Academic Programs Catalog

College of Agriculture and Natural Resources

Department of Forestry

Undergraduate Programs
Forestry

“How can forest ecosystems and all their recognized values be sustained in the modern world?” This is a fundamental question for the 21st century, as forest ecosystems are facing grave threats all over the world, including large-scale deforestation, forest degradation, invasive pests and pathogens, and global climate change. In the face of these threats, forestry professionals have a great responsibility and opportunity to maintain, restore and enhance the sustainability of forest ecosystems.

Students enrolled in the Bachelor of Science Degree in Forestry program develop an in-depth understanding of the natural and social sciences in order to manage forest ecosystems. The Bachelor of Science degree is accredited by the Society of American Foresters. Through hands-on laboratory experiences and field studies, students learn how to manage forests for a wide range of goals and acquire the skills to evaluate and ensure the ecological, economic, and social sustainability of forests.  They place emphasis on development of analytical and communications skills necessary to create a positive exchange of ideas between forestry professionals and non-technical audiences. Students who graduate from this program will possess the professional training to enable them to contribute significantly to resolution of forest-centered environmental and resource problems.

Forest professionals are employed in a variety of settings.  Many choose careers with public land management agencies, such as the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service, the National Park Service, the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Soil Conservation Service, or state departments of natural resources.  Conservation organizations, such as the Wilderness Society and the Nature Conservancy, also hire forestry professionals.  Forestry professionals are in high demand in the forest products industry, including in sustainable production of environmentally responsible wood products and management of bio-energy plantations.  Increasingly, forestry expertise is required to combat climate change through work on forest-based climate mitigation projects, in both domestic and international settings.

Requirements for the Bachelor of Science Degree in Forestry

  1. The University requirements for bachelor's degrees as described in the Undergraduate Education section of this catalog; 120 credits, including general elective credits, are required for the Bachelor of Science degree in Forestry.

    The University's Tier II writing requirement for the Forestry major is met by completing Forestry 330, 340L, 406L, 414, and 468. Those courses are referenced in item 3. a. below.

    Students who are enrolled in the Forestry major leading to the Bachelor of Science degree in the Department of Forestry may complete an alternative track to Integrative Studies in Biological and Physical Sciences that consists of the following courses: Plant Biology 105 and 106 combined; and Chemistry 141 and 161.

    The completion of Chemistry 161 and Plant Biology 106 satisfies the laboratory requirement. Plant Biology 105 and 106 combined, and Chemistry 141 and 161 may be counted toward both the alternative track and the requirements for the major referenced in item 3. below.

    The completion of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources mathematics requirement may also satisfy the University mathematics requirement. 
  2. The requirements of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources for the Bachelor of Science degree.

    Certain courses referenced in requirement 3. below may be counted toward College requirements as appropriate.  The completion of Mathematics 124 or 132 satisfies the College's mathematics requirement.
  3. The following requirements for the major:
                   
    a. All of the following courses (68 credits):
    CEM 141 General Chemistry 4
    CEM 161 Chemistry Laboratory I 1
    CSS 210 Fundamentals of Soil Science 3
    EC 201 Introduction to Microeconomics 3
    FOR 110 Contemporary Issues in Forests and the Environment 1
    FOR 128 Practical Computing and Data Science Tools 3
    FOR 204 Forest Vegetation 3
    FOR 215 Introduction to Wildland Fire 2
    FOR 222 Forestry Field Methods 3
    FOR 330 Human Dimensions of Forests 3
    FOR 340 Forest Ecology 3
    FOR 340L Forest Ecology Laboratory 2
    FOR 372 Ecological Monitoring and Data Analysis 3
    FOR 406 Applied Forest Ecology: Silviculture 3
    FOR 406L Applied Forest Ecology: Silviculture Laboratory 1
    FOR 413 Wildland Fire Ecology and Management 3
    FOR 414 Renewable Wood Products 3
    FOR 419 Applications of Geographic Information Systems to Natural Resources Management 4
    FOR 420 Forestry Field Studies 3
    FOR 438 Forest Resource Economics 3
    FOR 466 Natural Resource Policy 3
    FOR 468 Forest Management Planning 3
    PLB 105 Plant Biology 3
    PLB 106 Plant Biology Laboratory 1
    PLP 407 Diseases and Insects of Forest and Shade Trees 4
    b. One of the following courses (3 credits):
    MTH 124 Survey of Calculus I 3
    MTH 132 Calculus I 3
    c. One of the following courses (3 or 4 credits):
    STT 201 Statistical Methods 4
    STT 224 Introduction to Probability and Statistics for Ecologists 3
    STT 231 Statistics for Scientists 3
    STT 421 Statistics I 3
    d. One of the following courses (3 credits):
    FW 410 Upland Ecology and Management 3
    FW 417 Wetland Ecology and Management 3
    FW 444 Conservation Biology 3
    PLB 443 Restoration Ecology 3
    e. One of the following courses (3 credits):
    CSUS 433 Grant Writing and Fund Development 3
    WRA 320 Technical Communication (W) 3
    WRA 331 Writing in the Public Interest (W) 3
    WRA 453 Grant and Proposal Writing 3
    f. One of the following (1 to 3 credits):
    FOR 490 Independent Study in Forestry 1 to 3
    FOR 493 Professional Internship in Forestry 1 to 3
    An approved study abroad experience 1 to 3