The Department of Forest Sciences derives its mission from that of the School of Agriculture and Land Resources Management (SALRM). The mission for the Department of Forest Sciences is to generate and provide knowledge to students and resource users that is important to the successful long-term management of forest resources in Alaska and the circumpolar north.
The goals of the Department of Forest Sciences are divided into three functional areas: teaching, research, and public service.
1) To produce graduates who are highly competitive in obtaining professional employment, who have the knowledge to perform well on the job and who are valued for work in Alaska and the circumpolar north.
We have designed a basic curriculum that illustrates the standard principles of natural resources management applicable to a forested landscape anywhere in the world. However, we pay particular attention to boreal forest systems and conditions unique to the circumpolar north. Some of these conditions are permanently and seasonally frozen soils, extremes of temperature and solar radiation, and tree and wildlife species indigenous to high latitude lands. Our undergraduate Natural Resources Management/Forestry degree program is accredited by the Society of American Foresters.
2) To maintain close student interaction with faculty and provide opportunity for students to obtain practical professional experience as part of their education.
We incorporate fieldwork and trips into our courses, offer internship opportunities with management and research organizations, assist our students in obtaining relevant summer employment, and foster professional association through the Society of American Foresters (SAF) and other organizations in Alaska and the Yukon Territory.
3) To prepare students for lifelong learning and responsible participation in decision making about the use of natural resources.
This is accomplished throughout the University core curriculum and through our conscious efforts to include courses such as "Natural Resource Economics," "Perspectives in Natural Resources Management," "Introduction to Environmental Ethics and Actions," "Processes of Natural Resources Decision Making," and "Land-Use Planning."
The basic measurable outcomes of our efforts are students employed in forestry related positions, the number of natural resources management students emphasizing forestry, and the number of students going on to forestry related graduate study. In addition, the satisfaction of alumni and their employers indicate our program's success. [ top of page ]
1) To focus on solving problems dealing with forest resources important in Alaska and the circumpolar north.
We foster close contact with Alaskan state and private organizations to identify research needs, through our school's Board of Advisers (BOA), and via research funded by the McIntire-Stennis Act and state and federal agencies dealing with forestry issues.
2) To emphasize research that promotes long-term forest ecosystem sustainability and economic growth.
Long-term ecological studies, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) include modeling efforts, and research on policy and economics conducted in cooperation with our Department of Resources Management and the School of Management at UAF.
The Department of Forest Sciences' research is focused on a series of topics identified by state and national research planning groups, resource managers, user groups, and scientific peers. A Memorandum of Understanding between the Alaska Division of Forestry and the AFES provides for coordination, cooperative planning and conduct of applied forestry research and is recognized by UAF administration as a model for university-user group cooperative agreements.
Measurable outcomes of research efforts include success in publication/ dissemination of results and obtaining external funding. Formats for publications include: scientific articles in refereed journals, books and book chapters, papers presented at professional and scientific meetings, bulletins or technical manuals, and other publications and presentations. [ top of page ]
1) To contribute to improved forest resource management by continuing and expanding user-oriented instruction for private and public resource managers in Alaska.
We sponsor and conduct workshops, seminars, short-courses as well as informal one-on-one instruction via our extension forester and service activities of other faculty members.
2) Improve efficiency of forest resource management in Alaska through transfer of information to resource users and the public.
Information transfer is accomplished through the research publications mentioned above, and a series of user-oriented publications, public forums, and by using radio and television media. Measurable outcomes of our public service/extension efforts include print and other media productions, participation in and rating of public forums and technical workshops, and public and professional perceptions of changes in forest resource management in Alaska over time.
The goals are presented and reviewed annually by our BOA. In addition, these goals appear in the publication Agroborealis, UAF catalog, SALRM brochure, and the Curriculum Review, Program Assessment, Self-Study and UAF Accreditation documents. [ top of page ]
The objectives of the Department of Forest Sciences program are: (1) to equip students with the skills for the long-term sustainable management of Alaska's forest and related resources, to foster critical thinking ability, and to provide the insight needed to devise and successfully implement forest management programs in a society of many social perspectives; (2) to develop knowledge that promotes the sustainable management of forest resources and (3) to translate the research results for use in sustainable management of forest resources.
These objectives are carried out by a diversity of highly qualified faculty working with sound curricula and outstanding research programs in an academic setting that fosters healthy debate, interchange of ideas, and problem solving. [ top of page ]
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