Peernovo
Agriculture, forestry, fishery and food engineers

How to become a Forestry Engineer

Also called: Forest Tree Seedling Technician, Forest Pest and Disease Control Technician, Forestry Extension Officer

Researches and gives guidance on forestry technology at forestry research stations and elsewhere, such as growing trees, forest growing conditions and ways of felling trees.

Workers in this job say high school or university is common. From job tag's survey of people in each job, who could give several answers. It shows what workers see as common, not how many workers hold each level.

How to become one

Forestry engineers usually study specialist subjects in forest science, forestry or forest products departments at a university agriculture faculty or an agricultural high school. To work for government, you must pass a public service exam. In the private sector, people usually join after sitting a company's recruitment exam, often through vacancies sent to their school. The work covers many specialist fields, so the knowledge needed differs with your specialty. It ranges widely: biological sciences such as plants (especially trees), forest plant ecology, pathology, fungi, insects and soils; civil engineering such as erosion control, flood control and forest roads; mechanical engineering such as felling and extraction; management and economics such as forest management and timber distribution; and wood engineering and wood chemistry. Related qualifications include Professional Engineer (Forestry), overseen by the Ministry of Education; surveyor, overseen by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism; and forestry extension officer and forestry engineer, overseen by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. People working for government receive further specialist training after joining, for example at the Forestry Agency's Forest Technology Training Institute. You guide and supervise forestry workers and spread technology to forest owners and others, so you need leadership, cooperation and communication skills. Because forests serve many functions, you also need research, planning and judgement skills and a sense of responsibility to serve the public.

Ways in

Pay · Job openings · AI and this job

Related jobs

Not sure this is for you? Take the 2-minute career quiz

Questions people ask

How do I become a Forestry Engineer?

Forestry engineers usually study specialist subjects in forest science, forestry or forest products departments at a university agriculture faculty or an agricultural high school. To work for government, you must pass a public service exam. In the private sector, people usually join after sitting a company's recruitment exam, often through vacancies sent to their school. The work covers many specialist fields, so the knowledge needed differs with your specialty. It ranges widely: biological sciences such as plants (especially trees), forest plant ecology, pathology, fungi, insects and soils; civil engineering such as erosion control, flood control and forest roads; mechanical engineering such as felling and extraction; management and economics such as forest management and timber distribution; and wood engineering and wood chemistry. Related qualifications include Professional Engineer (Forestry), overseen by the Ministry of Education; surveyor, overseen by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism; and forestry extension officer and forestry engineer, overseen by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. People working for government receive further specialist training after joining, for example at the Forestry Agency's Forest Technology Training Institute. You guide and supervise forestry workers and spread technology to forest owners and others, so you need leadership, cooperation and communication skills. Because forests serve many functions, you also need research, planning and judgement skills and a sense of responsibility to serve the public.

How much does a Forestry Engineer earn in Japan?

Average annual income in the private sector, bonus included, is ¥6,119,400 (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare). The figure is for the wage survey group Engineers not elsewhere classified, which covers several jobs.

Do you need a degree to become a Forestry Engineer?

Usually. In this job's census occupation group, 63% of workers are university graduates.

Will AI change the work of a Forestry Engineer?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

独立行政法人労働政策研究・研修機構（JILPT）作成 職業情報データベース 解説系ダウンロードデータ（IPD_DL_description_7_01.xlsx）ver.7.01 職業情報提供サイト（job tag）より2026年10月4日にダウンロード（https://shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/download）を加工して作成

独立行政法人労働政策研究・研修機構（JILPT）作成 職業情報データベース 簡易版数値系ダウンロードデータ（IPD_DL_numeric_7_00.xlsx）ver.7.00 職業情報提供サイト（job tag）より2026年10月4日にダウンロード（https://shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/download）を加工して作成

Sources: JILPT Occupational Information Database download data via job tag (解説系 ver.7.01 and 簡易版数値系 ver.7.00, downloaded 4 October 2026), processed by Peernovo; MHLW, Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025; Statistics Bureau of Japan, 2020 Population Census; MEXT, School Basic Survey 2025; MHLW, Employment Referrals for General Workers (Hello Work statistics). Figures processed by Peernovo. English job names, translations and the matching of jobs to statistical groups, schools and degree fields by Peernovo.

Updated 4 October 2026