Discover roles, employers, education, and salary insights across pathways. Filter by interest to plan your next step.
Career clusters
Hover over the info icon to learn more about each cluster, then click a cluster to filter the pathways below.
Aviation and Firefighting
Within fire and aviation jobs you will serve in a wide variety of roles, including understanding and monitoring fire conditions and behavior; pre-attack planning; preventing and suppressing damaging fires; controlling smoke; loading helicopters; and managing movement of people, equipment, and resources to support firefighting. Eventually you may expand to determining risk and develop or deploy programs designed to help combat wildfires with the best objectives. Includes specialty sub-groups of: Aviation, Fire Engine Operation, Fire Management Officer, Fire Management Planning, Fuels Management, Helitack, Hotshot Crews, Prevention, Smokejumper, Handcrews, and Paramedic.
Early Detection and Response Operations
Early detection and rapid response are critical components of modern wildfire mitigation. This career pathway encompasses the use of cutting-edge technologies, remote sensing, monitoring networks, dispatch systems, and field-based rapid response units to detect, confirm, and act on ignitions or environmental anomalies before they escalate into large-scale wildfires. Careers in this area blend field operations, geospatial intelligence, remote camera or satellite monitoring, communications, and emergency dispatch. As climate conditions evolve and fire risk increases, this is a growing frontier for innovation—combining real-time data, machine learning, drones, fire towers, and human observation. This field is ideal for people who are detail-oriented, tech-curious, and motivated by the urgency of protecting people and landscapes through fast, accurate, and coordinated action.
EMS / Medical and Safety
Emergency Medical Services (EMS), safety, and occupational health professionals are vital to the fire and forestry workforce. These careers support the physical well-being, medical readiness, and safety of crews working in high-risk, remote, and physically demanding environments. Whether on a wildland fireline, fuels treatment crew, prescribed burn, or timber operation, these professionals provide medical care, develop safety plans, conduct risk assessments, and lead injury prevention. Some work embedded in fire crews as medics; others are part of safety and compliance teams across government, tribal, or private organizations. As fire seasons grow longer and the workforce expands, demand is increasing for culturally competent, trauma-informed, and wilderness-certified professionals who can operate in rugged terrain and high-stress situations.
Fuel Management
Fuel management jobs involve reducing hazardous vegetation to lower wildfire risk, protect infrastructure, and restore ecological balance. Workers in this field use a combination of mechanical, manual, and chemical methods to remove brush, ladder fuels, and small trees across forests, wildlands, and the wildland-urban interface (WUI). The work may involve chainsaws, masticators, herbicide sprayers, chippers, or burn piles, often in remote and rugged terrain. Fuel treatment is foundational to wildfire mitigation and ecosystem health and includes career opportunities in both public agencies and private contractors.
Prescribed Fire
Prescribed fire careers focus on using planned, controlled burns to manage vegetation, restore ecosystems, reduce wildfire risk, and support Indigenous cultural practices. These jobs combine ecological understanding with technical fire operations and safety. Prescribed fire work involves pre-burn planning, burn execution, weather and smoke monitoring, and post-burn evaluations. Workers operate under strict regulatory and environmental standards and collaborate with fire agencies, landowners, tribal governments, and environmental NGOs.
Structural Mitigation and Defensible Space
Structural mitigation and defensible space careers focus on preparing homes, businesses, and critical infrastructure to survive wildfire exposure. Workers in this field assess properties for vulnerability, clear vegetation and flammable materials, harden structures, and educate communities on wildfire resilience strategies. This sector blends hands-on field work (e.g., fuel clearing, retrofitting vents, installing ember-resistant materials) with education, planning, and code enforcement. It offers vital job opportunities in fire-prone communities and is essential to protecting lives and property in the wildland-urban interface (WUI). Structural mitigation is also an onramp for local employment and entrepreneurship—especially for youth, contractors, and reentry populations.
Logging and Timber
Within forestry and timber jobs you will primarily work almost entirely outdoors in physically demanding conditions in different types of weather, evaluating forest conditions and preparing timber to be cut and sold. Your tasks include data collection, inventory, tree planting, pruning, thinning, and cutting trees. You will also perform inspections of areas where trees were cut or planted and prepare written reports of the final inspection. This commonly includes specialties such as timber sale reparation, timber stand improvement, and timber sale administration. From planting seedlings to inspecting a contractor's work, a forestry career provides the technical and professional expertise for evaluating the health of our forests.
Transportation
Transportation careers are a critical link in the forestry and land management sector, responsible for moving raw or processed biomass, logs, and fuels across landscapes to mills, energy facilities, or project sites. This work supports forest health, fuels reduction, and wood product industries by enabling safe, timely, and cost-effective logistics. Many transportation roles require heavy equipment skills, CDL licenses, and knowledge of rural terrain and fire-sensitive routes.
Urban Forestry
Within urban forestry jobs you will primarily work outdoors operating heavy machinery and climbing trees to perform standard maintenance. These are positions where you often work as a tree trimmer and pruner in the public or private sector. Your tasks may include data collection, inventory, tree planting, pruning, thinning, and cutting trees. You will also perform inspections of areas where trees were cut or planted and prepare written reports of the final inspection. Duties include verifying landscaping and tree mitigation requirements are met, working with commercial property owners, developers, and design professionals to identify existing tree species onsite and maximize preservation of the urban forest.
Wood Products Industry
The Wood Products Industry transforms raw logs and biomass from forest treatments into value-added goods like lumber, engineered wood, mulch, pellets, biochar, or renewable energy. Workers in this sector power local economies while helping scale ecological restoration by giving value to the byproducts of fuels treatment. Jobs span mill operations, fabrication, wood processing, and product innovation. This is a dynamic sector with growing opportunities in sustainable building materials (e.g. mass timber), carbon-negative products, and bioenergy.
Landscape Restoration and Management
Within landscape restoration and management jobs you will be responsible for monitoring and reducing the impacts caused by forest visitors and other influences. Duties can include developing, overseeing, and maintaining popular recreation facilities such as trails, campgrounds, and picnic areas; reducing the spread of invasive species; and issuing special use permits. You will also study interactions among plants, animals, and their environment for scientific investigations. You will need to read maps and interpret photographs to locate research sites, use different tools to measure various types of data and coordinate with research scientists on projects.
Law and Law Enforcement (Natural & Cultural Resources)
Within law and law enforcement jobs you will protect cultural, natural, and historical resources. You will conduct security evaluations, formulate security policy for DOI structures and procedures, and analyze the effectiveness of security practices. You will also maintain, test, and evaluate Physical Security components such as Access Control, CCTV, and Intrusion Detection systems. You may expand to preventing crime and maintaining law and order on public lands. Your presence can be a deterrent to wrongdoing, and help detect, investigate and respond to crimes ranging from misdemeanors to traffic, fish and game or tribal law violations, to felonies.
Range Management
Within range management jobs you will assist with a wide range consisting of livestock grazing, recreational opportunities, healthy watersheds, fire management, and wildlife habitat. You should be passionate for the outdoors and have an interest in scientific management, protection, and development of grasslands and other range resources. You may expand to analyzing and protecting natural resources, developing programs and standards for rangeland use and preservation, and advising officials and landowners on rangeland management practices.
Recreation Management
Within recreation management jobs you will perform a variety of outdoor assignments, which allow the public to safely access and enjoy special places, such as trails, campgrounds, rivers, and lakes. Common duties include clearing downed trees from hiking trails, cleaning campground facilities and providing information about recreational opportunities. This commonly includes specialties in general recreation, trails, and wilderness. You may expand to applying innovative solutions to solve outdoor recreation problems or implementing complex projects.
Archeology and Curation
Within archeology and curation jobs you will study the tangible remains of people and events, including architectural remains, features, and artifacts found in surveys, during excavation, or underwater. Perform technical and specialized work necessary to care for cultural artifacts, natural history specimens, and archives so they can be seen, researched, and appreciated by current and future generations. You may expand to leveraging a deep understanding of historical events and human society and apply preservation and archival techniques to manage, preserve and protect important artifacts and sites.
Biology, Botany, and Wildlife
Within biology and wildlife jobs you will work outdoors conducting research by identifying, preserving, and collecting data on the different types and sizes of trees, plants, insects, and animals. Data is then analyzed and used to help make policy decisions. You will use maps, compasses, data recorders and other tools to conduct research and complete tasks. You may expand to being able to effectively direct work involving complex biological issues, recreation and public use management, organizational policies, rules, and regulations, construction, and law enforcement in a highly visible and closely scrutinized environment.
Communications
Within Communications jobs you will prepare issue papers on topics for awareness, research and summarize news reports or social media trends. You will also draft news releases, assist with preparations for public meetings or special events, answer questions from media representatives on agency initiatives, draft a variety of communication products and materials such as speeches, correspondence or web/social media content, and assist agency staff preparing for media interviews. You may expand to analyzing complex, sensitive issues and developing effective communication strategies to positively address them.
Community Resilience
Careers in community resilience focus on helping people and communities prepare for, respond to, and recover from the socio-economic impacts of disasters, including wildfires and smoke impacts. You'll work with interdisciplinary teams to assess risks, strengthen infrastructure, and enhance public safety and well-being. Using data, community engagement, and strategic planning tools, you will support decision-making processes that build local capacity and reduce long-term vulnerabilities. You can work towards becoming a leader in urban planning, emergency response coordination, or community development.
Engineering - Civil, Environmental & Mechanical
Within Engineering jobs you will gain valuable applied experience to pair with studies if still a student. You will also work hand-in-hand with Engineers and other technical specialists to support important work within natural resource agencies, companies, or in fields such as National parks, historic sites and other buildings, drilling operations, waterways, dams, and roads. You may expand to ensuring assessing the environmental impact of activities such as construction or natural resource development. You may also use your technical expertise to work on or oversee a wide variety of engineering or multidisciplinary projects.
Environmental & Natural Resource Policy
Within Policy jobs you will analyze, evaluate, and improve critical operations, procedures, and processes that support a multitude of missions. You will also develop, evaluate, and revise programs to meet goals. You may expand to providing a variety of management services that are essential to the direction and operation of offices and units across multiple fields, agencies, or businesses.
Environmental and Outdoor Education
Within teaching, training, and education jobs you will work in many settings and with a variety of audiences, applying technology and instructional principles to facilitate and support engaging, interactive educational programs. You should have excellent organizational and public speaking skills, and can work effectively with a variety of people, sometimes in changing situations that call for creativity and adaptability. You may expand to applying principles and techniques of education and training to facilitate, develop, and support engaging and interactive training programs or courses for a wide variety of audiences.
Funding, Grants, and Procurement
Within Funding jobs you will play a critical role in a variety of financial partnerships, such as with nonprofits and public-private collaborations, serving as the vital connection between organizations doing work that benefits citizens. You will award funds to organizations, answer questions, and make sure agreements are met. You may expand to soliciting, evaluating, negotiating, and awarding contracts with commercial sources and other organizations so that high quality products and services are provided at the best possible prices and terms.
Geology
Within Geology jobs you will interpret and forecast volcanic eruptions to better understand and predict the timing and impact of volcanic hazards. Carry out geologic field work on earthquakes to inform active fault studies and use geologic knowledge to evaluate applications to conduct drilling, resource leasing, and minerals exploration on public lands. You may expand to learn, understand, explain and use in depth knowledge of geology and related specialized areas such as minerals management or seismology to identify and analyze problems, and make logical decisions and develop solutions within the field of geology.
Human Resources
Within human resources jobs you will help to make sure that personnel action processing, recruitment, new employee onboarding, benefits, training and other employment-related functions and processes go smoothly. You will need to do thorough research, carefully follow procedures and processes, and remain open and interested in learning new things. You may expand to developing and implementing creative, results-driven solutions for recruitment, retention, career development, compensation, benefits, and employee and labor-management relations.
Information Technology
Within information technology jobs you will keep the businesses and agencies operating in the advanced digital age. From cyber security to managing wireless internet connection, you will provide support through technology that allows all employees to do their jobs in an office and out in the field. You may expand to enabling and enhancing the productivity, efficiency, and effectiveness of the thousands of people who conserve, protect, and manage public and private lands and resources. Your expertise will provide the full range of IT services to large and widely dispersed workforces, from cybersecurity to enterprise architecture to network administration to customer support.
Mapping and GIS
Within Mapping and GIS jobs you will use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and geospatial technology to analyze and identify the geographic location of features and boundaries for use in management of National Forest lands. You will make sure maps are accurate for public use, research, natural resources management and responding to emergency incidents such as wildfires. You may expand to becoming a skilled problem solver who identifies relationships and linkages and applies in-depth knowledge of geographical science to a multitude of complex issues. Contributing to scientific studies, surveying remote areas, and providing critical information for studies, land surveys, or land development planning.
Project Management
Within project management jobs you will develop detailed plans, tasks, milestone dates and schedules to track and manage processes and costs throughout a project's life cycle. Coordinate and collaborate with others to monitor, maintain and report on status and progress of work; establishing program objectives and metrics. Make recommendations and act when necessary to address problems or adjust to changing external factors or forces. Draft guidance and direction regarding program management and reporting. Plan and initiate a comprehensive evaluation system for the review and analysis of proposed costs, program development, and performance.
Recovery Management
Recovery management careers focus on helping communities, landscapes, ecosystems, and infrastructure recover after wildfires and other natural disasters. This work includes emergency response coordination, post-fire assessments, debris removal, erosion control, financial aid navigation, ecological restoration, and community engagement. Professionals in this space work across emergency management agencies, land management organizations, tribal governments, nonprofits, and private firms. Recovery management is essential to building long-term resilience and equity—especially for under-resourced or frequently impacted communities. This field requires a blend of logistics, communication, ecological knowledge, trauma-informed care, and interagency coordination.
Research and Development
Within research and development jobs you will spend time collecting samples to determine physical, chemical, and morphological characteristics of different things. You will describe and classify properties according to guiding standards and determine how suitable a wide range of items are for management. You will write restoration plans, control plans, resource specific improvement plans, management reports, survey reports, and special project reports for management. You may also be involved with generating ideas and developing new materials or technology. You may expand to leading creative teams, supervising large groups, and developing your own novel ideas and approaches to help solve problems and answer questions.
Watersheds and Hydrology
Within Watersheds and hydrology jobs you will obtain measurements in the field, analyze samples in the laboratory, and conduct analyses in the office in order to assist in solving water-related problems. You will also be the basis for solving water-related problems and making water-resources decisions that can have a significant impact on life, property, regional economics, and the environment. You will analyze and interpret information on water resources to ensure the quality of our water supply and the safety of people, homes and businesses close to rivers, lakes and streams.