Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Science and Research Careers

Whatever your career interests may be, you can most likely work in that field in your community as a Forest Service employee.

We offer careers in fields such as Inventory Monitoring, Sustainability and Climate, International Tropical Forestry and more! Check out the information below to discover more about what it's like working for the Forest Service in these fields. More videos are coming soon.

Inventory and Analysis

An introduction to the Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis Program.

Research Ecology

Dr. Jolly talks about working on the first revision of the U.S. National Fire Danger Rating System in 40 years. Find out why this research is so important and why it matters so much to him.

Jackie Ott, Forest Service Scientist, on how she collects the below ground buds, studies the effects of disturbances on bud production, and why.

Social Science

Dr. Watson reflects on how he became aware of wilderness and the Wilderness Act in college and why he chose his career path as a social scientist to protect and conserve these special areas

Find Careers and Apply

Use the USAJOBS dashboard to find all current Forest Service openings. You can filter by job title, hiring authority, and more.

 Subscribe to Job Seeker Emails

envelope with Forest Service Shield.To receive information about upcoming hiring events and webinars, please subscribe to our Job Seeker Emails.

 

Research Opportunities

To apply and learn more about current Forest Service research opportunities, visit Oak Ridge Institute's Research Opportunities Online Catalog. 

Benefits and Pay

A researcher prepares to work with tools in a lab.
Electronics technician Joel S. Olivencia-Fernandez prepares to work on the Inductively Coupled Plasma - Optical Emission Spectrometer.

USDA Forest Service photo by Preston Keres

Help is Available

  • Visit the How to Apply webpage for tips, tricks, webinars, and more.
  • For questions about career opportunities and applications call 1-877-372-7248 (select option 2 and follow prompts). We're open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mountain Time and closed on all Federal holidays.

Regional Contacts

 

  • Northern Region (R1): Twelve National Forests spread across North Idaho, Montana, and a sliver of northeastern Washington. The 4 National Grasslands of the Dakota Prairie Grasslands are in North Dakota and northwestern South Dakota. Visit the Northern Region (R1) website or email the R1 Recruiter.

  • Rocky Mountain Region (R2): Region 2 encompasses national forests and grasslands in Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, and most of South Dakota and Wyoming. Visit the Rocky Mountain Region (R2) website or email the R2 Recruiter.

  • Southwest Region (R3): Includes six national forests in Arizona, five national forests and a national grassland in New Mexico, and one national grassland each in Oklahoma and the Texas panhandle. Visit the Southwest Region (R3) website or email the R3 Recruiter.

  • Intermountain Region (R4): Includes twelve National Forests which are located in Utah, Nevada, western Wyoming, southern and central Idaho, as well as one National Grassland in Idaho and the Rocky Mountain Research Station in Colorado. Visit the Intermountain Region (R4) website or email the R4 Recruiter.

  • Pacific Southwest Region (R5): Includes lands in California, Hawaii, and the U.S. Affiliated Pacific Islands. Visit the Pacific Southwest Region (R5) website or email the R5 Recruiter.

  • Pacific Northwest Region 6 (R6): Contains 17 National Forests, a National Scenic Area, a National Grassland, and two National Volcanic Monuments, all within the States of Oregon and Washington. Visit the Pacific Northwest Region (R6) website. The R6 Recruiter email is coming soon.

  • Southern Region (R8): Includes forests in Alabama, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Floriday, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, South Carolina Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. Visit the Southern Region (R8) website or email the R8 Recruiter.

  • Eastern Region (R9): Includes 20 states in the northeast and Great Lakes areas. Visit the Eastern Region (R9) website or email the R9 Recruiter.

  • Alaska Region (R10): Visit the Alaska Region (R10) website or email the R10 Recruiter.

  • Law Enforcement (LE): Visit the Law Enforcement (LE) website or email the LE Recruiter.

More Information

The USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer

https://www.fs.usda.gov/working-with-us/careers/science-and-research