US Forest Service Reviews
66% would recommend to a friend
(855 total reviews)
Vicki Christiansen
63% approve of CEO
Top Review Highlights by Sentiment
Excerpts from user reviews, not authored by Glassdoor
- "Great people and fun to meet the people camping and enjoying the national forest and national parks." (in 82 reviews)
- "Great opportunities for learning the skills of wildland firefighting and all aspects." (in 17 reviews)
- "Hostile Work Environment: The agency is extremely cliquey; it pays poorly and employees are under chronic stress due to ongoing poor management and budget turmoil." (in 24 reviews)
Ratings by Demographics
This rating reflects the overall rating of US Forest Service and is not affected by filters.
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Found 855 of over 1K reviews
Updated Nov 28, 2023
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- 5.0Nov 26, 2023Biological Science TechnicianFormer Employee, less than 1 yearSparks, NV
Pros
I could not recommend working with the U.S. Forest Service in Sparks, NV enough! The atmosphere is laid-back, supportive and inclusive. My supervisors encouraged us to work with other departments to learn new skills, and it was an incredibly fulfilling experience. My position was field-based, and we went to many beautiful places in remote Nevada.
Cons
Sometimes there were long hours in the car, and because it was field based, there were some hazards of the job. However, I never felt like my concerns were ignored and everyone's safety was of upmost importance.
- 5.0Oct 25, 2023Archaeological TechnicianCurrent Employee
Pros
Work in awesome places with down-to-earth people Working outdoors Easy to get time off if you need it
Cons
Can be strenuous, depending upon the environment Fire season gets stressful Pay isn't as much as what you might make working in the private sector
- 5.0Oct 18, 2023Anonymous EmployeeCurrent EmployeeCoyote, NM
Pros
Beautiful work environment Great coworkers
Cons
Application, hiring process is a bummer
- 5.0Sep 6, 2023Archeology TechnicianCurrent Employee, less than 1 yearRandle, WA
Pros
Fairly flexible schedule! A lot of fun people!
Cons
The flexibility of the schedule can be a downside if sickness or unforeseen circumstances arise
- 5.0Aug 18, 2023Customer Service RepresentativeCurrent Employee, more than 1 yearCave Creek, AZ
Pros
Culture, teamwork, supervisors are supportive of learning opportunities.
Cons
Distance from Phoenix, expensive living area
- 5.0Jul 31, 2023ForesterCurrent Employee
Pros
great great great great great
Cons
good good good good good
- 5.0Jul 20, 2023Wildlife Biologist TechnicianCurrent Employee, less than 1 yearCorvallis, OR
Pros
Flexible hours, good people, beautiful area.
Cons
Nothing bad to say about the position
- 5.0Jul 18, 2023NaturalistFormer EmployeeVinton, OH
Pros
tree and plant identification is fun
Cons
outdoorsy work can be gross out
- 5.0Jul 17, 2023Administrative Support AssistantCurrent Employee, more than 3 yearsChicago, IL
Pros
Good job, great mission, great PTO
Cons
Too much downtime, cliquish, you’ll go far if you’re in with your LT, sink or swim almost noone will help you! You’ll get a different answer on the same question depending who you ask… nobody knows 🤷♀️
- 5.0Jul 10, 2023Forestry TechnicianFormer Employee, less than 1 yearButte, MT
Pros
The Rec Tech manager at the time and I have heard currently is excellent. Butte oversees an enormous district and the manager is knowledgeable and personable with a sense of humor.
Cons
Federal job payment scales can be difficult to overcome with the cost of living today.
US Forest Service Reviews FAQs
US Forest Service has an overall rating of 3.7 out of 5, based on over 1,084 reviews left anonymously by employees. 66% of employees would recommend working at US Forest Service to a friend and 55% have a positive outlook for the business. This rating has decreased by -2% over the last 12 months.
66% of US Forest Service employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews. Employees also rated US Forest Service 3.4 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.6 for culture and values and 3.7 for career opportunities.
According to reviews on Glassdoor, employees commonly mention the pros of working at US Forest Service to be career development, coworkers, benefits and the cons to be management, culture.
