Draft of Policy on Acceptable Professional Work Experience
for 4-year Graduates Seeking Registration
10 January 2006

NC General Statute 89B-9(a)(1) states that applicants for registration must obtain “2 or more years of experience in forestry.” When determining whether work experience is acceptable, the North Carolina Board of Registration for Foresters recognizes the high diversity of work accomplished by Foresters. Therefore work experience acceptable to the Board for registration purposes reflects this diversity, and many different types of employment are suitable. Since Administrative Rule [21 NCAC 20.0103(b)(3)] requires “professional work experience,” acceptable work must in all cases be recent and of an integrative nature at a level or type sufficiently rigorous to require a 4-year college education in forest management. All duties of employment need not reach this level, but they should comprise the majority.

Although many others are possible, examples of acceptable work experience include: writing forest management plans, developing prescribed burn plans, conducting searches for protected species, developing control strategies for insects or disease infestations, and offering a course or short-course taught at the community college level or higher. Supervising employees who accomplish these same tasks is also acceptable work experience.

Although many other examples are possible, when any of the following examples of tasks dominate, the employment is unacceptable as professional work experience: driving a skidder, felling or bucking trees, seeding roadsides, removing lumber from a green chain, planting trees, and driving a log truck.

Applicants seeking registration should ask their employers to provide verification of employment.

Applicants with a 4 year Degree in Forestry

Items the applicant is responsible for:

1. Typed application, can be typed from online form, needs to be printed off, signed and have notarized;
2. Official transcripts from accredited university;
3. $50 application fee (covers cost of one exam);
4. Employment verification form;
5. Five (5) references, three (3) from registered foresters in NC and only one (1) from your employing agency/firm. (Note: These letters are distributed by the applicant and the references should mail them directly to our office.)

Forms you will need:

NCBRF Application (MS Word Format)
NCBRF Employment Verification (MS Word Format)
NCBRF Reference (MS Word Format)

Applicants that do not have a 4 year Degree in Forestry

Items the applicant is responsible for:

1. Typed application, can be typed from online form, needs to be printed off, signed and have notarized;
2. Six years of forestry experience. Provide specific details of experience and time frames for the work. If work was part-time, include hours per week on the forestry work. This information should be similar to a resume;
3. $50 application fee (covers cost of one exam);
4. Employment verification form;
5. Five (5) references, three (3) from registered foresters in NC and only one (1) from your employing agency/firm. (Note: These letters are distributed by the applicant and the references should mail them directly to our office.)

Forms you will need:

NCBRF Application (MS Word Format)
NCBRF Employment Verification (MS Word Format)
NCBRF Reference (MS Word Format)

Applicants Requesting Reciprocity

The NC Board of Registration for Foresters has reciprocity with the following States: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Maine, Mississippi and South Carolina.

Items the applicant is responsible for:

1. Typed application (Note: you do not have to complete the reference portion of the application)
2. Application needs to be signed and notarized;
3. $50 application fee;
4. Have state you are applying for reciprocity under fill out registration verification form and submit to our office.

Forms you will need:

NCBRF Application (MS Word Format)
NCBRF Reciprocity Verification (MS Word Format)