What is a forest technician/technologist?

A Forest Technician/Technologist is an academic designation indicating successful completion of at least two years or equivalent of study at a forest technical institute. Comprehensive summaries of required courses are available on the web sites of most institutions. The explanation of what is a forest technician/technologist is best achieved by answering the following questions.

What might a forest technician/technologist do?

A forest technician/technologist may be involved in many forest management activities including stand establishment, silviculture and stand tending, cruising, scaling, assessing, surveying and environmental monitoring, forest protection, harvesting operations and supervision, fish and wildlife management, parks management, teaching, training or forest research. Some entrepreneurs even manage their own businesses.

Who might a forest technician/technologist work for?

Opportunities for employment in forestry can include a variety of forest industries, pulp and paper and sawmilling companies, forestry consultants and contractors, equipment manufacturers and distributors, forestry educational institutions, colleges and universities, government departments or agencies, federal provincial and municipal, private woodlot marketing boards and wood producer associations.

Most forest technicians enjoy rewarding and meaningful careers where they interact with university graduate foresters, professional forest workers, other allied professionals as well as the public. They share in the responsibility for the care of our environment, and most importantly, forest technicians/technologists make a difference.

author: A.G.(Kim) Mann, CFT, RPF ©1999