History and Overview

For more than sixty years, the School of Forest Resources and Conservation (SFRC) has offered professional education in the area of renewable natural resources. Through its majors in forest resources and conservation (FRC) and natural resource conservation (NRC), students may earn the Bachelor of Science in Forest Resources and Conservation, awarded by the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences CALS), the degree-granting unit at UF within the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. Instruction is provided by a faculty of regionally, nationally and internationally recognized scholars/teachers who are dedicated to instructional excellence, student learning and professional development.

Facilities For Instruction and Research

Additional facilities and lands operated by the school are used for field laboratories, demonstrations and research. Of particular note are the 2,000-acre Austin Cary Memorial Forest, located 13 kilometers from Gainesville, and the Swisher- Ordway Preserve near Melrose, Florida.

Undergraduate instruction programs use facilities and land made available by private industry and state and federal government agencies. Such cooperation supplements classroom and laboratory exercises by providing exposure to fully operational systems.

Financial Aid

The school offers several scholarships, awards and loans including the Florida Division SAF Senior Scholarship, Florida Forestry Foundation Scholarship, J.B. Adkins Memorial Scholarship, J.W. Willingham Award, the Jennings Scholarships, La Fontaine Scholarship, the Leigh Walker Memorial Scholarship, the Lou Conde Memorial Scholarship, Lybass Scholarship, Newins-Ziegler Senior Leadership Awards, the Rayonier Scholarship, SE-SAF Senior Scholarship, and other scholarships available through the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences.

Additional information about these programs is available from the school's Student Services Office, 121 Newins-Ziegler Hall.

Degree Programs

Forest Resources and Conservation

The FRC major provides understanding of forest resources and develops the expertise in forest resource management that is essential to meet contemporary and future needs for the vast array of social, environmental, and physical products of forest ecosystems. The curriculum emphasizes areas necessary for the wise multiple-use sustained-yield management of forest environments, including education in forest biology, ecosystem ecology and management, mensuration and resources inventory, forest health, and resource economics and policy. According to their interests students may select any of four specializations within the major: forest resource management, urban forestry, international and agroforestry, and forest science. Students achieve a solid foundation for advanced study in biological, socio-economic, and quantitative aspects of forest resources.

Natural Resource Conservation

The NRC major is co-administered by the school and the college's Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation. Students develop a personalized program in natural resource conservation in consultation with an adviser and approved by the school's undergraduate coordinator. Programs of study range from the very focused and specific to the broad and multi-disciplinary.

Dual Majors

Those students who desire to pursue a dual major must complete SFRC pre- and professional curricula, must satisfy all credit requirements while registered in the school, and must fulfill university residency requirements.

Minor in Forest Resources and Conservation

Students electing a minor must apply at least two semesters before graduation. In consultation with their academic adviser, students will complete the following: