Finding a forestry job is going to be an involved process. Of course you will find jobs in rural areas where hands on experience is going to occur, but you will also find many corporate offices involved with forestry jobs are located in many large cities. Careers in forestry are often centered in both federal and state government levels, but some private institutions and organizations also have forestry career openings. A few types of forestry jobs include those involved as foresters, as technicians and as workers. Forestry careers are available through out the world.
Various companies located in the US and in Canada hire foresters, and career forest workers to fill an industry need. The need is focused on paper, paper product, and often times for wood working industries as a whole. One might be surprised just at how many forestry careers are available through out the US and in Canada. A few companies involved in forestry include:
Willamette Industries. Located in Oregon, they employ over 12,000 people. They manufacture building materials and paper. This company owns over one point eight million acres of forest in the US alone, which is a vast amount. To work and conduct business over such a large area, you can now realize why so many forestry positions are available. This company produces over three billion dollars in sales a year, contributing heavily to the needs of many livelihoods of the communities that are surrounding the forests owned.
Smurfit Stone Container is another business involved heavily in the forestry industry, and in hiring those interested in forestry careers. This company is involved in manufacturing paperboard, paper products and packaging products for other companies on the national and worldwide levels. Smurfit Stone is located in Illinois. The sales generated by this company are over seven point one billion dollars, making them the largest integrated paper product producer in the US.
The listings of forestry industry specific companies are vast. Boise Cascade is located in Illinois, employing over 17,000 people. Bowater Company is located in South Carolina, employing over 6,000 people, and generating the newsprint and newspaper. Buckeye Technologies is the largest manufacture in cellulose products, with sales over seven hundred million. Chesapeake Corporation is involved in the Virginia areas, reaching over one million in sales a year. Georgia Pacific is a well-known paper product supplier is also involved in the forestry management industry. With over 50,000 employees, and sales over thirteen billion, Georgia Pacific is located in Atlanta Georgia. Even in the busy state of New York, International Paper has over 70,000 employees, and generates over fifteen billion in sales per year.
Jobs in forestry range from consulting to industry hands on workers. Consulting will require years of experience, and knowledge about how trees grow, which trees are valuable, and where trees can be replanted. Management is involved in running crews involved in cutting lumber, replanting areas, and in clearing areas. Management is involved in running crews involved in transporting, shipping, receiving and in all aspects of the after the forest aspects. Hand on workers are taught industry requirements, such as how to cut, where to cut, how to perform the job safely and how to work in a crew, while working away from home. Not all crews will work ‘away from home’ but some are hired as they live near forest areas owned and managed by forestry companies. To be involved in any of the management areas of forestry, one must have a bachelor’s degree in forestry. The entry level requirements for forestry positions require a license or a registration of skills, or one must be a certified forester by association known as the Society of American Foresters. Experience, on the job training is required for all positions involving forestry.
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