Forest Resources Management

Program Info: Professional forestry education has been featured at ESF since the College’s founding in 1911. Our forest resources management program combines professional competency with a strong foundation in the biophysical sciences, humanities and social sciences to meet society’s needs for forest managers. ESF graduates are working throughout the United States as professional foresters and natural resource managers in public agencies, private companies, and nonprofit organizations. The faculty offer both undergraduate (associate and bachelor’s) and graduate (master’s and doctoral) degrees and are among the most respected teachers and researchers in the field. This is the only program in NY State that is accredited by the Society of American Foresters.

Students in ESF’s forest resources management program use more than 25,000 acres of forested property that is owned and managed by the College as a living laboratory, providing many opportunities to gain “hands-on” forestry experience or to conduct research projects. A unique part of the program is the option to study at ESF’s Ranger School campus in the Adirondack Park area of northern New York in addition to studying at the main ESF campus in Syracuse. All forest resources management BS (four year) degree students complete a summer session at the Ranger School, and some choose to spend a full year there. The Ranger School campus offers specialized courses in forest technology, land surveying, and environmental conservation leading to an AAS degree in those majors, and students in forest resources management can earn a combined AAS/BS degree by studying for three years on the Syracuse campus and one year at the Ranger School.