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California / Forestry and Fire Protection / Forestry Technician

Job-title file

Forestry Technician

Operate, maintain, and repair equipment or facilities, performing skilled hands-on work.

192 employees hold this title in Forestry and Fire Protection. Median total compensation for the role is $69,708, below the department median of $111,787.

Employees
192
Total payroll
$13M
Role median
$69,708
Agency median
$111,787
Comparison
Below

What the records show

Role pay distribution

Pay distribution for this role

-$2,208$132,921+

Hover a bar for its range; click to filter the list below.

How total compensation varies among the 192 people in this role. Even for one job title, pay differs with seniority, step, overtime, and tenure. Each bar is a pay range; the far-right bar collects the highest earners.

Compared with the local labor market

Forestry Technician pay vs. California

Across all employers in California, the median wage for Forest and Conservation Technicians — about 6,640 people — is $58,120. Forestry and Fire Protection pays a median base salary of $52,812 for this role, 9% below that figureabout the 36th percentile of local pay for the occupation.

Where Forestry and Fire Protection sits in the local pay range

10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
$43,680
$48,550
$58,120
$75,280
$91,480
Forestry and Fire Protection median · $52,812

The bar is the range of annual wages for Forest and Conservation Technicians across every employer in California, from the 10th to the 90th percentile, with the middle 50% highlighted. The marker shows Forestry and Fire Protection’s median base salary for this role. Both figures are base pay only.

And across the country

Nationwide, the median wage for Forest and Conservation Technicians — about 30,410 people — is $54,560. Forestry and Fire Protection’s median base salary is 3% below that national figure, about the 44th percentile of pay for the occupation nationally.

10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
$40,330
$47,360
$54,560
$68,600
$83,630
Forestry and Fire Protection median · $52,812

Local and national wages differ for reasons beyond how well a job pays — cost of living, the mix of employers, and local demand for the occupation all move the California range relative to the national one.

Computed over the 163 of 192 people in this role paid at least $25,000in base salary. The rest are part-year or part-time records, whose actual pay isn’t comparable to a full-time annual wage.

Median total compensation for this role at Forestry and Fire Protection is $69,708, which includes overtime and employer-paid benefits. The benchmark above excludes both, so total compensation is deliberately not compared against it.

Benchmark: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025). BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) covers all employers in the area — private, non-profit, and government alike — so this is a comparison against the whole local labor market for the occupation, not against private-sector pay. OEWS wages are straight-time pay and exclude overtime, shift differentials, and employer-paid benefits, so the government figure shown here is base pay on the same basis. Total compensation is not comparable to it. Job titles are matched to the closest standard occupation, so the comparison is between similar work rather than an identical job classification.

Compare departments

This role across California

Forestry Technician is held in 2 California departments. In Forestry and Fire Protection, the median of $69,708 ranks #1 of 2.

Highest-paying departments for this role

Median total compensation for the Forestry Technician role in other Californiadepartments (highest first). Each bar links to that department’s page for this role.

Compare jurisdictions

Forestry Technician beyond California

This role is reported in 6 jurisdictions. In California, the median of $59,155 ranks #2 of 6. See Forestry Technician across all of California

Highest-paying jurisdictions for this role

Tennessee
$59,381 · 60
South Carolina
$56,135 · 9
Arkansas
$23,335 · 7
Utah
$11,477 · 28

Median total compensation for comparable Forestry Technicianroles in other jurisdictions. Titles are matched by normalized name across sources, not identical job classification, and pay is not cost-of-living adjusted. Each bar links to that jurisdiction’s page for the role.

Record list

Employees with this title

Page 1

Michael Chandler

Forestry Technician/Forestry and Fire Protection

2023 total comp
$19,543
Sub-department
Forestry
Base pay
$18,475
Overtime
$0
Other pay
$1,068
Benefits
$0
Total compensation
$19,543
Employment type
Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit
R08
Work county
Placer
Middle name
J

Source-specific fields

Base Pay
$3,730
Cs/csu
Cs
Position Number
5422161085008
Salary Total
$3,730
Total Pay
$19,543

At Forestry and Fire Protection, Michael Chandler serves as a Forestry Technician within Forestry. They work full-time. Their 2023 pay totaled $19,543. They are represented by R08.

Brian Chacon

Forestry Technician/Forestry and Fire Protection

2023 total comp
$19,034
Sub-department
Forestry
Base pay
$16,904
Overtime
$0
Other pay
$2,130
Benefits
$0
Total compensation
$19,034
Employment type
Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit
R08
Work county
Yolo
Middle name
W

Source-specific fields

Base Pay
$4,562
Cs/csu
Cs
Position Number
5421141085001
Salary Total
$4,562
Total Pay
$19,034

At Forestry and Fire Protection, Brian Chacon serves as a Forestry Technician within Forestry. They work full-time. Their 2023 pay totaled $19,034. Their bargaining unit is R08.

Brennen Stalker

Forestry Technician/Forestry and Fire Protection

2025 total comp
$18,624
Sub-department
Forestry
Base pay
$15,613
Overtime
$25
Other pay
$2,986
Benefits
$0
Total compensation
$18,624
Employment type
Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit
R08
Work county
Tuolumne
Middle name
J

Source-specific fields

Base Pay
$5,248
Cs/csu
Cs
Position Number
5424181085007
Salary Total
$5,248
Total Pay
$18,624

Brennen Stalker works as a Forestry Technician for Forestry and Fire Protection within Forestry. Their status is full-time. Brennen earned $18,624 in 2025. Union affiliation: R08.

Natalie Steeneken

Forestry Technician/Forestry and Fire Protection

2023 total comp
$18,267
Sub-department
Forestry
Base pay
$14,242
Overtime
$715
Other pay
$3,310
Benefits
$0
Total compensation
$18,267
Employment type
Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit
R08
Work county
San Diego
Middle name
A

Source-specific fields

Base Pay
$3,730
Cs/csu
Cs
Position Number
5423141085001
Salary Total
$3,917
Total Pay
$18,267

Natalie Steeneken holds the role of Forestry Technician at Forestry and Fire Protection within Forestry. Their status is full-time. In 2023, their total compensation was $18,267. Union affiliation: R08.