About

About The College Of Forestry

Academic excellence is the hallmark of College of Forestry programs at Oregon State University. Ranked as one of the premier forestry schools in the world, students find a variety of programs that offer broad education, rigorous depth and professional focus. Caring faculty work with students to provide advising, mentoring, research experiences, study abroad opportunities, field labs, exposure to real-world practice, Traditional Ecological Knowledge and the latest scientific findings. Active student clubs enrich student life through social interaction, links to professional organizations and leadership opportunities.

This is a great place to study, and an OSU College of Forestry degree is sound preparation for the future and an ever-expanding variety of jobs and careers. We’d love to discuss your college plans with you and show how our programs might fit your needs - come visit!

With warm regards,

Thomas H. DeLuca
Cheryl Ramberg-Ford and Allyn C. Ford Dean

Vision

Through teaching, research and outreach, we aspire to create a more sustainable world.

Mission

We explore, evaluate, communicate and catalyze new possibilities in forestry and advance sustainable solutions to challenges facing society.

View the 2023-2027 Strategic Plan

Academic Departments

Forest Engineering, Resources & Management

Forest Engineering, Resources + Management

Develops, communicates, and teaches the science and engineering necessary for sustainable management of forest, land, and water resources to achieve economic, environmental, and social objectives.

Forest Ecosystems & Society

Forest Ecosystems + Society

Brings together students, staff and faculty with interest and expertise in forest biology and social science to tackle some of the most pressing environmental challenges facing us today.

Wood Science + Engineering

A multidisciplinary department focused on the science, technology, engineering and business practices that help society sustainably meet our needs.

Going Beyond the Land Acknowledgement

We acknowledge that our facilities and forests are located on the traditional homelands of a diversity of Indigenous Peoples who were forcibly removed from their lands and relocated to reservations. We navigate, and are part of, systems that marginalize people, and we take thoughtful action to decolonize our practices and ensure a diverse, inclusive and equitable environment for work and study that honors Sovereignty Rights. We respect the contributions of Indigenous communities and center our work around the Seventh Generation Principle, and incorporate multiple ways of knowing and cultural humility into our understanding and stewardship of natural resources.

The College of Forestry is committed to taking people and the institutions with whom we work beyond the land acknowledgement to find ways to support and empower Native Americans and their communities. We honor and respect Tribal Sovereignty and Self Determination Rights as we work to partner with, support and build capacity within Tribal Nations in Oregon and beyond.

Banner Image INRO Principles for Partnering with Tribal Nations

Volume 1: Principles for Partnering with Tribal Nations and Indigenous Peoples (PDF)

Indigenous Natural Resource Office

Turning the land acknowledgment into positive action

College Research Forests

The College of Forestry stewards 10 research and demonstration forests across the state, comprising 18,000 combined acres of living laboratories. These outdoor classrooms are where students, faculty and staff learn, study and work, and where Extension faculty teach forest owners and managers. The McDonald and Dunn are the largest forest tracts managed by the College of Forestry and are where the majority of active management, education and research take place.

Given their varying size, terrain and location, the College of Forestry does not provide public access to all its research and demonstration forests. The McDonald-Dunn forests, however, are open to the public, welcoming more than 155,000 recreational users each year. Research activity is not always visible to recreational users, but that doesn’t mean it’s not happening. This is intentional, with staff thoughtfully balancing research, demonstration, harvest, aesthetics and recreation as part of the college’s carefully managed sustainable working forest model.