Forest Ranger
Forest rangers perform a wide variety of tasks to help maintain the wilderness, this includes maintaining campground facilities, tail heads, public lands, while playing a huge role in helping fire prevention and mitigation. Additionally they conduct wildland search and rescue operations, helping locate missing persons, or assist wilderness first responders in locating individuals lost in the wild. This job position entails enforcing strict fire regulations, inspecting for fire hazards, and recommending forest fire prevention for control measures. They also regularly operate and maintain field equipment such as ATVs, UTVs and bulldozers.
A Day in the Job
A typical day in the life of a Forest Ranger begins with early mornings typically beginning around 7:30 or 8am. Following a GPS and map, they know their forest well and tend to the lands they protect. For many forest rangers patrols can be 2-4 day trips; rangers must make camp in the woods, being respectful of the animals living there. During these patrols rangers will monitor fire danger, trail conditions, and local use in order to preserve their forests and maintain safety. Collaborating with the local lands and land owners, forest rangers work to preserve biodiversity, and maintain safety for local use.
Work Takes Place
Skills
Career Category
Potential Employers
Federal agencies
State agencies
Local agencies
