Forestry and related workers: average salary and pay in the UK
The ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) puts median weekly pay for full-time forestry and related workers at £627.90 in April 2025; no reliable annual figure is published.
What the figures show
Median full-time pay: women £16.21 an hour, men £14.25 an hour.
Paid hours are long: a full-time median of 40 a week including overtime, against 37.5 across all jobs.
Since 2021 the median has risen 44.2% (from £435.40), faster than the 25.7% for all jobs.
Pay distribution, 2025 provisional
| Gross pay | Full-time, weekly | Full-time, hourly | All, hourly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median (50th percentile) | £627.90 | £15.76 | £14.03* |
| 60th percentile | – | £16.49* | £15.29* |
| Mean | £656.70 | £15.87 | £15.35 |
Pay since 2021
| ASHE year | Full-time, annual median | Full-time, weekly median | Full-time, hourly median | All, annual median | All, weekly median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 revised | £21,758* | £435.40 | £10.99* | – | £432.30* |
| 2022 revised | – | £477.90* | £12.02 | – | £474.50 |
| 2023 revised | £25,864 | £498.10 | £12.73 | £25,635* | £464.70* |
| 2024 revised | £26,286 | £522.70 | £13.04 | – | £475.10* |
| 2025 provisional | – | £627.90 | £15.76 | – | – |
What forestry and related workers do
Forestry workers perform a variety of tasks related to the planting, cultivation and protection of trees. (ONS SOC 2020, 9112)
Also covers: arboricultural worker, forestry contractor, forestry worker, lumberjack, park keeper, arboricultural assistant, caretaker (woodlands), coppice worker, copse cutter, crown labourer, forest craftsman, forest keeper, forest labourer, forest ranger, forest worker, forest workman, forestry craftsman and grower (osier) (54 titles in the ONS coding index).
- Prepares ground for planting by clearing vegetation and other debris
- Drains and ploughs land and erects and maintains fences as necessary
- Collects seeds, plants and prunes trees and selects and marks trees for felling
- Fells trees using axe or power saw and saws wood into required lengths
- Cuts coppice, removes tops of standing trees and lops branches as necessary
- Assists in the control of harmful diseases, pests or forms of wildlife
There are no minimum academic entry requirements. Training is typically received on-the-job, supplemented by short courses covering specialised skills. Vocational qualifications in Forestry and Arboriculture are available at levels 2 and 3, together with BTEC diplomas and apprenticeships in some areas.
Related
Elementary agricultural occupations (median £28,509) · Farm workers · Fishing and other elementary agriculture occupations n.e.c. · salary percentile · Average weekly hours worked in the UK · Median
ASHE Table 14: 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 · coding index · notes · 15 October 2026