Sustainable Forest Management - MF

Students come to do graduate work in the Department of Forest Engineering, Resources and Management from a variety of backgrounds, though most have undergraduate degrees in forestry, natural resources, engineering, or a related field. Our Sustainable Forest Management graduate program may include coursework in other departments of the University. Thesis research typically draws on the strengths of these related departments with their faculty serving on the graduate committees of our students.

The Sustainable Forest Management  graduate program emphasizes the conservation of forest-dominated landscapes to meet a defined set of ecological, economic and social criteria over long time frames. The program follows the sustainable principles outlined by the Montreal Process Criteria and Indicators. These principles have been adopted by the state of Oregon.

This program provides a strong grounding in the principles and techniques of active management of forests to improve forest health and condition while producing a full range of products and ecosystems services. It consists of a common core in the principles and criteria of sustainable forest management; statistics for design and interpretation of experiments; and specialization in one of six areas of concentration (MS/PhD) or one of three professional pathways (MF).

The Master of Forestry (MF) in Sustainable Forest Management is intended for students who wish to pursue professional career pathways in forestry and related fields. The MF degree provides pathways for students with or without previous forestry-related education or experience to develop the skills and knowledge needed to begin careers as forestry professionals and for current forestry professionals to continue their career development and growth. Students choose one area of concentration, representing different disciplines involved in the sustainable management of forest ecosystems to achieve multiple social, economic and environmental objectives. The MF degree program can be completed in as few as four terms of study.