Foresters plan, maintain and preserve forests and forest resources for public and private use. They may protect wilderness areas, enhance habitats for a variety of species, facilitate public recreation and manage fires.

Many foresters help manage public areas, balancing wilderness protection and recreation in beautiful natural areas with timber needs.

This may be a career path for you, if you are interested in:

• Hiking
• Being outdoors
• Natural resources
• Botany
• Biology
• The environment

"My advice for people who are unsure if they’d like to pursue an education and career in forestry would be to spend time in various field jobs and internships that require you to be outside. Before I found forestry, I had done fieldwork that required me to be outside 100% of the time, and even though it wasn’t entirely forestry-related, I was able to look at the natural world around me and think about what part of being outside was calling to me most...it was the trees."

-- Sierra Barfield, Forester & MSU Alum