Will AI replace forest and conservation workers?

Some tasks are already handled by AI or machines; the rest still needs a person. About 2h 29m of an 8-hour shift goes to tasks that AI or robots largely take over. The other 5h 31m (69%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 1.5% fewer of these jobs by 2035 (all jobs: +3.5%).

None of this job's tasks show regular AI use yet. That can mean the work is hands-on or in person, or simply that it rarely comes up in AI usage data.

For some tasks, yes. Robots have done 5 of this job's tasks in workplaces like this one, about 2h 29m of a typical shift. 8 more tasks have only been done in factory setups built around the machine, so they stay with people here. For 1 physical task, no robot has shown it can do the work yet.

• Spray or inject vegetation with insecticides to kill insects or to protect against disease or with herbicides to reduce competing vegetation. (39m a shift; e.g. Hylio AG-130 spray drone (Sublette County Weed and Pest District), in use)
• Maintain campsites or recreational areas, replenishing firewood or other supplies and cleaning kitchens or restrooms. (39m a shift; e.g. Somatic BCR (Bathroom Cleaning Robot), in use)
• Prune or shear tree tops or limbs to control growth, increase density, or improve shape. (32m a shift; e.g. Woodburn Nursery & Azaleas autonomous 60-ft GPS trimmer (custom-built), in use)
• Operate skidders, bulldozers, or other prime movers to pull a variety of scarification or site preparation equipment over areas to be regenerated. (19m a shift; e.g. John Deere autonomous 9RX / 8R with second-generation autonomy kit (16-camera perception), in use)

5h 31m of a typical shift, or 69%, goes to tasks with no AI or robot evidence yet. No AI usage or robot deployment has shown up for these so far. The biggest:

• Select tree seedlings, prepare the ground, or plant the trees in reforestation areas, using manual planting tools. (52m a shift)
• Thin or space trees, using power thinning saws. (39m a shift)
• Perform fire protection or suppression duties, such as constructing fire breaks or disposing of brush. (32m a shift)
• Identify diseased or undesirable trees and remove them, using power saws or hand saws. (32m a shift)
• Check equipment to ensure that it is operating properly. (26m a shift)

Much of it comes down to where and how the work happens. In-person, hands-on and high-stakes work is where AI and robots have made the least headway so far. In the official O*NET survey of people in this job:

• 81% work in very hot or cold conditions at least weekly
• 75% carry high or very high responsibility for other workers' safety
• 71% say dealing with the public is very or extremely important

The median pay is about $43,680 a year ($21.00 an hour), 14% below the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Most people in this job earn between $33,780 and $57,220 a year; that range covers the middle 80%. Pay figures are from BLS, May 2025, and vary a lot by state and employer. Pick a state to compare:

BLS projects a decline of 1.5% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 15,000 jobs in 2035. Even so, it expects about 2,200 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers. These projections don't single out AI as a cause.

About 6,050 people in the U.S., roughly 0.00% of all workers (BLS, May 2025). That makes it the 715th largest of the 796 jobs on this site. BLS expects about 15,000 in 2035.

The most common requirement is a high school diploma: about 44% of people in the job said so in the official O*NET survey. O*NET rates the job at level 2 of 5 for preparation, which usually means: high school diploma, some training. Requirements vary by state and employer, especially for licensed work.

These come from the job's official skill ratings and from the tasks that AI and robots touch least today. Building them keeps you strong in the parts of the work that still need a person:

• Skills that matter more here than in most jobs: Active Learning, Coordination, Monitoring, Judgment and Decision Making
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 5h 31m of a typical shift
• Tools employers list: ESRI ArcGIS software, Microsoft Access, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook

Yes. Occupational experts recently added these to the official task list, a sign of how the work itself is shifting. New tasks aren't rated for AI or robots yet:

• Create field maps using geographic information systems technology.

These use similar skills. Matches come from 109 official ratings of skills, knowledge and work activities, and each needs the same or less preparation unless the official list relates the jobs directly:

• Forest and Conservation Technicians (1h 8m touched, $55k median pay)
• Foresters (1h 27m touched, $76k median pay)
• Range Managers (19m touched, $73k median pay)
• Forest Fire Inspectors and Prevention Specialists (1h 22m touched, $57k median pay)
• Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse (2h 20m touched, $36k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 5 with robots in real deployments, 12 with no AI or robot evidence found. The minutes per task are estimates, not measured hours, and "no evidence" doesn't prove a task is safe.