Forestry
Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources
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Overview
Learn to sustainably manage forest lands to meet society’s demand for wood, clean water, and recreation; preserve wildlife, their habitats, and forest flora; and react to changes in the climate. This major is one of the top five forestry programs in the country. It also meets the educational requirements for the SAF Certified Forester credential.
The curriculum provides a sound understanding of forest ecosystems, the different perspectives and uses of the forest, and concepts and tools applied in forest conservation and management. Students develop critical thinking skills through hands-on field experience, teamwork, problem analysis, and an active internship program. Students have the opportunity to take several elective courses on subjects of particular interest to them.
Graduates are eligible to become state-licensed, registered foresters. Employment opportunities are available in forestry or environmental consulting firms, forest products industry, public land management agencies, conservation, and sustainable management strategy.
Study Abroad Options: Warnell hosts study away programs in Australia, Fiji, Hawaii, New Zealand, the Smoky Mountains, and the United Kingdom.
Explore Careers With This Program
Timber Appraiser and Buyer
Timber appraisers and buyers work with wood dealers and loggers to select specific types of wood, monitor volume and performance of suppliers and assist with securing new wood sources.
Spotlight
Warnell’s hands-on classes and experiences give graduates first-hand knowledge of the forestry industry. This degree also requires an internship, which creates valuable employment connections later in students’ career.
For Barber, her recent internship offered a variety of perspectives on careers in forestry, helping her to better define her post-graduation goals. “During my forestry internship, I spent my days learning about the day-to-day tasks of a procurement forester,” she says. “I was able to shadow each of the six foresters and learn different tips, tricks, and experiences that they had to offer while traveling to logging sites. I also spent time at each mill in the scale house to learn about the different products that came in on the log trucks and how to associate the work done in the woods to assure quality finished products.”