EXPLORE GREEN JOBS

EXPLORE GREEN JOBS

Click on a job title to download the Green Job Fact Sheet

MORE RESOURCES

PLAY A GAME

Take the Forest Quest

When it comes to green jobs in the forest and conservation sector, there are so many opportunities to pursue your passions and make a difference. Whether it’s the trees, waterways, or critters you love, learning about Indigenous rights and relationships, or finding ways to fight climate change, Forest Quest helps you explore and learn about the forest and green careers from different people you’ll meet along the way.
This interactive online experience guides youth ages 14+ through the forest, helping them understand why forests matter, the benefits of sustainable forest management, and the impact of forests on people’s lives. Along the way, they’ll meet various professionals who provide insights into green career paths.

Are You Ready to Manage a Forest? Play the Simulation Game

Play the About that Forest game to simulate the role of a forest manager. While managing the forests, players will face many challenges and be impacted by decisions made by others living in the forest and an uncertain environment. Every decision made will affect the shared common good of the forest community.

WATCH VIDEOS

Green Jobs Video Series

Watch the Green Jobs Video Series to meet some amazing men and women who work in and care for our forests, and find out why their jobs are key to managing them sustainably! Also learn about the communities in which these professionals live and work, how society benefits from the work they do, and the various education and career pathways that led them to their unique green jobs. PLT Canada supports communities coast-to-coast-to-coast in helping to grow a diverse and resilient green jobs workforce.

Forest Team GO!

Forest Team GO! Video highlights the variety of professionals that work together to manage forests. Forests are not just managed by foresters, loggers, and park rangers, but also gardeners, scientists, engineers, and more! Created by the Oregon Forest Resources Institute Forest Team GO! explains the sustainable cycle of forestry.

Careers in Forestry Series

Watch five short videos to learn more about careers in forestry, including forest health specialists and natural resource specialists. Developed by Minnesota’s Department of Natural Resources, these videos show how the tasks of Minnesotan foresters can differ depending on the season and where they work in the state—from planting trees and conducting prescribed burns in the spring to snowmobiling to remote forested areas in the winter.

America the Beautiful: Exploring Science in Our National Parks

Learn about STEM research in national parks across the country by watching the America the Beautiful Video Series created by PBS NewsHour STEM Student Reporting Labs. These stories highlight research projects involving students to save bats in Mammoth Cave National Park impacted by disease, understand the genetics of bison in Theodore Roosevelt National Park, and track bears in Yosemite National Park.

READ ABOUT GREEN JOBS

Explore Green Jobs with the USDA Forest Service

Would you like a career where you can care for the land and serve people? At the Forest Service there are many career opportunities that will let you do just that. Explore Green Jobs with the USDA Forest Service.

Natural Inquirer Scientist Cards

Download Natural Inquirer’s Career Cards and explore more than 250 different scientist and engineer career opportunities in forestry. The career cards include personality traits specific to the career, examples of research questions, and more! Developed in partnership with Cradle of Forestry in America Interpretive Association (CFAIA) and the U.S. Forest Service and available in ENGLISH and SPANISH.

Finding Your Path

Learn more about the life of a field forester and more in the booklet Find Your Path from the Oregon Forest Resources Institute. For example, Joe Newton, a former professional football player for the Seattle Seahawks, now works as a Field Forester and collaborates with tree-planters, helicopter pilots, and other company staff to maintain the health of tree plantations. This booklet provides other forest-sector employee profiles—forest manager, natural resource ecologist, research economist, logging crew, millwright—offering advice, short job-descriptions, and the various twists they took on their career path.

Youth Spotlights

Read about stories from youth just like you who are already working in green jobs. PLT Canada’s Green Job Youth Spotlights features youth who participated in a green job summer program with PLT Canada and are on the path to becoming future forest and conservation leaders.

Is Your Future Green Job in Government? Guide to Government Outdoor Careers

Get tips and resources for pursuing government agency green job opportunities with this handy outdoor career opportunities guide. It includes how to research regional agencies, where to find job openings associated with these agencies, and how to build your experience—from seasonal jobs to volunteering—so your résumé stands out from the rest.

JOB BOARDS

Environmental Job Boards

Explore environmental job openings through online job boards such as the Conservation Job Board, Texas A&M’s Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences Job Board and GreenJobs.com. Filter between categories, locations, and job type⁠—and subscribe to receive email alerts for up-to-date job openings around the country. The Conservation Job Board frequently features different conservation-related online graduate programs in the United States.

LISTEN TO A PODCAST

Find Your Roots in STEM

Learn more about the work of a tree conservation ecologist in the Collaboration with Dr. Silvia Alvarez-Clare episode of the podcast series Planted: Finding your roots in STEM Careers. Dr. Silvia Alvarez-Clare works at The Morton Arboretum, located 25 miles west of Chicago. She collaborates with individuals and institutions all over the world to save the brandegee oak (Quercus brandegeei) from extinction. Dr Alvarez-Clare talks about her career path and discovering her passion in tree conservation and shares how climate change is impacting tree life cycles.

Environmental Engineer - Her STEM Story

Listen to Dr. Tracy Fanara’s STEM Story as an environmental engineer, and research scientist, currently managing the Environmental Health program at Mote Marine Laboratory. The podcast series Her STEM Story, highlights the career paths for women in STEM. Dr. Tracy Fanara talks about what environmental engineering is, what a day in the life is, and gives advice for others seeking STEM careers.

Have We Made Progress on the SDGs?

Learn more about the current progress of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) from the Have We Made Progress on the SDGs? episode of the podcast series Global GoalsCast. A guest from the UN Foundation discusses how countries and cities—from Uganda to New York—are measuring their SDG progress with the help of policymakers, entrepreneurs, and individuals. This podcast shares the stories of individuals, companies, and organizations working towards a more sustainable world.