Your degree in Forestry

By studying Forestry, you’re joining an accredited program where graduates are eligible to become registered professional foresters. You are gaining the essential skills to make real change in our forests. You learn about a broad spectrum of topics in natural sciences, natural resource management, and technological fields to focus on the sustainable management of forests.

You’ll develop essential skills to evaluate the importance of ecological, environmental, and economic functions of the forest ecosystem and how sustainable forest management contributes to mitigating the effects of climate change.

These skills may include:

• Planning and evaluating forest management approaches, silvicultural systems, and stand dynamics through experiential learning
• Connecting forest plant biology knowledge to the structure, diversity, and development of trees and other plants
• Understanding of basic principles of geomatics, surveying, and forest access management
• Applying methods of forest measurements and biometrics to existing problems in the forest ecosystem
• Technical skills in statistical concepts and specialized software such as GIS
• Developing innovative approaches to forest management for First Nations, communities, and industry
• Developing, implementing, and analyzing sustainable forest policy, as well as forest management designs to identify and integrate economic, social, and environmental objectives
• Assessing forest health and usage through understanding biotic and abiotic disturbances and their ecological effects.
• Familiarity with basic and innovative tree measurement techniques, such as remote sensing
• Using multidisciplinary approaches to forestry and land usage to evaluate the production, distribution, and consumption of forest resource goods and services
• Practical problem solving of economic issues related to forestry and conservation, including investment analysis, capital budgeting, non-timber economics, ecosystem services, and forest certification

There are many career paths that can combine your academics, skills and competencies, and experience with your different interests. See the job titles below for ideas, but note that some career options may require further education or training.

Visit the National Occupational Classification website to research basic requirements and responsibilities of jobs in your field.

Your experiences will open doors to new opportunities and help clarify your understanding of your values and interests.

Employers often hire people they know, so help them get to know you! You can build your network through clubs, classes, informational interviews, and more. There are so many ways to make connections and find mentors.

The professional associations below are also great resources for meeting people, learning about specific industries, and exploring job and volunteer opportunities. Most have reduced membership rates for students and new grads.

Find UBC Bachelor of Science in Forestry graduates on Linkedin to learn about where they’re working, and their career and academic paths.