jobfacts

Forestry worker

Forestry and related workers — SOC 2020 9112

Forestry workers perform a variety of tasks related to the planting, cultivation and protection of trees.

Also calledForest craftspersonPark attendantPark supervisorPark wardenPark inspectorPark keeperand 55 more titles
Demand for workersNot high
New adverts a month322↓ 11%on last year · 313th of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025
Typical pay by regionUK median —
Scotland!£25,600
North EastNot published by ONS–
North WestNot published by ONS–
Yorkshire and The HumberNot published by ONS–
East MidlandsNot published by ONS–
West MidlandsNot published by ONS–
East of EnglandNot published by ONS–
LondonNot published by ONS–
South EastNot published by ONS–
South WestNot published by ONS–
WalesNot published by ONS–
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
UK median, —
Scotland£25,600 (small sample)
North EastNot published by ONS
North WestNot published by ONS
Yorkshire and The HumberNot published by ONS
East MidlandsNot published by ONS
West MidlandsNot published by ONS
East of EnglandNot published by ONS
LondonNot published by ONS
South EastNot published by ONS
South WestNot published by ONS
WalesNot published by ONS
Typical pay over 2 years
  • 2023 £25,900
  • 2024 £26,300
↑ 1.6% since 2023

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 322 jobs for forestry workers are advertised each month. The Department for Education rates demand for workers as not high.

New job adverts a month, Jan 2017 to Aug 2026
New advertsMonth not published by ONS (1 in all)
Show as table
Aug 2026308
Jul 2026398
Jun 2026359
May 2026386
Apr 2026360
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 2026295
Jan 2026272
Dec 2025107
Nov 2025298
Oct 2025354
Sept 2025399
Aug 2025362
Jul 2025411
Jun 2025437
May 2025408
Apr 2025390
Mar 2025445
Feb 2025399
Jan 2025298
Dec 2024166
Nov 2024269
Oct 2024418
Sept 2024411
Aug 2024470
Jul 2024486
Jun 2024436
May 2024454
Apr 2024442
Mar 2024335
Feb 2024338
Jan 2024348
Dec 2023204
Nov 2023259
Oct 2023228
Sept 2023245
Aug 2023373
Jul 2023320
Jun 2023516
May 2023458
Apr 2023397
Mar 2023463
Feb 2023428
Jan 2023445
Dec 2022277
Nov 2022395
Oct 2022470
Sept 2022537
Aug 2022556
Jul 2022511
Jun 2022534
May 2022564
Apr 2022421
Mar 2022557
Feb 2022467
Jan 2022494
Dec 2021375
Nov 2021534
Oct 2021532
Sept 2021544
Aug 2021505
Jul 2021545
Jun 2021476
May 2021531
Apr 2021408
Mar 2021574
Feb 2021335
Jan 2021313
Dec 2020275
Nov 2020291
Oct 2020409
Sept 2020359
Aug 2020346
Jul 2020315
Jun 2020207
May 2020153
Apr 2020176
Mar 2020322
Feb 2020418
Jan 2020397
Dec 2019255
Nov 2019375
Oct 2019400
Sept 2019406
Aug 2019433
Jul 2019513
Jun 2019425
May 2019523
Apr 2019316
Mar 2019379
Feb 2019364
Jan 2019487
Dec 2018245
Nov 2018408
Oct 2018435
Sept 2018493
Aug 2018499
Jul 2018442
Jun 2018513
May 2018432
Apr 2018472
Mar 2018456
Feb 2018416
Jan 2018485
Dec 2017269
Nov 2017419
Oct 2017473
Sept 2017489
Aug 2017618
Jul 2017584
Jun 2017543
May 2017583
Apr 2017482
Mar 2017473
Feb 2017379
Jan 2017345
Is there a shortage of forestry workers?
Not high

The Department for Education rates demand as not high, elevated or critical, using five indicators. This is its 2025 assessment.

  • Visas grantedUsual
  • Online job advertsUsual
  • Wage growthAbove usual
  • Pay against similar jobsUsual
  • Hours workedAbove usual
Note: uncertainty in change in hourly wage.
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
53%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for elementary agricultural occupations, which includes forestry workers. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London103
North Yorkshire16
Bristol, City of13
Somerset13
Birmingham12
Northumberland12
Cornwall11
Manchester10
Wiltshire10
Cambridge10
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where forestry workers are most concentratedShare of local job adverts, compared with the UK.

Recruitment from abroad. Fewer than 10 sponsored work visas were granted for this job from July 2025 to June 2026. Home Office

Who does it

ONS · Annual Population Survey · April 2025 to March 2026
WomenToo few in the survey to give a reliable figure
Age of forestry workers
n/p
n/p
n/p
n/p
n/p
n/p
n/p: too few in the survey to publish
Show as table
16–24Not published
25–34Not published
35–44Not published
45–54Not published
55–64Not published
65+Not published
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent!102%
A levels or equivalent!34%
GCSEs or equivalent!62%
Other qualifications–
Not published
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalent102% (small sample)
A levels or equivalent34% (small sample)
GCSEs or equivalent62% (small sample)
Other qualificationsNot published

Main employers: support services to forestry (85%), silviculture and other forestry activities (46%), other amusement and recreation activities (36%).

How to get in

Hold a degree
102%
as their highest qualification
Apprenticeships
1
from level 3
Apprenticeships take
2 years
typically
T Levels
1
college courses for 16 to 19 year olds

Routes in

You can get into this job through:

College

You could take a course at an agricultural college to learn some of the skills needed in this job.

Courses include:

  • forestry and arboriculture
  • countryside management
  • countryside and environment
  • T Level in Tree & Woodland Management and Maintenance
Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths for a T Level

Apprenticeship

You could apply to do a Forest Craftsperson Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship.

With experience, you could move on to complete a Level 4 Forestry Works Manager Higher Apprenticeship, or a Professional Forester Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship
  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a higher or degree apprenticeship

Other ways in

Volunteering

You may find it useful when looking for jobs to get some relevant practical experience. A free virtual work experience programme is available for students to explore the range of jobs in forestry.

You can also find volunteering opportunities with organisations like:

  • Trees for Cities
  • The Tree Council
  • Forestry England
  • National Trust
  • Woodland Trust
Apply directly

You can apply directly to become a forestry worker.

You'll usually need certain licences, for instance a licence for chainsaw operations, or for driving forestry machinery.

What you’ll need

  • have a Certificate of Competence, if you carry out hazardous tasks using a chainsaw
  • have a full driving licence

Registration and professional bodies

Career tips

You may find yourself working in community forests close to towns and cities, or more remotely in the National Forests, commercial plantations and National Parks.

Professional and industry bodies

You could join the Institute of Chartered Foresters for professional development opportunities, industry news and to make contacts in the profession.

Further information

You can find more information about forestry careers from Lantra and the Royal Forestry Society's Careers Advice Service.

Routes in are from the National Careers Service job profile for forestry worker. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Apprenticeships

1 for this job
Level 3About 2 years

Forest craftsperson

You gain
(Core) Level 3 award or training and assessment in first aid at work +F or forestry…; (Core) Lantra Awards Level 2 Award In Chainsaw Maintenance and Cross-cutting or City &…
Details on Skills England

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Other qualifications

QualificationTypeLevel
Agriculture, Land Management and ProductionT Level3

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • prepares ground for planting by clearing vegetation and other debris
  • drains and ploughs land and erects and maintains fences as necessary
  • collects seeds, plants and prunes trees and selects and marks trees for felling
  • fells trees using axe or power saw and saws wood into required lengths
  • cuts coppice, removes tops of standing trees and lops branches as necessary
  • assists in the control of harmful diseases, pests or forms of wildlife
  • builds and maintains forest roads
  • maintains watch for fires and operates firefighting equipment
  • operates machinery used in the cultivation and management of trees
  • monitors and patrols forests and parks to maintain grounds and prevent unauthorised entry

Skills

  • assist forest survey crew
  • assist tree identification
  • build fences
  • carry out aerial tree rigging
  • climb trees
  • control tree diseases
  • execute disease and pest control activities
  • have a high level of safety awareness
  • maintain forestry equipment
  • maintain trails
  • manage forest fires
  • nurse trees
  • operate forestry equipment
  • perform pest control

Knowledge

  • pollution prevention
  • animal hunting

Suits people who like

  • Practical, hands-on work
  • Organising and following procedures

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for elementary trades and related occupations, a group of 8 jobs that includes forestry workers.
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035↓ 21%about 97,000 fewer jobs
Workers needed by 203556,000including people replacing those who retire or leave

Sources

Pay
ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
People in the job, who does it
ONS, Annual Population Survey, April 2025 to March 2026
Job adverts
ONS, online job adverts (Textkernel), to Aug 2026
Demand, skill shortages
Department for Education and Skills England, Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey
Outlook
The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE
Routes in
National Careers Service job profiles
Apprenticeships, qualifications
Skills England occupational maps
Skills, interests
ESCO classification of the European Commission; O*NET data, U.S. Department of Labor (CC BY 4.0, modified)
Visas
Home Office, immigration system statistics

Figures as of 10 October 2026.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey: Department for Education and Skills England. Immigration system statistics: Home Office. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Source: The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE.

This service uses the ESCO classification of the European Commission.

This service includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This service has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. CC BY 4.0 licence.

jobfacts is independent. It is not part of, affiliated with or endorsed by the Office for National Statistics, the Department for Education, Skills England, the National Careers Service, the Home Office, the European Commission or the U.S. Department of Labor.