Forestry Worker (Silviculture)

Career information

What do they do?

Forestry, or silviculture, contractors and their workers plant, prune and thin young trees to ensure the stand of trees is healthy and maximising growth. They may also spray for weeds, fertilise and measure trees to track growth and help the forest manager plan activities. Forestry workers will often be involved in fire fighting activities.

A typical day

Often a ten-hour working day; sometimes weekend work is required. There is a mix of jobs from preparing the ground for planting, planting seedlings, pruning trees, and selecting and cutting down unwanted trees. Some workers may be involved in measuring trees to track growth.

Crew leaders will plan the day to day operations as well as carry out quality and safety checks.

Forestry is an industry that offers great career opportunities. Find the one that fits you here.

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Sound like you?

Study areas
  • Sciences or Workshop Technologies
  • Agriculture or Horticulture
  • Physical Education or Health
Attributes
  • Reasonable strength and fitness
  • Good initiative/‘can-do’ attitude
  • Good work habits/time management
Helpful experience
  • Making or fixing things
  • Working with machinery
Preferred work environments
  • Outdoors
  • Different places from time to time

Pathway

School

These can be useful from school:

Good NCEA Level 1 passes in:

  • Maths
  • English
Entry level jobs

Traineeship or apprenticeship

  • Manual log processing
  • Quality control
Advancing jobs
  • Machine operator
  • Tree faller
  • Crew manager
Senior jobs
  • Contractor 
  • Forest manager

The logistics sector needs skilled people

Learn more on the qualifications available.

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Available jobs

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