B.S. in Plant Sciences: Urban Forestry
Urban Forestry is...Managing our green infrastructure
- Working with communities to develop urban landscapes
- Providing expertise for urban planners, developers and community organizations
- Protecting forests and trees during land development
- Planting and maintaining trees in neighborhoods, open space, and parks
- Beautifying roadsides and public properties
- Enhancing our city environments
The Urban Forestry Program at the University of Maryland offers the education and training to become an urban forester or continue studies in graduate programs in forestry and other related areas. The program is an area of concentration within the Plant Sciences major.
Curriculum
The required coursework is multi-disciplinary and highly diverse to expose students to the wide range of skills and technology used by today's urban foresters. Courses build a basic foundation in biology as well as applied courses in business management. Students learn about all aspects of urban forestry and synthesize their knowledge in a capstone urban forest management project.
Career Opportunities
- Consultants for urban forest management and tree care
- Urban foresters and land managers with federal, state, and local jurisdictions
- Managers and corporate administrators of urban tree care companies
- Policy makers for government and private organizations
- Researchers investigating the ecology of urban forests
See career opportunities and internships in other programs.
Location
Our location in College Park, MD provides unique opportunities for students to study forests in urban settings. The State of Maryland is a leader in forest conservation and urban forest development. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources offers many incentive programs and technical assistance to help plant trees in urban communities and support the efforts of private land owners to better care for their forests. Its current efforts are focused on working with communities on the Stream ReLeaf project to plant 600 miles of streamside forests by the year 2010. According to the Greater Washington Board of Trade, the Washington Metropolitan area is rated as one of the country's greenest urban centers with almost 90,000 acres of protected land. This area has more National Park Service properties than any other American metropolis.
Facilities
The program is offered in the Plant Sciences Building in state-of-the-art classrooms, laboratory facilities, and lecture halls. The 1300-acre campus and nearby field locations provide excellent outdoor testing and field experiences.
Faculty
The Urban Forestry Program is enhanced by an outstanding faculty and supported by individuals from private and public organizations. Collaboration between the University of Maryland and field practitioners provides "real world" experiences for students who participate in internship programs.
