Indian Forest Officer: How to Become an Indian Forest Officer
Forest management and protection are the responsibilities of Indian Forest Officers. You might be unsure of the steps necessary to become a forest officer in India. Aspirants can learn more about the forest officer course’s educational requirements, age restrictions, selection procedures, roles, and responsibilities, pay scales, etc. in this article. A specified group B gazetted government officer of the state forest services is known as an Indian Forest Officer. The executive in charge of the forest is he or she. The forest officer’s duties include managing the forest, maintaining related revenue, and writing and submitting reports to the appropriate authorities.
How to Become an Indian Forest Officer after the 12th?
To become an Indian Forest Officer (IFO) after the 12th, you need to follow the below-mentioned steps:
- Complete your 12th standard in the Science stream with Physics, Chemistry, and Biology as main subjects.
- Pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Forestry or any other related field such as Botany, Zoology, Agriculture, Environmental Science, or Wildlife Science.
- After completing your Bachelor’s degree, you need to clear the Indian Forest Service (IFS) examination conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). The UPSC IFS exam consists of two stages – Preliminary and Main examinations, followed by a Personality Test.
- If you clear the IFS exam, you will be recruited as an Indian Forest Officer (IFO) and will undergo training at the Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy (IGNFA) in Dehradun.
- After the completion of the training, you will be assigned a cadre and posted in a state forest department.
So, to become an Indian Forest Officer after the 12th, you need to complete your Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field and clear the IFS examination conducted by UPSC.
Candidates must pass three stages of the UPSC Exam—the UPSC Prelims, UPSC Mains, and Personality Test—to become Indian Forest Service Officers. One of the three All-India Services of the Union Government is IFoS-Indian Forest Service. Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and Indian Police Service are the other two services (IPS). The UPSC Prelims are the same for both the IFoS and IAS Exams, but the IFos Mains are different.
The aspirants must follow some steps to become an Indian Forest Officer. They are as follows:
- To apply for the IFO position, the candidate must first fill out the application form and obtain the Indian Forest Services Exam information brochure from any post office. Send the completed application to the specified postal address.
- Examining first: The preliminary examination must be taken by applicants in May or June. There are two papers on the exam.
- General Studies Paper I (150 marks)
- Paper-II: Elective topics (300 marks)
- The optional subjects that must be studied for Paper II are listed below.
- Agriculture
- Botany
- Zoology
- Public Administration
- Indian History
- Political Science
- Mechanical Engineering
- Electrical Engineering
- Civil Engineering
- Economics
- Philosophy
- Statistics
- Mathematics
- Geography
- Psychology
- Commerce
- Sociology
- Geology
- Animal Husbandry and veterinary science
- Chemistry
- Law
- Physics
- Mains Exam – The aspirants who have scored the cut-off marks in the exams will be shortlisted for the mains exam. The main exam paper is descriptive type. The pattern of the main exam is shown below.
| Objective | Marks |
| Essay type of Indian Language Qualifying paper | 300 |
| English | 300 |
| General Essay type | 300 |
| General Studies Papers | 300 |
| Optional subject | 300 |
The interview process will be required of those who pass the Mains exam. The final outcome will be determined by adding the results from the Mains exam and the interview. Candidates who achieve positions on the final merit list will be employed as
Indian Forest Service officers.
Implementing the National Forest Policy, which was established to ensure environmental balance and maintain the ecological balance, is the primary goal of the (IFoS) Indian Forest Service Officer. India’s forestry services are the focus of the IFoS-Indian Forest Service.
Eligibility to Become a Forest Officer
Candidates must meet the requirements of the Indian Forest Service Eligibility, which includes the age restriction, educational requirements, and nationality requirements, in order to be considered for the IFoS Exam.
1. Education Qualification – Candidates must have earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering, science, or medicine from an institution that is recognized. After that, in order to be chosen for the IFS, you must pass both the preliminaries and the main exams (Indian Forest Services).
2. Nationality – The applicant for IFoS Exam should be an Indian national.
3. Age Limit – Candidates for the Indian Forest Service Exam 2022 must be at least 21 years old and no older than 32 years old on August 1, 2022. For some categories, there is a relaxation of the upper age limit, though.
4.Physical and Mental standards – Standards for physical and mental health are also necessary to be qualified for the position of a forest officer. The candidate will experience some medical testing after passing the written exam and interview. You will be eligible for the position of forest officer if you are physically fit.
Entrance Exams for an Indian Forest Officer
Indian Forest Officer Job Description
The Indian Forest Officer’s primary duty is to implement the National Forest Policy, which aims to maintain ecological balance and environmental stability for the survival of all living organisms, including humans, animals, and plants.
Career progression for Indian Forest Officers is structured into various ranks at the central level, starting from Assistant Conservator of Forests, Deputy Conservator of Forests, Conservator of Forests, Chief Conservator of Forests, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCFs), and culminating in the highest post of Director General of Forests.
Indian Forest Officer Salary
The Indian Forest Service personnel are assigned different pay scales as per their branch and area of posting. The salary grades for civil servants in India are fixed by the government and may vary with the latest pay commission. Apart from the salary, civil servants are eligible for various allowances such as Dearness Allowance, City Compensatory Allowance, Leave Travel Allowance, Medical benefits, and subsidized housing