Prevailing Wage for Forest and Conservation Technicians
Prevailing wage floors for Forest and Conservation Technicians (SOC 19-4071) are set by DOL using Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey data. Whether your offer is titled Forest Technician, Forestry Aide, or Biological Science Aide, the same four experience levels apply, and the floor shifts meaningfully by worksite city.
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Level 1 covers entry-level technicians who work under direct supervision with limited independent judgment. Typically reflects candidates new to field work, recent graduates, or those without prior professional forest or conservation technician experience in a U.S. context.
Level 2 applies to qualified technicians who handle routine assignments with moderate supervision. This is the most common filing level for Forest and Conservation Technicians, reflecting the occupation's typical mix of fieldwork, data collection, and technical support duties.
Level 3 covers experienced technicians who work with significant independence, may lead small crews, and apply specialized knowledge to non-routine problems. Candidates with several years of progressively responsible field or conservation work typically fall here.
Level 4 is reserved for fully competent technicians who serve in senior or lead roles, exercise independent judgment on complex assignments, and may supervise others. This level reflects deep expertise across forest management, natural resource conservation, or wildlife habitat work.
Prevailing Wage for Forest and Conservation Technicians by OES area
Each shape is a DOL OES area, the unit prevailing wage is published for.
What’s an OES area?
The Department of Labor publishes prevailing wages for geographic zones called OES areas. Every U.S. county belongs to exactly one, and the wage floor applies across the whole area. A worker in Oakland gets the San Francisco metro wage, not a separate Oakland wage.
Top 10 cities · Level 1
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See which U.S. employers are actively hiring for Forest and Conservation Technicians and sponsoring H-1B, OPT, and green card visas at or above the prevailing wage.
Search visa-sponsored jobsPrevailing Wage Guide for Forest and Conservation Technicians
Watch the worksite address on your LCA
For field-based roles like Forest Technician or Resource Technician, the LCA worksite must match where you physically work, not the employer's administrative office. A California field station and a Tennessee district office can carry very different prevailing wage floors for this occupation.
Verify your title matches the right SOC
Titles like Biological Science Aide or Timber Appraiser sometimes get filed under adjacent SOC codes for biological technicians or surveyors. Confirm your employer's LCA cites SOC 19-4071 specifically, or your offer may be benchmarked against a different, potentially lower, wage floor.
Expect Level 2 filings from federal and state agency contractors
Most H-1B and PERM filings for forestry and conservation roles come from federal agency contractors and state natural resource departments. These employers overwhelmingly file at Level 2, so an offer below the L2 wage for your worksite city warrants direct follow-up with HR.
Find employers who have sponsored this role before
Migrate Mate shows which employers have a history of sponsoring Forest and Conservation Technicians and related field roles, letting you filter by visa type and location before applying, so you can focus on organizations already familiar with the sponsorship process for this occupation.
Jobs for Forest and Conservation Technicians are hiring across the US. Find yours.
Find Jobs for this rolePrevailing Wage by Reported Job Title
DOL classifies these titles under SOC 19-4071.00 alongside Forest and Conservation Technicians, so the same four-tier wage schedule applies to each. Tap a title to see the full breakdown.
Biological Science Aide Prevailing Wage
Biological Science Aide Prevailing Wage
Biological Science Aide positions fall under SOC 19-4071.00 (Forest and Conservation Technicians). DOL OFLC publishes one four-tier prevailing wage schedule for the entire classification; employers filing H-1B, E-3, or PERM petitions for this title use the levels below.
Forest Technician Prevailing Wage
Forest Technician Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Forest Technician for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 19-4071.00 (Forest and Conservation Technicians). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Forestry Aide Prevailing Wage
Forestry Aide Prevailing Wage
Forestry Aide is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 19-4071.00 (Forest and Conservation Technicians). All roles in this SOC share the same prevailing wage tiers. The level an employer files at depends on what the role requires, not which title is used.
Forestry Technician (Forestry Tech) Prevailing Wage
Forestry Technician (Forestry Tech) Prevailing Wage
Forestry Technician (Forestry Tech) positions fall under SOC 19-4071.00 (Forest and Conservation Technicians). DOL OFLC publishes one four-tier prevailing wage schedule for the entire classification; employers filing H-1B, E-3, or PERM petitions for this title use the levels below.
Resource Technician Prevailing Wage
Resource Technician Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Resource Technician for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 19-4071.00 (Forest and Conservation Technicians). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Timber Appraiser Prevailing Wage
Timber Appraiser Prevailing Wage
Timber Appraiser is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 19-4071.00 (Forest and Conservation Technicians). All roles in this SOC share the same prevailing wage tiers. The level an employer files at depends on what the role requires, not which title is used.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does DOL set the prevailing wage for Forest and Conservation Technicians?
DOL uses Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey data collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics to set prevailing wages for each SOC occupation by geographic area. For Forest and Conservation Technicians under SOC 19-4071, DOL publishes four wage levels based on experience and responsibility. Employers file a Labor Condition Application through OFLC, which certifies the offered wage meets at least the applicable prevailing wage floor for the worksite location.
What do the four wage levels mean and how do I know which applies to me?
DOL's four levels correspond to experience and supervisory scope: Level 1 is entry-level under close supervision, Level 2 is qualified with routine independent work, Level 3 is experienced with significant autonomy, and Level 4 is fully competent in senior or lead capacity. The employer selects the level based on the actual job duties described in the LCA and petition. Review the LCA your employer files with OFLC to confirm the level matches your role's real responsibilities.
Why does the prevailing wage for this role vary so much between cities?
DOL calculates prevailing wages from regional Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics surveys, which capture local employer pay practices. High cost-of-living metro areas like Los Angeles and San Francisco reflect higher surveyed wages than lower-wage markets. Critically, the wage floor on your LCA must match the actual worksite, not company headquarters. OFLC enforces the worksite-city rule, so a position based in a rural district office carries a different floor than the same title at a coastal agency office.
What happens if my job offer is below the prevailing wage for a sponsored position?
An employer cannot certify a Labor Condition Application through OFLC if the offered wage falls below the applicable prevailing wage for your level and worksite. If an employer attempts to file anyway and the discrepancy is discovered, USCIS can deny the H-1B petition. For green card PERM filings, DOL can reject the application entirely. An offer below the floor is a compliance problem for the employer, not just a negotiation issue, and must be corrected before sponsorship proceeds.
How do I find and verify the prevailing wage for Forest and Conservation Technicians in a specific U.S. city?
Use the OFLC Wage Search tool to look up the current DOL prevailing wage for SOC 19-4071 by metropolitan area. Enter the occupation code and select your worksite city to see wages across all four levels. You can also cross-reference the Bureau of Labor Statistics occupational wage data for your area. Migrate Mate can help you identify employers with a track record of sponsoring this role so you know which organizations to approach before negotiating salary.
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