Land management is the process of overseeing the use, conservation, and allocation of natural spaces for public or private projects. These processes are an important part of conservation efforts, government policies, and energy production. If you’re interested in a career in land management, it may be helpful to explore some jobs that the field offers to help you determine the right profession for you.
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In this article, we list nine types of careers in land management and offer tips for pursuing a job in this field.
9 careers in land management
Here are nine careers that you can pursue in land management:
1. Forester
National average salary: $46,042 per year
Primary duties: Foresters manage forest areas for government agencies and private organizations. They may oversee these areas for commercial, recreational, conservation, or development purposes. Common duties for foresters include taking inventory of trees and monitoring their growth, managing conservation projects for plants, animals, and habitats, planting trees, aiding reforestation efforts, and negotiating land use. They may also develop harvesting schedules, organize forest clearing efforts, manage tree nurseries, and manage timber sales.
2. Wildland firefighter
National average salary: $48,129 per year
Primary duties: Wildland firefighters aim to extinguish fires in national parks and open space areas, and they often work for government agencies and spend much of their time working outdoors. Wildland firefighters conduct and monitor controlled burns and suppress wildfires.
Some of the techniques that they use to fight fires include applying fire retardants via fire engines, helicopters, and manual tools, creating control lines, removing and wetting fuel sources, and creating small fires, called backfiring. Aside from their firefighting duties, they may also participate in fire prevention and fire preparation tasks and care for vehicles and equipment.
3. Natural resource technician
National average salary: $54,529 per year
Primary duties: Natural resource technicians are specialists who work to manage and conserve natural resources, such as water, forest land, plant species, habitats, or minerals. Many natural resource technicians work outdoors and may have jobs like conducting resource inventories, restoring habitats, controlling invasive species, or testing water.
Others may conduct controlled burns, plant trees or other plants, collect and record scientific data, prepare reports, prepare educational programs for the public, repair park infrastructure, develop land use agreements, and train junior staff. Natural resource technicians often work for government agencies, but they may provide services to private landowners.
4. Ecologist
National average salary: $59,991 per year
Primary duties: Ecologists are scientists who promote the protection and well-being of habitats, plants, and wildlife. They conduct field research to explore the status of local species and ecosystems, collect inventory data, study water quality, identify invasive species and habitat destruction, and identify diseases that affect plants and animals.
Ecologists may also prepare detailed reports of their findings for government bodies, pursue ecosystem rehabilitation projects, restore waterways, reintroduce species, coordinate with other conservation and environmental experts, create educational programs for the public, and supervise other scientists. Some ecologists work with regulators and lawmakers to create environmental and conservation policies.
5. Land law examiner
National average salary: $62,461 per year
Primary duties: Land law examiners use their knowledge of land law to make decisions about land usage. They often adjudicate applications for land use, examine claims, and determine land use rights and privileges for a variety of parties.
Land law examiners primarily work on cases that involve oil, mineral, and gas extraction and infrastructure construction, including the claims of competing parties. Some of their common tasks include reviewing applicable laws and regulations, viewing claims, researching previous land ownership and usage, drafting decisions, giving expert advice in legal cases, and issuing legal interpretations when laws are unclear.
6. Conservation land manager
National average salary: $68,053 per year
Primary duties: Conservation land managers manage land designated for ecological, recreational, and conservation purposes, and they often work for government agencies, but they may also manage private wildlands. Conservation land managers often pursue land rehabilitation programs, including ground cover restoration, prescribed burns, vegetation planting, waterway rehabilitation, timber harvest, and mowing.
They may also participate in the removal of invasive plant species, herbicide application, trail clearing, and maintenance and may construct signs, benches, and facilities in parks. These tasks can help preserve the scenic value of natural areas, provide recreational opportunities for the public, and preserve local ecosystems.
7. Land use planner
National average salary: $72,488 per year
Primary duties: Land use planners develop strategies for land use. Their duties often include collaborating with government officials, civil engineers, private businesses, developers, and real estate workers to determine the best uses for land in their communities.
A land-use planner’s job often includes investigating legal regulations, conducting environmental impact and human impact studies, reviewing proposals from interested parties, conducting land inspections, communicating plans to local government officials and communities, and submitting counterproposals to partners. Some senior land-use planners may also supervise surveying and testing crews or attend educational conferences on environmental and human impacts.
8. Surveyor
National average salary: $82,313 per year
Primary duties: Surveyors are responsible for determining property boundaries for legal purposes, and they may work on real estate, cartography, or government projects. Surveyors conduct physical land surveys using various tools, reference previous surveys, maps, and deeds, collect data in the field, and prepare official reports on their findings.
While doing their work, they often coordinate with business owners, real estate agents, mapmakers, civil engineers government officials, and architects. Surveyors use a variety of equipment to do their work, including GPS systems, physical measuring tools, and geographic information systems (GIS), and may also use maps and software platforms.
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9. Petroleum land person
National average salary: $82,878 per year
Primary duties: A petroleum land person or land manager helps energy companies locate and lease new land. They first work with geologists to locate natural sources of crude oil and then contact the owners of the land to negotiate its sale or use on behalf of their company.
They may work with a variety of landowners, including private citizens, other petroleum companies, and government agencies. Once land managers secure an agreement, they then prepare official documentation that describes the payments due to landowners and the duration of the lease and submit their agreements to local officials.
Tips for finding a job in land management
Consider these tips to help you look for a career in land management:
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Find a niche. Land management experts may have different jobs based on their niche interests. Before looking for a job in the land management field, consider whether you want to focus on commercial land acquisition and development or on conservation and ecological work.
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Explore government opportunities. The federal government is one of the largest landowners in the United States and offers many careers in land management. Some agencies that offer careers in the field include the Bureau of Land Management (
BLM), National Park Service, United States Forest Service, Department of Agriculture, Fish and Wildlife Service, and Bureau of Indian Affairs.
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Get experience. There are many opportunities to gain experience with federal land management agencies before pursuing a career. Many of the agencies that provide careers in land management also offer student jobs, internships, and volunteer programs that can help you build your resume.
I hope you find this article helpful.
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