Forests are used and enjoyed by nearly everyone. Plus, they occupy a central role in ecological and environmental processes, all the way from preventing soil erosion within the watershed of a local creek to removing carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, from the global atmosphere. A B.S. degree in Forestry with a concentration in Forest Conservation and Environmental Studies provides a strong ecological perspective in understanding how forests work. Building on this scientific foundation, the concentration focuses on the relationship between forests and human society. Questions that are addressed by this concentration include: How have humans interacted with forests and other natural ecosystems? What current issues will influence the future of humanity’s relationship with forested ecosystems? How can scarce financial and human resources be allocated to optimally conserve and restore forest ecosystems? How can we best protect ecosystems from exotic animal and plant species that disrupt them?
The scientific grounding and focus on human-forest interactions of this concentration will prepare you for a wide-range of careers, including natural resource and environmental law, journalism, forest and environmental consulting, and work with government or private agencies concerned with natural resource education, conservation, and land use. In a world of increasing human pressures on forest ecosystems, employment opportunities are on the rise for professionals with scientific training and an understanding of human-environment interactions. If you choose the concentration in Forest Conservation and Environmental Studies, you will be well-prepared to fill these positions and contribute to resolving forest conservation and environmental issues world wide.
Each year the Department of Forestry awards $40,000 to $60,000 in scholarships to students who have achieved academic excellence in their studies. Newly enrolled students in the department also may qualify for an up-front recruiting scholarship. A paid work study program is available in the department to offer students hands-on experience during their studies. In addition, students can gain pre-professional employment experience through paid, career-related summer jobs or internships in forest industry, conservations organizations, consulting firms, or government agencies.
Do you know that Michigan has well over a half million acres of parks and forest preserves, with more area added every year?
Requirements for a concentration in
Forest Conservation and Environmental Studies
(beyond university, college, and department core requirements)
| CREDITS | 23 to 27 total |
| (1) All of the following courses: (12) | |
| PRR 302 Environmental Attitudes and Concepts | 3 |
| FOR 466 Natural Resource Policy | 3 |
| FW 444 Conservation Biology | 3 |
| HST 391 Environmental History of North America | 3 |
| (2) One of the following courses: (3 to 4) | |
| FW 443 Restoration Ecology | 3 |
| PLP 407 Diseases and Insects of Forest and Shade Trees |
4 |
| ENT 422 Aquatic Entomology | 3 |
| ENT 477 Pest Management. I: Pesticides in Management Systems |
3 |
| (3) One of the following courses: (2 to 4) | |
| FOR 412 Wildland Fire | 2 |
| GLG 201 The Dynamic Earth | 4 |
| GLG 302 Geology of Michigan | 3 |
| FW 444 Conservation Biology | 3 |
| MMG 426 Biogeochemistry | 3 |
| (4) One of the following courses: (3) | |
| PLS 310 Public Bureaucracy in the Policy Process | 3 |
| PLS 313 Public Policy Analysis | 3 |
| PLS 331 Political Parties and Interest Groups | 3 |
| ZOL 446 Environmental Issues and Public Policy | 3 |
| (5) One of the following groups of courses: (3 to 4) | |
| SOC 452 Environment and Society | 3 |
| SOC 452L Internship in Environment and Society | 1 |
| NSC 192 Environmental Issues Seminar | 1 |
| NSC 292 Applications in Environmental Studies | 2 |