About the Program
Accredited by the Society of American Foresters, UMFK’s Applied Forest Management program offers small classes, hands-on learning, and experienced faculty. You’ll explore topics such as tree planting and tending, species identification, forest ecology and habitat management, and more. The degree will also provide you a pathway to becoming a Maine Licensed Forester.
Career Opportunities in Applied Forest Management
This is a great time to seek a career in forestry! The ratio of jobs to graduates is at an all-time high, and that ratio is only expected to increase. Changes in the forest industry have created many new, technologically advanced positions.
Meet UMFK’s Graduates
Minors
Customize your degree to match your career goals with one of these minors.
Potential employers include:
- Consulting foresters
- Land management companies
- Forest industry
- Forestry, conservation, and agriculture departments of the state and federal governments.
- Logging contractors
- Surveyors
Employers who have hired our graduates in recent years include:
- American Forest Management
- Irving Woodlands LLC
- James W. Sewall Company
- Landvest
- Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands
- Maine Forest Service
- Maine Land Use Regulation Commission
- Seven Islands Land Company
- U.S. Forest Service
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
- Wagner Forest Management, Ltd.
While some companies have placed our graduates directly into forester positions, several local companies prefer to have employees with baccalaureate degrees. Those employers worked with UMFK to develop a baccalaureate degree in business with a concentration in forestry. Both degrees, Associate of Science Applied Forest Management and Bachelor of Science Business Management Major, can be completed in four years.
In Maine, forest technicians and foresters compete for entry-level positions. Forest technicians generally have stronger field skills. However, individuals seeking advancement, whether in industry or government, should consider a baccalaureate degree. One outstanding option for an industry position is UMFK’s Bachelor of Science in business management. This degree is recommended by local industry representatives. Government employers may prefer UMFK’s Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies.
Students wishing to pursue careers in administration or who wish to seek advancement within government agencies must consider a baccalaureate degree. UMFK offers such an opportunity through its Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies, Bachelor of Science Degree in Rural Public Safety Administration, and its Bachelor of Conservation Law Enforcement with a Natural Resources concentration.
Students seeking employment as a GIS specialist may further their studies with the GIS Minor if they are Bachelor’s students, or GIS Certificate if they are Associate’s students, the GIS concentration under the Computer Systems Administration Major, or one in the Environmental Studies Program. GIS specialists have more extensive training in database management, programming, and geospatial analysis and are currently sought after by the industry. Both educational options at UMFK provide graduates with the skills to compete in this growing field. UMFK is a member of the Maine GIS Education Consortium, a group of University of Maine System Schools actively promoting GIS undergraduate education and post-graduate educational opportunities.
Program Requirements
- FOR 100: Introduction to Forestry
- FOR 131: Spreadsheets for Natural Resource Professionals
- FOR 109: Dendrology
- FOR 132: Forest Protection I
- FOR 242: Map and LiDAR Interpretation
- FOR 208: Forest Products, Harvesting, and Transportation
- FOR 290: Forest Mensuration
- GEO 103: Introduction To Global Positioning Systems
- FOR 203: Surveying for Foresters
- FOR 226: Forest Operations
- FOR 332: Forest Inventory and Analysis
- BUS 211: Introduction of Business
- FOR 260: Silvics (Forest Ecology)
- FOR 360: Silviculture
- GIS 300: GIS Applications I
- ENV 302: Wildlife Conservation & Management
OR
ENV 334: Wildlife Science
OR
ENV 354: Wildlife Habitat Interactions - SSC 327: Interpersonal Skills for Supervisors
- FOR 330: Forest Protection II
- FOR 350: Forest Management Practicum
- FOR 361: Silvics/Silviculture Lab
Quality
Accredited by the Society of American Foresters (SAF)
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Credits needed to complete your degree
US Forest Service
One of our many internship opportunities
Forestry Spotlight
Meet the faculty who make this program so successful.