Forestry blends the social and natural sciences. Foresters are problem solvers. As a forester, you will work with forests and the people who depend on them. Foresters seek to balance human benefits from forests and to sustain ecological functions.

Why study forestry at Sewanee?

Forestry students examine the important features, processes, and issues of forested areas that allow populations to thrive. Why study forestry here on the Mountain?

The Domain’s 13,000 acres is a living laboratory. Here at Sewanee, you will be a student of the land. The Cumberland Plateau offers a stunning amount of diversity, so you’ll never want for exploration. Topics include major tree species, forest biology, tree structure and function, silviculture, fisheries science, and U.S. forest policy and law. You will work closely with faculty, conduct research, and produce lab reports of your discoveries.

FIRST DESTINATIONS: Forestry MAJORS

Sewanee graduates secure positions in a variety of fields. Some you would expect, others are a bit of a surprise. Sewanee prepares you for your profession and your passion. Below is a sampling of recent graduates' first jobs.

  • Forestry technician, Bureau of Land Management, Kremling, Colorado.
  • Land manager, Forestry Consultants, Aiken, South Carolina.
  • Forestry technician (fire suppression), U.S. Forest Service, Delores, Colorado.
Guiding principles
  1. Forestry is inherently interdisciplinary. Therefore, Forestry major integrates traditional forestry coursework in EES with elective courses in Biology, Chemistry, Economics, Politics, Mathematics, and the Humanities.
  2. Forestry seeks to ethically balance human benefits from forests with healthy ecological function.
  3. Foresters serve the resource and society best when they continuously educate themselves by engaging with the forest and other professionals in the discipline. Faculty model these values by providing students opportunities to interact with other practicing professionals through field trips and speakers, internships, extracurricular events, and professional meetings.
  4. Opportunities for collaborative work, such as team projects and capstones, should model professional and ethical behaviors and inspire a commitment to maintain these behaviors as citizens of a community and profession.
  5. Students will learn about historical and traditional uses of forests, as well as how natural resource use and policies have evolved over time to reflect changes in and include more cultural perspectives.
  6. Students will learn to recognize that values of and approaches to forest management differ among stakeholders and that these groups may be impacted differently by policy and economic decisions. Moreover, open civil discourse and promotion of science-based practices flourish when students are exposed to faculty, professionals, and stakeholders representing a diversity of disciplinary and philosophical perspectives.
  7. Students will learn through a strong place-based emphasis on our 13,000-acre forest to value forests not just as resources, but also as inherently complex systems that are essential to a healthy biosphere.

A Sampling of Courses

Dendrology
Forestry

This course explores the identification, biology, and morphology of woody plants, with emphasis on the major forest species of North America. Primary focus is on the ecophysiological characteristics of species and their roles in forest succession, species distribution across the landscape, and responses to disturbance and environmental stress. Includes field identification of native trees and shrubs of the Eastern United States, with special emphasis on the Cumberland Plateau and the Southeast. Lecture, lab, and field trips.

FORS 211
Forests: Food, Medicine, and More
Forestry

An exploration of the wide range of edible, medicinal, and otherwise useful forest products found in forests of Western and Eastern North America, including the forests of Sewanee. In addition to learning about the biology and distribution of these plants and how they are gathered and processed, students discuss the ecological implications of harvesting these interesting plants and fungi. Note: The class involves some eating.

FORS 250
Natural Resource Management and Decisions
Forestry

A survey of theory and methods used in natural resource management analysis and decision making with an emphasis on forests and some other renewable resources such as wildlife. Students use resource modeling and decision-making software to address problems in managing multiple resources. Emphasis is on: evaluation of the effects of land characteristics, tax policy, risk, and interest rates; choice among policy alternatives proposed by competing groups; and application of concepts of management, policy, economics, and spatial analysis to land management.

FORS 319
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Forestry

Programs of Study & Related Programs

Requirements for the Major & Minor in Forestry

Requirements for the Minor in Environmental Studies | Website

Requirements for the Major in Environment & Sustainability | Website

Requirements for the Major in Environmental Arts & Humanities | Website

Requirements for the Major & Minor in Geology | Website

Requirements for the Major in Natural Resources & the Environment | Website

Requirements for the Minor in Religion & Environment | Website

Meet some professors

Scott Torreano
storrean@sewanee.edu

Scott Torreano teaches courses in soils, biometrics, silviculture, natural resource management, and water policy and law. His research focuses on forest sustainability in the South and New Zealand. 

PROFESSOR OF FORESTRY
Tom Powell
tlpowell@sewanee.edu

Tom Powell is a forest ecologist that specializes in the effects of disturbances on forest function and ecosystem services. He also has a passion for the sustainable use of non-timber forest products. He teaches Introduction to Forestry, Forest Ecology, Forests and Global Change, Dendrology, and Forests: Food, Medicine, and More. He is a principal investigator of an instrumented 50-ha watershed (Split Creek Observatory) located in Sewanee's forest, and he studies the impacts of forest mortality on upper tributaries to the Colorado River. 

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF FORESTRY
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Contact

MARTIN A. KNOLL
PROFESSOR OF GEOLOGY, DEPARTMENT CHAIR

mknoll@sewanee.edu

Snowden Hall 203 / Ext. 1713

The Domain: An Immersive Experience

Integrated Program in the Environment
6 Majors, 6 Minors, 13,000 Acres

Sewanee's Integrated Program in the Environment is one of the premier collections of environmental offerings in the country. A working farm, a 13,000-acre forest, and well-funded internships offer opportunities to apply your classroom learning. An expansive curriculum—including natural and social sciences as well as the humanities and fine arts—offers students multiple pathways for gaining an understanding of the ecological complexity and wonder of the earth we inhabit.

Explore Your Options
Stewardship & Sustainability
Hands-on Experience

The Office of Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability offers students myriad opportunities to engage with the outdoors. Whether your passions are natural resources management, food production, animal care, field research, or sustainability, there's a place for you to get your hands dirty on the Domain!

Get Involved
The University Farm
Where Growth Happens

The University Farm offers students a transformative experience through the immersive and intimate practice of restorative agriculture. At the farm you'll find many opportunities to enhance your education and connect with the history of agriculture. And if you’re lucky, there will be some baby goats around during finals.

Yes, I love baby goats