Urban Forestry & Arboriculture involves the management of trees in cities and suburbs, where more than 80% of people in the United States live. More than 50% of the world’s population lives in cities and suburbs, which are the fastest growing communities in the country. As this trend continues, arborists and urban foresters strive to preserve trees during construction and replace trees that were removed during construction. Trees take on special importance in urban areas, where their greatest value is for aesthetics, climate modification, and habitat for urban wildlife. Urban, residential, and park environments are especially challenging for trees due to compacted soils, pavement, utility lines, and buildings. Urban foresters and arborists work to ensure healthy populations of trees to provide sustained benefits to billions of people. Students in the Urban Forestry and Arboriculture concentration are qualified for professional credentials through examination by both the Massachusetts Arborist Association and the International Society of Arboriculture.
Additional courses required for the concentration:
LANDCONT 105 Landscape Drafting or LANDCONT 112 Introduction to Landscape Design, NRC 102 Arboriculture Field Techniques I, NRC 191Seminar in Arboriculture and Community Forestry, NRC 210 Arboriculture Field Techniques II, NRC 232 Principles of Arboriculture, NRC 305 Commercial Arboriculture, NRC 310 Community Forestry, STOCKSCH 105 Soils w/lab STOCKSCH 109 Insects of Ornamentals or STOCKSCH 572 Forest Insects, STOCKSCH 111 Hort Plant Path plus STOCKSCH 113 Hort Path Lab, and STOCKSCH 230 Turfgrass Mgt
Urban Forestry & Arboriculture Concentration Curriculum
| First Year: Fall Semester | Credits | First Year: Spring Semester | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intro Environment elective | 4a | NRC 191A Seminar in A&CF | 2 |
| MATH 104 or 101/102 (R1) | 3 or 3/3 | NRC 210 Arbor. Field Tech II | 2 |
| STOCKSCH 108 Botany | 4 | ENGLWRIT 112 Coll. Writing (CW) | 3 |
| NRC 232 Arboriculture | 3 | STOCKSCH 105 Soils (BS) | 4 |
| NRC 102 Arbor. Field Tech I | 2 | NRC 225 Forests & People | 3 |
| First Year Seminar | 1 | Math 102 as needed | 3 |
| Total Credits | 17 | 14-17 |
| Sophmore Year: Fall Semester | Credits | Sophmore Year: Spring Semester | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| NRC 260 Fish. Cons. & Mgt. | 3 | NRC 261 Wildlife Cons. | 3 |
| Physical Science elective (PS) | 4b | STOCKSCH 101 ENT | 2 |
| Built Environment elective | 3c | Economics elective (SB) | 4d |
| SUSTCOMM 335 Plants | 4 | Landscape Construction elective | 2e |
| STOCKSCH 111 Hort Plant Path | 2 | Gen Ed (AT/AL/HS+DU/DG) | 4 |
| Total Credits | 16 | 15 |
| Junior Year: Fall Semester | Credits | Junior Year: Spring Semester | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| NAT-SCI 387 CNS Jr Yr Writing | 3 | NRC 310 Community Forestry | 3 |
| NRC 305 Commercial Arboriculture | 3 | NRC 309 Nat Res Policy | 3 |
| STOCKSCH 109 or Insect elective | 3f | Quantitative elective (R2) | 3h |
| STOCKSCH 113 Plant Path Lab | 2 | Gen Ed (AT/AL/HS+DU/DG) | 4 |
| Communications elective | 3g | LANDARCH 297M or BCT 353 | 3i |
| Total Credits | 14 | 16 |
| Senior Year: Fall Semester | Credits | Senior Year: Spring Semester | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Urban Plant Systems elective | 3j | Plant/Land elective |
3m |
| STOCKSCH 230 Turfgrass Mgt | 3 | NRC 585 Introduction to GIS | 4 |
| Resource Economics elective | 4k | Electives to reach 120 total credits | |
| Integrated Experience elective (IE) | 4l | ||
| Total Credits | 14 | 14 |
a – Intro. environment elective options - NRC 100 (SI, fall) preferred, NRC 185 (I, spring) and ENVIRSCI 101 (fall) accepted
b – Physical science elective – CHEM 111 (fall, spring) or Physics 131 (by exception, see your advisor)
c – Built Environment elective – BCT 150 (f), NRC 275, GEOGRAPH 372, SUSTCOMM 125 or 574.
d – Economics elective – ECON 103, RES-ECON 102, 262, or 263
e – Landscape construction elective – NRC 333, LANDCONT 105, or 112
f – Insect elective – STOCKSCH 109 or NRC 572 (when available)
g – Communication elective – NRC 492A (preferred - fall), or COMM 118 (f),121 (f,s),122 (f,s),125 (f,s), 140 (f,s), 250 (f,s), COMP-LIT 290T (AL G; f,s), ENG 379, JOURNAL 201, 292N
*Note: many COMM 100-level courses are limited to first years and sophomores only!
h – Quantitative elective – CMPSCI 105, 120, RES-ECON 212, STAT 111, 240, 501
i – Business elective – LANDARCH 297M (spring) or BCT 353 (fall), or alternative business course with consent of advisor
j – Urban Plant Systems elective – NRC 541 preferred, 572 or STOCKSCH 555 accepted
k– Take any Resource Economics or Business course or another course with consent of advisor
l – Integrated Experience elective – NRC 382, 394EI, 494EI, 494GI or 494JI, or ENVIRSCI 445 (s) or 494JI – offerings vary each semester
m– Plant/Land elective – any relevant NRC, STOCKSCH, GEOLOGY, GEOGRAPH, SUSTCOMM course or with consent of advisor
Concentration Contact
Massachusetts Arborists Association Professor