Forest Corps work is field based and rigorous. You must be prepared to handle hiking long distances while carrying a heavy pack, and navigating uneven terrain, carrying tools, and be able to complete trail work, surveys, prescribed fire burns, planting seedlings, and other labor-intensive outdoors projects. This may include hiking up and down mountainous terrain, at elevation, on and off formal trail systems. Click here to view Work Conditions in National Forests.
Service will be full-time for 10 months, which includes 1 month of training that will start June 2025 followed by 9 months of service projects with an 8–12-person team of your peers while traveling across the country. You and your team will be deployed to 4-6 projects across the country serving on National Forest lands. Training for our Summer 2025 Forest Corps will be held at our Pacific Region campus in Sacramento, CA. You will return to the Pacific Region campus between project rounds.
Note: All incoming Forest Corps members must pass the arduous pack test to serve, which is a 3-mile hike with a 45-pound pack in 45 mins. This test will be strictly administered to the standards of the National Wildland Coordinating Group (NWCG), and incoming members should plan to only have one opportunity to complete this test. As potential applicants, you should plan to follow a fitness regimen prior to arrival on campus. This level of test is required to receive the certifications necessary to be qualified for the work of the program.