College of Forestry

Humans are a Forest Dependent Species!                                                              

In many cultures around the world humans depend on forests for food, shelter, water, fuel, and many other benefits. Indeed many people in the US are ‘forest dependent’ in that regard. Further there are many ecosystems that have developed based on the actions of humans over many thousands of years. Fire-maintained prairies and savannahs are excellent examples and recent social decisions to exclude fire from many forest systems has resulted in profound changes to the functions of those systems.

The Faculty, Staff and Students in the Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society are dedicated to the discovery and dissemination of knowledge related to the interactions among forests, people and other organisms. Humans are dependent on forests in many ways. We seek to understand the diversity of benefits derived from forests and expand our knowledge of how forests function to provide those benefits. We provide the expertise needed by scientists, managers, and the general public as they jointly decide how these values can be sustained in the face of climate change, land use pressures and economic uncertainties. Our goal is to contribute to decisions that lead to sustaining these important values on forest lands in Oregon, in the U.S. and around the globe now and into the foreseeable future.

If you wish to advance your education or simply have interests in a wide array of forest values and ecosystem services, or are interested in the structure and function of forest ecosystems, you’ve come to the right place! We provide educational opportunities ranging from undergraduate degrees in Recreation Resource Management (at the Corvallis Campus) and Tourism and Outdoor Leadership (at our OSU-Cascades Campus) to the interdisciplinary program in Natural Resources. For advanced training, we also provide opportunities through an interdepartmental graduate degree program in Forest Ecosystems and Society, we participate in 7 interdisciplinary degree programs and a new on-line Graduate Certificate in Sustainable Natural Resources.  Bring together your passion for knowledge, service, adventure and the environment through the  Peace Corps Master's International Program in Forestry.