Forestry

Forestry | Courses | Natural Resources Conservation Faculty

225 Holdsworth Natural Resources Center

Degree: Bachelor of Science

Contact: David B. Kittredge, Jr.

Office: 327 Holdsworth

Phone: 545-2943

E-mail: dbk@forwild.umass.edu

Web site: www.umass.edu/ug_catalog/natrescon/forestry.html

The Field

The field of forestry is concerned with all aspects of the conservation and management of the forest vegetation that covers 40 percent of the earth's land surface. This is a challenging task, because forests provide benefits to society in two very different ways. Forest ecosystems are vital in providing wildlife habitat, protecting watersheds, providing wilderness and other forms of outdoor recreation opportunities, maintaining biodiversity of both plants and animals, and even controlling global climate. Forests also provide the raw materials for lumber, paper, and fuelwood, which are favored over many alternative materials because they are renewable resources. In fact, every year Americans use more wood by weight than all plastics, metals, and Portland cement combined. The challenge of forestry, then, is to plan for the harvest and regeneration of trees to provide these products, while still maintaining the environmental benefits that forest ecosystems provide.

The study of forestry at the University is based upon an understanding of the ecological interactions of trees and other plants, animals, soils, water, and climate. Added to this are professional courses in silviculture, inventory and mapping, economics, resource policy, fire control, wildlife habitat, and related fields, which deal directly with the management of forests. These courses provide extensive field experience, made possible by students' access to the University's two research forests, and to State Forest, Wildlife Management and Quabbin Watershed lands.

What distinguishes the program from those at other forestry schools is the emphasis on forest problems unique to the urbanized northeast and specifically to Massachusetts, where forest issues are entwined with those of a large human population. However, the curriculum is sufficiently broad and flexible to allow graduates to find employment throughout the country. In some career paths, a Master's degree is necessary for advancement, but most entry-level positions are open to graduates with a Bachelor's degree.

The Major

There are two tracks in the major: 1) Forest Conservation and 2) Urban Forestry/Arbori-culture. The undergraduate curriculum consists of 1) a set of courses required of all forestry majors, consisting of basic science and math courses, professional forestry courses, and General Education and free electives, and 2) the choice of the Forest Conservation or Urban Forestry/Arboriculture Track. The Forest Conservation Track meets the requirements for employment as a forester with federal government agencies and is accredited by the Society of American Foresters. For the Urban Forestry/Arboriculture track, many students first complete the two-year Arboriculture and Park Management Program in the Stockbridge School and then transfer into the Urban Forestry/Arboriculture track for the final two years to complete the Bachelor of Science in Forestry. For information about the Urban Forestry/Arboriculture track, contact H. Dennis Ryan, tel. 545-6626.

Forestry Conservation Curriculum

Freshman Year

BIOL 102 Introductory Animal Biology

BIOL 103 Plant Biology

NRC 100 Environment and Society

NRC 150 Applied Ecology I

NRC 191 Introduction to Natural Resources Professions

MATH 104 Algebra, Analytic Geometry, and Trigonometry

MATH 121 Linear Methods and Probability

Sophomore Year

CHEM 110 General Chemistry

ENVDES 335 Plant Materials I or BIOL 426 New England Flora

NRC 290A Animal Sampling and Identification

NRC 290E Applied Ecology II

NRC 290P Plant Sampling and Identification

NRC 290S Introduction to Spatial Information

PLSOIL 105 Soils

RES EC 211 Introductory Statistics for the Life Sciences

W&FCON 261 Wildlife Management

Junior and Senior Years

BMATWT 201 Introduction to Wood Science

ENT 572 Forest and Shade Tree Insects

190T Tree and Forest Techniques

321 Timber Harvesting

334 Forest Measurements

426 Silviculture

492 Verbal Communication Skills

540 Forest Resources Management

GEO 362 Land Use and Society

NRC 390A Human Dimensions of Natural Resource Management

NRC 397 Professional Writing

NRC 409 Natural Resources Policy and Administration

NRC 549 Ecosystem Management

PHYSIC 139 Introduction to Physics

RES EC 363 Natural Resource Economics

An approved Plant Pathology course

Urban Forestry/Arboriculture Track
Curriculum

Freshman Year

NRC 100 Environment and Society

NRC 150 Applied Ecology I

FOREST 191 Seminar in Arboriculture and Park Management or NRC 191 Introduction to Natural Resources Professions

ENVDES 193C Microcomputer Applications or CMPSCI 105 Computer Literacy*

LDCONT 105 Landscape Drafting or LDCONT 112 Introduction to Landscape Design*

PLSOIL 102 Introductory Botany or BIOL 103 Plant Biology*

CHEM 102 General Chemistry for Nonscience Majors

MATH 104 Algebra, Analytic Geometry and Trigonometry

Sophomore Year

ECON 103 Introduction to Microeconomics or RES EC 102 Introduction to Resource Economics*

PLSOIL 105 Soils

FOREST 332 Arboriculture

NRC 290A Animal Sampling and Identification

NRC 290E Applied Ecology II

NRC 290S Introduction to Spatial Information or LDCONT 213 Small Property Design*

ENVDES 335 Plant Materials

MICBIO 104 Horticultural Plant Pathology

ENT 105 Insects of Ornamentals

Junior and Senior Years

FOREST 492 Verbal Communication Skills or other public speaking course*

NRC 390A Human Dimensions of Natural Resource Management

NRC 397 Professional Writing

NRC 597 Ecosystem Management

PLSOIL 230 Introductory Turfgrass Management

ENVDES 574 City Planning or GEO 362 Land Use and Society*

FOREST 110 Introduction to Forestry

FOREST 310 Urban Forestry

FOREST 305 Private Tree Business

Plant/Land electives (2)*

Marketing/Public Relations/Policy elective*

Personnel Management/Administration elective*

Management elective*

* Course choice must be approved by adviser.

Career Opportunities

Public agencies: One-half of the 40,000 professional foresters in the United States work for a government agency, managing publicly owned forest land or conducting research and education programs related to forest management and conservation. Foresters with the federal government are employed by the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Natural Resource Conservation Service, and other agencies. Most states employ foresters to manage state forest and park systems, as well as to assist private landowners with management of their land. Some cities and counties also have active forest management programs requiring professional foresters, especially for managing watershed and recreation areas. Many public agencies have strong affirmative action programs for women and members of ethnic minority groups.

Forestry consultants: Many foresters work in small business firms or are self-employed; they specialize in managing land for private landowners, who usually are interested in improving their forests for wildlife habitat, recreation, and landscape aesthetics as well as for income from timber harvesting. Nationally, 58 percent of all forestland is owned by private individuals and families who rely on these consulting services. In Massachusetts, 85 percent of all forestland falls into this ownership type. This kind of forestry employment is widespread in New England.

Urban forestry/Arboriculture: Urban foresters specialize in protecting and improving the vegetation in and around cities, including park trees, street and shade trees, and utility rights-of-way. Jobs exist both with city agencies and with private tree-care companies.

Forest industries: Companies ranging from multinational corporations to modest-sized sawmills employ foresters to manage land primarily for the production of forest products. Jobs of this kind, found throughout the U.S., are concentrated in the southeastern and western parts of the country, and in northern New England.

Peace Corps: Many graduates gain their first professional experience in forestry as volunteers in the Peace Corps, which has markedly increased the size of its forestry program in recent years.

Allied fields: Some graduates take advantage of particular skills gained during their studies, and work in such fields as aerial photo interpretation and mapping, environmental quality monitoring for governmental agencies, environmental education, and management of conservation lands and natural areas for non-profit organizations.

The Minor

A minor in forestry can be earned by completing at least five courses (15 cr) distributed in the general areas of Forest Biology, Forest Resource Measurements and Inventory, Plant Identification, and Forest Management. At least one three-credit course must be taken from each area (except in the case of Plant Identification). Interested students may contact Professor David Kittredge, tel. 545-2943, for the list of approved courses that will satisfy distribution requirements of the minor.

Forestry | Courses | Natural Resources Conservation Faculty