Forest Officer - How to become a Forest Officer

Forest Officer as the designation itself indicates is the professional who holds the responsibility to safeguard the forests from illegal cutting and poaching of flora and fauna of the area under his jurisdiction. This is the job undertaken more for the sake of job satisfaction rather than any other consideration like status, money or power etc.

Taker of this job has a different kind of mindset altogether. They are the one who thinks and care for the other part of the living world i.e. flora and fauna on the earth. Although not much visible glamour is attached to this job yet there are no fewer takers of this job. Even in this era of visible glamour, there are so many young ones who want to be the caretakers of nearly 22% of the forest area and their habitats.

So more the takers the higher the competition to be at the helm of the things. You have to compete with thousands of young and brilliant minds of the country to be a part of the forest services in India. This profession not only provides you with the self-satisfaction but also give you a chance to serve the society by conserving the forests for the next gen. 

But to get this one has to be really dedicated and hardworking. To reach to that level one has to really toil hard for nearly 2 years and pass through a rigorous test involving written tests and interview spreading throughout a year almost which requires self-discipline, patience, punctuality, commitment self-confidence and a burning desire to be at the top of the world.

This is a kind of career which is ever demanding, you cannot get relaxed after getting the post, infect you have to work harder after getting the job than before getting it. To be an (IFS) Indian Forest Services Officer is not a small thing by any means. If you want to enjoy the beauty of the other part of the living beings then you have also to accept the responsibility attached to it. 

To handle thing effectively a lot of hard work, stamina, alertness of mind, adaptability to follow difficult time schedules, good team spirit is required as this is not a time bound job. This is a career in which you are not only supposed to work yourself only but you have to make your team work hard for the society you have vowed to serve while joining this career.

Indian Forest Services Officer Eligibility

Educational Qualification
To be eligible for becoming an Indian Forest Services Officer one should hold a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics, physics, chemistry, botany, zoology, geology, statistics, veterinary science and animal husbandry; or who hold a bachelor's degree in engineering, forestry, or agriculture; or a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery. And who are between the ages of 21 and 32 as on July 1 of the year of the examination.

Upper age limits are less restrictive for scheduled castes and scheduled tribes and Other Backward Classes (SC/ST/OBC).

Age Limits
The candidate must have attained the age of 21 years on 1st July of the year of examination and must not have attained 30 years of age on that date.

The upper age limit will be relaxed by 3 years for OBC candidates and 5 years for SC/ST candidates. 
The upper age limit is also relaxed in favour of certain categories of civil servants working under the Government of India and Defence Services Personnel.

Physical Standards
Candidates must be physically fit according to physical standards for admission to Indian Forest Service Examination

How to become an Indian Forest Officer (IFS)

To become an IFS officer one has to follow the given steps:

Step 1
As a first step, the aspirant has to procure the “Application Form” along with “Information Brochure” of Indian Forest Services Exam from any of the “Head Post Offices or Post Offices” spread throughout the country and sent the filled Application form to:

The Secretary
Union Public Service Commission
Dholpur House
New Delhi - 110011. 

Note: The notification for the examination with relevant details regarding rules and syllabus is published in the month of December in the 'Employment News' / 'Rozgar Samachar', 'Gazette of India', and in some leading Newspapers of the country.

Step 2
In the month of May or June, the aspirants have to take the “Preliminary examinations”. It is consisting of two papers-

1.   General Studies (150 marks)
2.   Some optional subject (300 marks)

The optional subject for the second paper may be chosen from the following given subjects -

1. Agriculture
2. Animal Husbandry and veterinary science
3. Botany
4. Chemistry
5. Civil Engineering
6. Commerce
7. Economics
8. Electrical Engineering
9. Geography
10. Geology
11. Indian History
12. Law
13. Mathematics
14. Mechanical Engineering
15. Philosophy
16. Physics
17. Political Science
18. Psychology
19. Public Administration
20. Sociology
21. Statistics
22. Zoology.

Note: This exam is just a qualifying exam for the Final exam and scores obtained in this exam are not added to make the final result.

Step 3

Those candidates who are declared qualified in the “Preliminary examination” are supposed to take the final exam (normally held in the month of October) having following papers

Step 4

Once you are through the final stage is the interview. The aspirants are grilled in the interview to test their personality and mental ability. Then the final list of the successful candidates is prepared and those candidates who have opted for these services are admitted for foundation training at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration at Mussourie. This is followed by Forest Service-specific orientation at the Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy at Dehradun, with training on forest and wildlife management, soil conservation, surveying, Scheduled Tribes, and handling weapons. 

Indian Forest Officer Job Description

The main mandate of the service is the implementation of the National Forest Policy which aims to ensure environmental stability and maintenance of ecological balance which is vital for sustenance of all life forms, human, animal and plant.

Indian Forest Officer Career Prospects

Hierarchy in the Indian Forest Services at the Central level-

Ranks of the Forest Service are as follow:

• Assistant Conservator of Forests
• Deputy Conservator of Forests 
• Conservator of Forests (CFs) 
• Chief Conservator of Forests 
• Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests 
• Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCFs) 
• Director General of Forests - highest post, selected from amongst the senior-most PCCFs of states.

Indian Forest Officer Salary

1. The Government of India has fixed salary grades for Civil Servants. Although keep on changing with new pay commission.

Note:- The above scales only provide an idea of the pay scales. Different branches of the service have different scales of pay. Even personnel of same branches may have different pay according to their area of posting and responsibility they are holding at a particular time. 

In addition to the salary civil servants receive various types of allowances such as Dearness Allowance, City compensatory Allowance, Leave Travel Allowance, Medical and subsidized housing.

Link: For Indian Foreign Services Officer click here