Sustainable Forest Management - MS

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 Science in Sustainable Forest Management is appropriate for students who want two or more years of formal graduate work and who wish to develop a limited research specialization. Designed primarily for pursuing careers in research or teaching or those seeking professional development through in-depth research on a topic of interest, the MS program can be either a terminal degree or the first step toward a doctorate. The program provides an opportunity for independent research to be reported in a formal Master’s Thesis. MS students choose from one of the six SFM areas of concentration.