A forester's job profile covers everything from the creation of original Timber Harvest Plans (THPs) to the protection of natural resources and enforcement of forestry laws.

Foresters can also specialize in certain specific areas that harness their expertise. Timber foresting and conservation foresting are a couple of the most common areas of specialization for foresters. Timber foresters work for the timber companies. This means that they look after the farms and forests privately owned by the timber companies. Their job responsibility includes taking final call on harvesting trees, monitoring ecological impact of harvesting timber, determining whether to approve a Timber Harvest Plan (THP), keeping track of yields and marking trees for harvest.

On the other hand, the conservation foresters generally tend to focus a lot more on global ecosystems and proper watershed preservation in the forested regions. The primary job responsibilities of the conservation foresters cover conducting periodic survey of regional animals and plants and keeping track of human activity in the forests. Conservation foresters might work as timber foresters at times and support timber harvesting. However, their top priority is always to try and create sufficient protected areas in the forests so that visitors can freely enjoy nature.