How To Become An Urban Forester: What It Is and Career Path

What is an urban forester and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

Quoted Expert

Justin Kunkle PhD

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being an urban forester. For example, did you know that they make an average of $27.18 an hour? That's $56,526 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 5% and produce 1,800 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to an Urban Forester?

Justin Kunkle PhD

Director of Undergraduate Studies, Michigan State University

The day-to-day tasks of a forester include conducting fieldwork, managing forests, developing forest management plans, analyzing data, and ensuring sustainable practices. Someone entering the field may start by assisting senior foresters, learning about different tree species, and understanding forest management techniques.

ScoreUrban ForesterUS Average

Salary

4.4

Avg. Salary $56,526

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

6.6

Growth Rate 5%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

7.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.13%

Asian 1.37%

Black or African American 0.23%

Hispanic or Latino 1.82%

Unknown 2.96%

White 92.49%

Gender

female 32.56%

male 67.44%

Age - 41

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 41

Stress Level

6.6

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

7.9

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

6.8

Work Life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an urban forester

Explore urban forester education requirements

Most common urban forester degrees

Bachelor's

78.8 %

Master's

12.1 %

High School Diploma

3.0 %

Start to develop specific urban forester skills

Skills	Percentages
GIS	44.27%
Data Analysis	43.82%
Urban Forestry	7.19%
Data Collection	2.79%
GPS	1.92%

Complete relevant urban forester training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New urban foresters learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an urban forester based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real urban forester resumes.

Research urban forester duties and responsibilities

Manage inventory and treatment data as well as special projects for privately-own timberland using advance GIS and database software.
Used GPS and create detailed ArcGIS maps to monitor and record data and assist with design schematics for contract work.
Conduct field surveys and provide infrastructure recommendations to support future development, mitigate environmental impacts, and reduce costs.
Maintain FSC chain of custody certification, and support MN master logger program.

Prepare your urban forester resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your urban forester resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an urban forester resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Urban Forester Resume templates

Build a professional Urban Forester resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Urban Forester resume.

Apply for urban forester jobs

Now it's time to start searching for an urban forester job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do urban foresters rate their job?

5/5

Based On 1 Ratings

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Urban Forester reviews

5.0

A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2021

Pros

I like to work in my capacity as a certified arborist with individual homeowners to help to educate them about how their tree related decisions can effect the greater community or region. I like to work in my capacity as an urban forester with the community to educate about how collective decision making and best practices in planting trees and sustaining them, has a long lasting positive impact on our collective health and well being.

Cons

People who say you need a special degree to become either a certified arborist or an urban forester. This is simply not true. Although some positions may require an applicant have a degree , it is usually not necessary that it even be related to urban forestry or modern Arboriculture. Experience and education are a must, but field experience, working with an urban forester , forester , or certified arborist to learn the necessary skill sets is strongly recommended, to ensure success👍