THE SCHOOL OF FORESTRY AND WILDLIFE SCIENCES offers educational programs that prepare graduates for employment in a wide variety of forestry, wildlife, natural resources, and environmental management positions.
Forests and their associated resources play a unique and increasingly important role in contemporary society through enhancement of both economic development and environmental quality. The school’s programs emphasize understanding of interrelationships among the functions and values of renewable natural resources. This understanding is essential to their effective management and, ultimately, to the meeting of societal needs.
In keeping with the university’s land-grant mission, the school’s goals are to pursue excellence in education, research and extension/outreach/public service activities focused on the forests, wildlife and associated resources of Alabama and the southeastern United States. With respect to undergraduate education, this involves the preparation and graduation of individuals who have both the necessary skills for initial employment and the breadth and depth of educational background to support professional growth and continuing career advancement.
We will serve the renewable natural resources needs of the citizens of Alabama and society beyond through a comprehensive approach to education, research and extension. We are committed to developing a comprehensive approach to education and research in renewable natural resource management and utilization that addresses the diversity of future challenges and opportunities. In our programs of instruction, we will produce students well versed in technical aspects of their discipline, knowledgeable about the effects of management actions on a broad array of natural resources, and with strong qualitative and quantitative analytical skills for projecting and evaluating the consequences of management decisions. Graduates of this program will be well prepared to assume a variety of responsible positions, and will be highly sought after by a diversity of employers. Research within the School will embrace the board range of challenges in renewable natural resources by developing innovative approaches to better understand and manage resources from local to global scales. Extension and outreach programs will be recognized for comprehensive natural resource education programs to the forest owners, managers and citizens of Alabama and the region.
