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Useful experience for forest managers includes:

• work experience in silviculture (growing and cultivating trees), or harvesting operations
• experience managing people
• project or contract management experience
• Geographic Information Systems (GIS) mapping (technology used to capture and analyse geographic data) 
• accounting or business analysis. 

Forest managers may do some or all of the following:

• plan and direct forest operations or new forest developments, including planting, pruning, forest growth measurement and tree harvesting
• manage forestry contractors carrying out forest operations
• manage the business and financial side of forest operations
• market and negotiate log sales to domestic and export log processors  
• analyse financial decisions and work out the cost-benefit of forest operations and make recommendations
• ensure health, safety and environmental minimum standards are met or exceeded
• monitor forest growth and health, security, fire prevention, and other maintenance activities.

Strong demand for forest managers

Job opportunities for forest managers are good because:

• private forest plantings from the 1990s onwards are now reaching maturity, so more forest managers are needed to manage harvesting and replanting
• a number of forest managers are reaching retirement age, but not enough forestry graduates are coming through to replace them 
• the Government is investing in forestry research and sustainable forestry programmes to increase the plantation area on land suitable for growing forests, and forest managers are needed to oversee this.

According to the Census, 792 forest managers worked in New Zealand in 2018.

Technological skills an advantage for forestry managers

It's an advantage for forest managers to have technical skills and experience because the job increasingly involves using apps and drones to collect forest data.

It's possible to learn these skills on the job or get support for training.

Types of employers varied

Forest managers usually work for:

• forest management companies
• companies that own forests
• large forestry contracting businesses that require management skills and expertise.

Forest managers can also be self-employed and work as consultants.

Competenz

0800 526 1800 - info@competenz.org.nz - www.competenz.org.nz

Many forest managers start by supervising forestry contracting crews, and gaining operational experience. They can then progress to senior forest manager positions or become forestry consultants.

Forest managers need to be:

• good at planning, organising and problem solving
• good communicators, as they deal with a variety of people such as forest contractors 
• adaptable and practical
• responsible and alert
• assertive.