College of Agriculture & Natural Resources Department of Forestry

Dear MSU Forestry Alumni and Friends,

Students and educating future foresters are at the core of our mission and are the focus of this issue of the MSU Forester.

We firmly believe that a rigorous forestry education incorporates a good dose of hands-on and field-based studies. Dr. Jeremy Johnson’s new course on Tree Biology (p. 6) and photos from Field Studies (p. 5) clearly illustrate this value. Our faculty are outstanding – they care deeply about our students and providing a quality educational experience. It is not easy or inexpensive to bring students to the field, but we think it is critically important.

We believe that a lot of valuable learning takes place outside of formal education. Learning from peers from different backgrounds can be transformative, as my own history illustrates. For a summer in high school, I participated in the Youth Conservation Corps, which brought together students from a diversity of backgrounds to assist with natural resource projects. The YCC was the seed of my career in forest ecology and forestry, something this city kid likely would not have pursued otherwise. Similarly, MSU Forestry values enrolling students from a diversity of backgrounds and perspectives, partly so that students can learn from each other.

We value how students grow from interacting with forestry professionals through internships and conferences. Internship sponsors have been delighted with the energy and current knowledge that our students bring to their organizations. Through internships, our students gain a new appreciation and real-world context for their MSU Forestry education. Our students also have been great participants in Michigan and National SAF meetings, including SAF’s Rising Professionals Conference (p. 10).

MSU Forestry students truly stand out for their dedication and passion. They are committed, diligent, and curious individuals who are driven to make a positive impact on the world. Our graduate students are engaged in impactful cutting-edge research, recognized by the awarding of the most prestigious scholarships (p. 11). Our student placement rate in forestry positions or graduate study has hovered around 95% for the last several years.

Finally, we have great momentum in student enrollment. Forestry B.S. enrollment (across all four years) is projected to be at least 100 students for fall 2024, the highest enrollment since I started at MSU in 1997 and likely since the 1980s or earlier. We have been working toward this goal for the last several years and I am delighted to reach this benchmark, especially since forestry enrollments at many universities are contracting. Our Hybrid MS program also is growing at a healthy clip, with 21 new students starting in fall and a total enrollment of approximately 35.

We have good reasons to have pride in MSU Forestry. Feel free to reach out if you would like to learn more about our momentum and how you can contribute to it.

Go Green!

Rich

kobe@msu.edu