Penn State School of Forest Resources is a department of the Penn State University College of Agricultural Sciences

Penn State University College of Agricultural Sciences

The first of the colleges established at Pennsylvania State University, the College of Agricultural Sciences awarded the nation’s first baccalaureate degrees in agriculture in 1861....

. It contains the academic disciplines and majors of Forest Science, Wood Products, and Wildlife and Fisheries Science. It is the only research and teaching institution in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

 dedicated exclusively to management of forest resources . The SFR is currently directed by Dr. Michael Messina, who took over following the retirement of Dr. Charles Strauss . It is currently ranked in the top 10 accredited forestry

Forestry

Forestry is the interdisciplinary profession embracing the science, art, and craft of creating, managing, using, and conserving forests and associated resources in a sustainable manner to meet desired goals, needs, and values for human benefit. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands...

 schools in the U.S. and Canada by the Journal of Forestry

Journal of Forestry

The Journal of Forestry is the primary scholarly journal of the Society of American Foresters that aims to advance the forestry profession, keeping professional foresters informed about developments and ideas related to the practice of forestry. The journal publishes editorial and technical content...

 

Location and Facilities

The main (four-year baccalaureate) program of the SFR is located in the Forest Resources Building at Penn State Main Campus in University Park, PA

University Park, Pennsylvania

University Park, Pennsylvania is an unincorporated community in Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States, and is the location of the flagship campus of the Pennsylvania State University....

. This building is designed as a unique reminder to students of the end products of forest management, incorporating over 15,000 linear feet of solid wood millwork

Millwork

Millwork is any woodmill-produced building construction interior finish components such as doors, window casing, baseboard, mantels, and crown molding....

, composite wood products such as Glulam, a green roof, and LEED

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design consists of a suite of rating systems for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings, homes and neighborhoods....

 green building

Green building

Green building refers to a structure and using process that is environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building's life-cycle: from siting to design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation, and demolition...

 certification . Much fieldwork is performed in the nearby Forest Resources Lab, which contains its own sawmill

Sawmill

A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....

 and several greenhouse

Greenhouse

A greenhouse is a building in which plants are grown. These structures range in size from small sheds to very large buildings...

s. A two-year technical degree is also offered at a branch campus in Mont Alto, PA

Mont Alto, Pennsylvania

Mont Alto is a borough in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,357 at the 2000 census.-History:John Funk built the first house in the borough in 1817 on what is now Main Street. At this time the town was known as Funkstown...

.

Research and Extension

Research in the SFR is performed in many different fields. For example, much ecological research on forest types and dendroecology of old growth forest

Old growth forest

An old-growth forest is a forest that has attained great age , and thereby exhibits unique ecological features. An old growth forest has also usually reached a climax community...

s is performed by Dr. Marc Abrams in the forest ecology lab, while forest and climate interactions fall under the domain of Dr. Margot Kaye in the forest dynamics

Forest dynamics

Forest dynamics describes the underlying physical and biological forces that shape and change a forest. That is, the continuous state of change that alters the composition and structure of a forest....

 lab. Wood products marketing

Marketing

Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...

 is handled by researchers such as Dr. Paul Smith or Dr. Judd Michael, whereas wood products manufacturing is part of the work of Dr. John Janowiak. Much extension work regarding the Marcellus Shale is conducted by Dr. Brian Swistock. Dr. Matt Marshall is a National Park Service

National Park Service

The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...

 coordinator for the Eastern Rivers and Mountains Network. For specific information on the work of all the SFR faculty members, please refer to their SFR Directory page.

External links

• College of Agricultural Sciences homepage
• Penn State University homepage