62091 | 임산물 채취원 | This occupation is broader | confirmed |
| 62099 | 그 외 임업 관련 종사원 | This occupation is broader | confirmed |
| 99129 | 그 외 임업 관련 단순 종사원 | This occupation is broader | confirmed |
Relation and status definitions(kr-direct v1.1)
ILO occupational description
AI Changing Work links the ISCO-08 unit groups below to this occupation by applying the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics crosswalks (2018 SOC to 2010 SOC, 2010 SOC to ISCO-08) as published, without case-by-case selection; each link may be whole or partial.
- ISCO-08 6210Forestry and Related Workers
- ISCO-08 9215Forestry Labourers
Sources: ILO ISCO-08 — details: Credits
ESCO occupational vocabulary
Each entry below is matched to this occupation in the published ESCO-O*NET Crosswalk (version 1, 2022). The match types are that crosswalk's; the wording is AI Changing Work's.
- forest workerESCO 9215.1Same scope
Forest workers carry out a variety of jobs to care for and manage trees, woodland areas and forests. Their activities include include planting, trimming, thinning and felling trees and protecting them from pests, diseases and damage.
- forest rangerESCO 6210.1Overlapping, not the same
Forest rangers are responsible for the protection and conservation of natural resources, particularly in regards to forests and woodlands.
- forestry equipment operatorESCO 8341.1Overlapping, not the same
Forestry equipment operators carry out operations with specialised equipment in the forest to maintain, harvest, extract and forward wood for the manufacturing of consumer goods and industrial products.
Source: European Commission, DG EMPL — ESCO API 2026-08-08 (bridge v1.2.1)
License: CC BY 4.0 (EU Reuse Notice)
ESCO reuse terms and the modification notice are in Credits.
France classification links (ROME)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and ROME 4.0 job profiles, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side. Links marked “provisional” were adopted on the judgments of two judges from the same model family (Claude) alone, or by an operator rule applied to their judgments, so they rest on weaker evidence than confirmed links.
| ROME code | ROME title (French) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| A1210 | Ouvrier forestier / Ouvrière forestière | This occupation is broaderprovisional |
| A1202 | Ouvrier / Ouvrière d'entretien des espaces naturels | Overlapping, not the sameprovisional |
| A1204 | Garde nature | Related, not a matchprovisional |
Source: France Travail — Répertoire Opérationnel des Métiers et des Emplois (ROME 4.0), version 61, last updated 15 June 2026 (https://www.data.gouv.fr/datasets/repertoire-operationnel-des-metiers-et-des-emplois-rome). Licence Ouverte 2.0.
ROME codes and titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET-SOC occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not a France Travail correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: fr-direct v1)
Spain classification links (CNO-11)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and CNO-11 occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| CNO-11 code | CNO-11 title (Spanish) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 9543 | Peones forestales y de la caza | This occupation is narrower |
| 6410 | Trabajadores cualificados en actividades forestales y del medio natural | Related, not a match |
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), National Classification of Occupations 2011 (CNO-11, Royal Decree 1591/2010) — www.ine.es · Licensed CC BY 4.0. CNO-11 codes and Spanish titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not an INE correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: es-direct v1)
Germany classification links (KldB)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and KldB occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| KldB code | KldB title (German) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 11711 | Berufe in der Forstwirtschaft - Helfer-/Anlerntätigkeiten | Overlapping, not the sameprovisional |
| 11712 | Berufe in der Forstwirtschaft - fachlich ausgerichtete Tätigkeiten | Overlapping, not the sameprovisional |
| 11722 | Berufe in der Natur- und Landschaftspflege - fachlich ausgerichtete Tätigkeiten | Related, not a matchprovisional |
Source: © Statistik der Bundesagentur für Arbeit — Klassifikation der Berufe 2010 – überarbeitete Fassung 2020, https://statistik.arbeitsagentur.de. KldB codes and titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own mapping (eigene Zuordnung) and are not a Bundesagentur für Arbeit correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: de-direct v1)
Japan classification links (JSCO)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and JSCO occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| JSCO code | JSCO title (Japanese) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 471 | 育林従事者 | Same scope |
| 472 | 伐木・造材・集材従事者 | Related, not a match |
| 479 | その他の林業従事者 | Related, not a match |
Source: Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), Japan Standard Occupational Classification (Dec. 2009, MIC Notification No. 555). JSCO codes and Japanese titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not a MIC correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: jp-direct v1)
Sources, licenses and AI Changing Work's modification and translation notices for this page: Credits & sources