The department has responsibilities that are unique in the state and comprehensive in nature. These include undergraduate and graduate instruction, research, extension, and outreach with respect to forest and related natural resources. The faculty play a lead role in the forestry graduate program and participate in others including those in conservation biology, plant biology, and water resources. The department administers undergraduate majors in forest resources, recreation resource management and urban forestry. Additionally, the faculty play a lead role in the undergraduate major in natural resources and environmental studies.
Faculty have formal appointments in teaching, research, and extension.
The public service takes the form of participation on advisory committees, cooperative research, continuing education, and consultation on natural resources issues or problems. These responsibilities stem from the College of Natural Resources designation as the sole institution to offer forestry undergraduate and graduate instructional programs in the state and from legislative acts that specify the roles of the Agricultural Experiment Station and the University of Minnesota Extension Service in forestry research and extension. These statewide responsibilities have placed the department in a significant role for enhancing the state's economy and improving the quality of its natural environment and the associated quality of life for Minnesotans. The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer.