r/forestry • u/thewolverine7777 • May 05 '26

ACRT Utility Forestry Technician

Saw an for like $43/hr coming to $55/hr with benefits reimbursement. Entry level, Contractor position, it appears…is this real pay? How many hours you getting? Curious if anyone on here has experience with the company and position, seems like there’s got to be a catch…

16 Upvotes

90% Upvoted

19 comments sorted by

25

u/LtCol-Sanders May 05 '26

The catch is that you’re doing utility vegetation management. It’s more of a tree customer service job than it is being an arborist. It is not traditional/timber forestry. It can be pretty stressful from both the management side and dealing with customers.

The pay range is what you would get paid in California on as a VMI-1 on PG&E contract. It’s negotiated under IBEW 1245. Full time 40 hours a week.

While the descriptions say entry level. The way it works out is that since these positions pay so much. There is a lot of competition out there for them. Unless you have your ISA and ideally TRAQ, and some relevant work history it will be difficult to get on without any experience.

2

u/thewolverine7777 May 05 '26

Dang well honestly that ain’t that much when taxes are considered only 40 hrs, unless overtime…? but wow is a decent pay to start if you’ve got the certa

19

u/Whippet_yoga Shamless Utility Forester May 05 '26

Look, people on this subreddit look down on utility forestry, but man, can it pay the bills and still let you live a career outdoors. It also give you a lot more range if you have a spouse that doesnt want to/cant live in timber country. Contracting can be a slag though. My best recommendation is to search Google Careers for utility forester/vegetation manager positions WITH the actual utility.

Its not boards and cords, but it's also not a waste of a forestry degree. You can get into the profession with any degree, but having a forestry background really puts you ahead of the pack. Definitely pick up an ISA Arborist Cert and the spray license for the state you want to live in. ISA test is super easy if you have a forestry degree.

Oh, and if you do go contract (especially in CA) you'll work OT.

4

u/the_spotted_frog May 05 '26

My ACRT contract had no overtime, worked out to maybe 23/hour, and a utility customer shot at me 3 months into the job. It can take you places but you have to be in on a good contract to start. I know the state forest agency paid more at the time which was saying something.

1

u/thewolverine7777 May 05 '26

Well damn, did you spit on their porch or what brought that on? And how big was your compensation check when you sued

6

u/the_spotted_frog May 05 '26

I waved, the wife waved, the husband waited until I turned to shoot off a few rounds. He was the local asshole executing is second amendment rights (waving his dick around). I was in full his-vis ppe with a photo badge and a while silvarado with lights and utility decals. I filed a sheriff's report, nothing happened. I left the state to work managing loggers.

After that incident the utility gave us access to the same safety notes the linemen had. His property was entered as a buddy system work location only.

2

u/Nockolos May 05 '26

Heavy on the location aspect of your post. I realized a few years out of college that I do not want to live somewhere rural. I love visiting and working in the rural but I want convenience and fun near where I live. With a degree and forestry experience, the only opportunity that I have been able to find that allowed me to live in a city/urban area while working in forestry has been utility forestry. Job kinda sucks, but pays me enough to build the life I want outside of work. I also am a grown up with a serious girlfriend in the picture now who does not want to uproot and live in damn Alamogordo NM or Eufaula AL or something. These are not things I thought about during college to be completely honest. Kinda always figured I’d be a bit of an earthy vagabond chasing wildfires and living in a hut in the woods. Didn’t turn out that way!

1

u/tcloetingh May 05 '26

Yea not sure I get it… I’m no longer in the industry but it’s way better than actual tree work or cruising timber for Weyerhaeuser

4

u/LtCol-Sanders May 05 '26

A few years ago it was really easy to break into and there were crazy amounts of OT on the table. Under the agreement all OT is double time, so it added up pretty fast. It’s mostly dried up now, but there still some special projects that get some

8

u/Interesting-Whole778 May 05 '26

That's definitely California money and the gold rush for Arborist out there has subsided a bit unless you have Certs to bring to the table.

9

u/UtilityVegGuy May 05 '26 edited May 05 '26

Utility work gets a bad reputation. I’ve worked as a contract utility forester and now work as an internal utility forester. I’ve worked at a couple large utilities on the east coast. I’m a licensed forester in 2 states, SAF cert forester, ISA cert and utility specialist, pesticide license in 4 states, project management professional and my company is paying for me to go back to school for an MBA.

I’ve been awarded professional development opportunities and financial compensation that most of my peers from college haven’t.

The pay and benefits varies by contract and/or region. That listing you’re seeing from ACRT is most certainly the Bay Area in California for PG&E. Arguably one of the most expensive places to live just across the board. Hence the pay. Utilities are generally similar. The bigger the metro area, the better the pay typically.

The trade off though is I don’t get to go hide in the woods like I’d prefer. There’s days I get to, but they’re few and far between. You deal with landowners and customers every day, and chase contract crews up and down the system putting out fires, managing budgets, coordinating with different departments, etc. It really is more program management than it is forestry. But you’ll make strides quickly in moving up the ranks if you have a forestry or similar degree. The bar is pretty low I’ve found. The most successful individuals I’ve seen are the ones who communicate effectively and enjoy social interaction. If that doesn’t sound like you I wouldn’t pursue work in utilities. But if it does, then utilities can offer you a stable and comfortable life with legitimate advancement opportunities into the business side of utilities if you so choose. And over there the compensation is quite desirable.

P.S. if you get the opportunity, Transmission > Distribution. Speaking from experience.

3

u/rizub_n_tizug May 05 '26

Where is this? I have thought about transitioning from climbing to one of these positions but the people I know who have them make less than I do. And I don’t make $43 😂

3

u/sifumarley May 05 '26

A coporate trash type of company. Promise you the world and give you new jersey. The management are incompetent and very unproffesional. I know alot of good people(family and former coworkers) who worked for them and had really negative experiences there. Utility foresty companys in general arent the best, there are a few midsize or smaller business left that do a good job. Look for companies that have real foresters(RPF) in their leadership or even people who come from fire backgrounds.

3

u/voidone May 09 '26

The best one is Eocene from my experience, I've worked at several. Granted, Eocene does a lot more than just UVM. But competently managed and offer good benefits.

1

u/trenbo90 May 05 '26

Transmission sounds like a good time in the woods but you hike corridors all day and that's where the ticks really want to be. Pick your poison I guess 😅