Subsector, 113
Forestry and Logging
41,620 people work in this industry in the US, at mean pay of $56,690 a year (BLS, May 2025). What follows is how much of their working time the best AI models could finish, when, and in which jobs and tasks. Estimates.
of the paid hours. Now is projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index.
a year: 11 million hours at what they cost. Not a forecast of savings.
- 16%
- 4%
- 80%
of the paid hours are within reach now in tasks people already bring to Claude. Another 11% is within reach in tasks not yet seen there.
Across the US: 30% within reach now and 36% by the end of 2028, on the long-run pace at four in five. Now is projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index.
Share of the paid hours within reach, now to 2030
Change assumptionsHide assumptionsLong-run pace, four in five
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
What handing the work over would take
For the 15,950 people in jobs so far, 38% of the industry's people; the others are in the totals above and join this split as the review reaches their jobs. Shares of their working time within reach now, at the pace and reliability chosen above. Estimates. Now is projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index.
about 4.3 million hours a year. The material can be handed to a model and the result handed back.
about 4.8 million hours a year. The model has to be connected to the system the work lives in.
about 1.9 million hours a year. Short enough by length. This site leaves conversation with people, so it is not in the totals.
What their work is made of
- 15%
- 15%
- 6%
- 3%
- 62%
Each task's time split among five kinds of doing, judged one task at a time; only documents and systems can count as within reach.
What changes for the people
For the 15,950 people in jobs reviewed task by task so far, by the end of 2028 on the long-run pace at four in five: the shares of their working time, from each job page's own map, weighted by how many people here do that job. It says which parts of the work change, never whether anyone keeps a job. Estimates.
Conversation, in-person and hands-on work.
Desk work within reach in tasks where a mistake costs something or a licensed person signs.
Desk work within reach that is small if wrong, with lighter checks.
What most people here would learn first
How many of them have each skill among the first two things to learn on their job's page. Every state, and the US
- The hands-on craft12,427 (78%)
- Judgment where errors are severe10,130 (64%)
- Running AI inside the business systems3,470 (22%)
- Reviewing work you did not do yourself2,683 (17%)
- Briefing a model and checking its drafts2,140 (13%)
- The conversations250 (2%)
- Signing off under your license230 (1%)
- Dealing with people outside the organization70 (under 1%)
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this industry's paid hours were within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 1%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 11%. Today's estimate: 14%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
Robots and the physical work
Anthropic rates 79% of the working time of the people in this industry as physical work. For 65% of the working time, a robot has been shown doing most of the task somewhere: 37% in a purpose-built cell, 28% in a structured facility, 1% in any setting. 0.95 of 3.
- Not physical 21%
- No robot shown 14%
- In a purpose-built cell 37%
- In a structured facility 28%
- In any setting 1%
Anthropic's rating, not this site's estimate: Claude Opus 5, searching the web, rated each physical O*NET task by the kind of setting in which a robot it could cite (deployed, sold or demonstrated) does most of the task, weighted by its own estimate of each task's share of the time (What work can robots do?, September 30, 2026, data CC BY 4.0; every job ranked). A robot shown somewhere is not a robot in your building: cost, setup and safety decide that. The share within reach on this page still counts no body work. Weighted by the people in each occupation; each job's page names the robot behind each rated task.
Where the hours are
Jobs by hours within reach now. Now is projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index. The 14 largest jobs hold 95% of the people.
| People | Pay here | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 8,040 | 14% | 2.3 million | $52K |
| Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks | 1,070 | 88% | 2 million | $51K |
| Office Clerks, General | 1,550 | 56% | 1.8 million | $40K |
| First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers | 2,420 | 23% | 1.1 million | $72K |
| Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | 770 | 59% | 940,144 | $39K |
| Logging Equipment Operators | 16,680 | 2% | 832,666 | $51K |
| General and Operations Managers | 540 | 45% | 505,444 | $91K |
| Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines | 1,150 | 6% | 136,344 | $58K |
| Foresters | 650 | 7% | 98,702 | $80K |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 460 | 9% | 86,112 | $34K |
| Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood | 430 | 8% | 70,658 | $48K |
| Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators | 500 | 3% | 31,200 | $60K |
People: BLS counts for this industry, May 2025. Pay here: the median paid for the job in this industry, else its mean, else the national median. 31 smaller jobs (1,810 people) count in every total but are not listed. Task data covers 93% of the industry's people; the rest are in BLS "all other" groups with no task list, or in counts BLS does not publish.
The tasks with the most hours within reach by the end of 2028
Across the whole industry, on the chosen pace and reliability.
- Maintain logs of working hours or of vehicle service or repair status, following applicable state and federal regulations.Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers684,815 hours100% of the task within reach
- Calculate total board feet, cordage, or other wood measurement units, using conversion tables.Logging Equipment Operators562,743 hours100% of the task within reach
- Perform both supervisory and management functions, such as accounting, marketing, and personnel work.First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers493,393 hours100% of the task within reach
- Compute, record, and proofread data and other information, such as records or reports.Office Clerks, General388,234 hours100% of the task within reach
- Plan or adjust routes based on changing conditions, using computer equipment, global positioning systems (GPS) equipment, or other navigation devices, to minimize fuel consumption and carbon emissions.Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers354,030 hours100% of the task within reach
- Operate computers programmed with accounting software to record, store, and analyze information.Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks347,973 hours100% of the task within reach
- Check all load-related documentation for completeness and accuracy.Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers302,523 hours100% of the task within reach
- Fill out required job or shift report forms.Logging Equipment Operators286,923 hours100% of the task within reach
- Read and interpret maps to determine vehicle routes.Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers275,264 hours100% of the task within reach
- Maintain and update filing, inventory, mailing, and database systems, either manually or using a computer.Office Clerks, General216,292 hours80% of the task within reach
Scan a typical company in this industry
The industry's largest jobs, in the proportions BLS counts across the whole industry, at the pay it pays, run through the company scan. A starting point before you have a roster, or a benchmark for the one you have. Or choose the whole industry: every occupation BLS publishes for it with task data, at its nationwide headcount, the sector report ($249 for the full report, or included in Pro).
Inside this industry
Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five. Now is projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index.
How it is built: BLS counts the people in each job in this industry; each job's tasks and their lengths give its share within reach at a date; the industry's share is those shares weighted by people. Value is pay times 1.43 for benefits and payroll costs. Seen in Claude use splits today's share by whether Anthropic saw people bring each task to Claude in 2025; other AI tools are not counted. How it works
Questions about this industry
- How much of the work in Forestry and Logging is within reach of AI now?
- An estimated 14% of the paid hours in Forestry and Logging are within reach of AI models now and 16% by the end of 2028, on METR's long-run pace at four in five (15% to 16% across the three paces the site shows). Within reach means a model could finish work that long at that reliability. It is not a forecast of jobs lost or of savings.
- Which jobs in Forestry and Logging carry the most hours within reach?
- By hours within reach now (projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index): Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers (8,040 people, 14% of their time, about 2.3 million hours a year); Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks (1,070 people, 88% of their time, about 2 million hours a year); and Office Clerks, General (1,550 people, 56% of their time, about 1.8 million hours a year).
- Which tasks in Forestry and Logging carry the most hours within reach by the end of 2028?
- Maintain logs of working hours or of vehicle service or repair status, following applicable state and federal regulations (Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers, about 684,815 hours a year); Calculate total board feet, cordage, or other wood measurement units, using conversion tables (Logging Equipment Operators, about 562,743 hours a year); and Perform both supervisory and management functions, such as accounting, marketing, and personnel work (First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers, about 493,393 hours a year).
- What would people working in Forestry and Logging learn first?
- Among the 15,950 people in jobs reviewed task by task, the skills most often among the first two things to learn on their job's page are the hands-on craft (12,427 people); judgment where errors are severe (10,130 people); and running AI inside the business systems (3,470 people). By the end of 2028 on the long-run pace at four in five, about 70% of their working time stays with people, 18% becomes checking a model's work and 11% can be handed over with lighter checks. It says which parts of the work change, never whether anyone keeps a job.
- How is this estimated?
- BLS counts the people in each occupation in Forestry and Logging (May 2025); each occupation's share of working time within reach comes from its O*NET tasks, each with an estimated length checked against GDPval, and METR's measurements of how long a task the best AI models can finish, carried forward to the date from the latest, Claude Mythos Preview (early) in April 2026. The industry's share is those shares weighted by people. Task data covers 93% of its people, and 38% are in occupations reviewed task by task. Data checked November 10, 2026.
Embed these figures on your site
A small card with the share of working time within reach now and at the end of 2027, 2028 and 2030, the date and a link back. Free under CC BY 4.0; the card carries the credit.