Will AI replace foresters?

Not replace, but it is changing the job. About 1h 27m of an 8-hour shift goes to tasks touched by robots. The other 6h 33m (82%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 2.2% more 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 3 of this job's tasks in workplaces like this one, about 1h 27m of a typical shift. For 6 physical tasks, no robot has shown it can do the work yet.

• Map forest area soils and vegetation to estimate the amount of standing timber and future value and growth. (44m a shift; e.g. Deep Forestry autonomous under-canopy drone, sold commercially)
• Perform inspections of forests or forest nurseries. (31m a shift; e.g. DJI Dock drone-in-a-box + FlytBase autonomy software (UAVONIC integration), in use)
• Monitor forest-cleared lands to ensure that they are reclaimed to their most suitable end use. (12m a shift; e.g. USDA Forest Service unmanned aircraft system (UAS) regeneration mapping program, in use)

6h 33m of a typical shift, or 82%, 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:

• Monitor contract compliance and results of forestry activities to assure adherence to government regulations. (44m a shift)
• Establish short- and long-term plans for management of forest lands and forest resources. (37m a shift)
• Plan cutting programs and manage timber sales from harvested areas, assisting companies to achieve production goals. (37m a shift)
• Plan and direct forest surveys and related studies and prepare reports and recommendations. (31m a shift)
• Negotiate terms and conditions of agreements and contracts for forest harvesting, forest management and leasing of forest lands. (25m a shift)

Part of the answer is the setting, not just the tasks. Work that is in person, hands on or high stakes is where AI and robots have made the least headway so far. In the official O*NET survey of people in this job:

• 74% say dealing with the public is very or extremely important
• 54% talk face to face with others every day

On Indeed, job postings in the Scientific Research & Development sector are at 84% of their February 2020 level (all U.S. postings: 104%), up 19.9% from a year earlier, as of Oct 9, 2026. BLS separately expects about 900 openings a year in this job through 2035. Across all U.S. postings, 7.3% now mention AI skills. Sector postings cover more than this one job and move for many reasons besides AI.

The median pay is about $76,400 a year ($36.73 an hour), 50% above the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Most people in this job earn between $50,790 and $109,700 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 growth of 2.2% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 14,000 jobs in 2035. It expects about 900 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers. These projections don't single out AI as a cause.

About 10,000 people in the U.S., roughly 0.01% of all workers (BLS, May 2025). That makes it the 662nd largest of the 796 jobs on this site. BLS expects about 14,000 in 2035.

The most common requirement is a bachelor's degree: about 84% of people in the job said so in the official O*NET survey. O*NET rates the job at level 4 of 5 for preparation, which usually means: bachelor's degree. 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: Management of Material Resources, Systems Evaluation, Systems Analysis, Complex Problem Solving
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 6h 33m of a typical shift
• Tools employers list: Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Excel, ESRI ArcGIS software, Microsoft Access, Microsoft Active Server Pages ASP

These use similar skills, with less of a typical shift touched by AI or robots. 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:

• Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists (18m touched, $77k median pay)
• Environmental Restoration Planners (0m touched, $82k median pay)
• Range Managers (19m touched, $73k median pay)
• Conservation Scientists (18m touched, $73k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 2 with robots in real deployments, 1 with robots sold or demonstrated, 22 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.