Forestry technician to forestry adviser
A forestry technician already meets 27% of what the forestry adviser role asks for. The move turns on 17 required skills not yet in the profile.
76.1/ 100
1 How much of what a forestry adviser is expected to do is already part of a forestry technician’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the forestry adviser role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A forestry adviser role treats 6 of its required skills as things a forestry technician already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- advise on timber harvest
- apply forest legislation
- forest ecology
- habitat restoration
- reforestation
- use different communication channels
What stands in the way is 17 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 10 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A forestry adviser role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a forestry technician background worth leading with.
- already held lead a team in forestry services management skills
- already held apply forest legislation assisting and caring
- already held advise on timber harvest communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held sustainable forest management agriculture, forestry, fisheries and veterinary
- already held reforestation agriculture, forestry, fisheries and veterinary
- already held forest ecology natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
All 10 carried skills, including the 6 the forestry adviser role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 27 missing skills fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn assess harvesting impact on wildlife required
- still to learn estimate damage required
- still to learn monitor forest health required
- still to learn perform forest analysis required
- still to learn inspect trees required
- still to learn monitor water quality required
- still to learn coordinate new sites preparation required
- still to learn make decisions regarding forestry management required
- still to learn perform project management required
- optional, not held develop forestry strategies optional
- still to learn perform forest diseases control required
- still to learn advise on fertiliser and herbicide required
- optional, not held develop personal skills optional
- optional, not held interact with clients in forestry optional
- optional, not held write technical reports related to trees optional
- optional, not held train employees optional
- still to learn wildlife required
- still to learn ecosystems required
- optional, not held geographic information systems optional
- optional, not held climate change impact optional
- still to learn forestry regulations required
- still to learn agronomy required
- optional, not held agroforestry optional
- still to learn conserve forests required
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a forestry adviser role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 coordinate new sites preparation practise this
- 02 perform forest diseases control practise this
- 03 advise on fertiliser and herbicide practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 10 skills that carry over
- already held advise on timber harvest skill
- already held apply forest legislation skill
- already held forest ecology knowledge
- already held habitat restoration knowledge
- already held reforestation knowledge
- already held use different communication channels skill
- already held lead a team in forestry services skill
- already held read maps skill
- already held report pollution incidents skill
- already held sustainable forest management knowledge
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn environmental legislation required
- optional, not held assist tree identification optional
- optional, not held nurse trees optional
10 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held agroforestry optional
- optional, not held assist tree identification optional
- optional, not held develop forestry strategies optional
- optional, not held develop personal skills optional
- optional, not held geographic information systems optional
- optional, not held interact with clients in forestry optional
- optional, not held nurse trees optional
- optional, not held write technical reports related to trees optional
- optional, not held climate change impact optional
- optional, not held train employees optional
28 held skills the forestry adviser role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise client on technical possibilities skill
- not needed by the target role advise on tree issues skill
- not needed by the target role advise supervisors skill
- not needed by the target role apply prescribed herbicides skill
- not needed by the target role conduct reforestation surveys skill
- not needed by the target role coordinate timber sales skill
- not needed by the target role de-limb trees skill
- not needed by the target role ecosystem management knowledge
- not needed by the target role environmental policy knowledge
- not needed by the target role fire-fighting systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role logging knowledge
- not needed by the target role maintain forest roads skill
- not needed by the target role maintain forestry equipment skill
- not needed by the target role manage forest fires skill
- not needed by the target role monitor drivers skill
- not needed by the target role monitor equipment condition skill
- not needed by the target role monitor forest productivity skill
- not needed by the target role monitor logging operations skill
- not needed by the target role monitor work site skill
- not needed by the target role monitor workload skill
- not needed by the target role operate GPS systems skill
- not needed by the target role operate forestry equipment skill
- not needed by the target role perform tree thinning skill
- not needed by the target role plant green plants skill
- not needed by the target role provide first aid skill
- not needed by the target role supervise forestry workers skill
- not needed by the target role vegetation control skill
- not needed by the target role work in a forestry team skill
8 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn forestry regulations required
- still to learn wildlife required
- still to learn agronomy required
- still to learn ecosystems required
- still to learn environmental legislation required
- optional, not held agroforestry optional
- optional, not held geographic information systems optional
- optional, not held climate change impact optional
Common questions about this move
Can a forestry technician become a forestry adviser?
Yes, and it is a career change move. A forestry technician already covers 27% of what a forestry adviser is expected to do: 10 skills carry over, 6 of which the forestry adviser role treats as required.
What skills does a forestry technician need to become a forestry adviser?
17 required skills are missing, plus 10 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is coordinate new sites preparation.
How hard is the move from forestry technician to forestry adviser?
Its learning distance is 76.1 out of 100, which is the career change band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.