A student chapter of the SAF is active in organizing seminars, working on projects in the University forests, and conducting service projects. One-half of the 40,000 professional foresters in the United States work for a government agency, manage publicly owned forest land or conduct research and educational programs related to forest management and conservation. Foresters are employed by the U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, forestry departments in each state, and many other agencies. Many public agencies have strong affirmative action programs for women and members of ethnic minority groups. This type of forestry employment is widespread in New England.
Jobs exist with both city agencies and private tree-care companies.
Jobs of this kind are found throughout the U.S., but are concentrated in the southern and western parts of the country, and in northern New England. Many graduates gain their first professional experience in forestry as volunteers in the Peace Corps which has markedly increased the size of its forestry program in recent years. There is additional information about the Forestry major on the Department of Natural Resources Conservation homepage. The Forestry major requires more than 75 semester credit hours of forestry or related coursework, so early transfer is recommended to avoid delay of graduation. We recommend that prospective transfer students complete a botany or plant biology course prior to transferring.