Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies
Encyclopedia
The Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies (F&ES) is one of the graduate professional schools of Yale University
. Founded to train foresters, it now trains leaders and creates new knowledge that will sustain and restore the health of the biosphere and the well-being of its people. Still offering forestry instruction, the school has the oldest graduate forestry program in the United States.
, his parents endowed the two-year postgraduate program. At the time Pinchot was serving as Bernhard Fernow's successor as Chief of the Division of Forestry (predecessor of the USFS). Pinchot released two foresters from the Division to start the School: fellow Yale graduate Henry Solon Graves and J.W. Toumey. Graves became the School's first dean and Toumey its second.
When the School opened, other places in the United States offered forestry training, but none had a post-graduate program. (Both Pinchot and Graves had gone to Europe to study forestry after graduating from Yale.) In the fall of 1900, the New York State College of Forestry at Cornell
had 24 students, Biltmore Forest School
9, and Yale 7. Despite its small size, from its beginnings the School influenced American forestry. The first two chiefs of the USFS were Pinchot and Graves; the next three were graduates from the School's first decade. Wilderness and land conservation advocate Aldo Leopold
graduated in the class of 1908.
In, 1915, Yale School of Forestry's second dean, James W. Toumey, became one of the "charter members", along with William L. Bray
of the New York State College of Forestry
, by then reestablished at Syracuse University
, and Raphael Zon
, of the Ecological Society of America
. In 1950, the 1917 "activist wing" of that society formed today's The Nature Conservancy
.
The school changed its name to the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies in 1972. The school's newest dean is Sir Peter Crane
, the English
evolutionary biologist who formerly served as Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens
at Kew
, London
.
The School offers classes at Kroon Hall, Sage Hall, Greeley Labs, Marsh Hall
, the Environmental Science Center, the houses at 301 Prospect St. and 380 Edwards St., and teaches the Yale College undergraduate courses needed for the Environmental Studies major. Kroon Hall, the School's flag-ship building, is named for the Philanthropist Richard Kroon (Yale Class of 1964). The building has 50000 square feet (4,645.2 m²) of space and is "a showcase of the latest developments in green building technology, a healthy and supportive environment for work and study, and a beautiful building that actively connects students, faculty, staff, and visitors with the natural world." The building obtained Platinum Rating under the LEED
certification system. It is designed by Hopkins Architects
of London with Architect of Record Centerbrook Architects.
(MEM); Master of Environmental Science (MESc); Master of Forestry (MF); and Master of Forest Science (MFS). One-year, mid-career MEM and MF options are available for environmental professionals with at least 7 years of relevant work experience. Additionally, a program is available for Yale College
undergraduates in which a bachelor's degree in the College and a master's degree from the School can be earned in five years. The School also offers joint-degree programs with the Yale School of Architecture
, Yale Divinity School
, Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
, Yale Law School
, Yale School of Management
, Yale School of Public Health
, Pace University School of Law
, and Vermont Law School
. A new joint program with the Universidad de los Andes in Bogota, Colombia will commence in 2012.
A Doctor of Philosophy
(Ph.D.), officially administered by the Yale Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, is also offered at Yale F&ES.
Summer sessions of the School were held on the Pinchot estate, Grey Towers, in Milford
from 1901 to 1926. (The site is now Grey Towers National Historic Landmark.)
, New Hampshire
, and Vermont
. The Yale-Myers Forest
, in Union, Connecticut
, donated to Yale in 1930 by alumnus George Hewitt Myers
, is managed by the school as a multiple-use working forest. Yale-Toumey Forest, near Keene, New Hampshire
, was set up by James W. Toumey (a former dean of the School) in 1913. Other Yale forestlands include Goss Woods, Crowell Forest, Cross Woods, Bowen Forest, and Crowell Ravine.http://www.yale.edu/schoolforest/
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
. Founded to train foresters, it now trains leaders and creates new knowledge that will sustain and restore the health of the biosphere and the well-being of its people. Still offering forestry instruction, the school has the oldest graduate forestry program in the United States.
History
The School was founded in 1900 as the Yale Forest School, to provide high-level forestry training suited to American conditions. At the urging of Yale alumnus Gifford PinchotGifford Pinchot
Gifford Pinchot was the first Chief of the United States Forest Service and the 28th Governor of Pennsylvania...
, his parents endowed the two-year postgraduate program. At the time Pinchot was serving as Bernhard Fernow's successor as Chief of the Division of Forestry (predecessor of the USFS). Pinchot released two foresters from the Division to start the School: fellow Yale graduate Henry Solon Graves and J.W. Toumey. Graves became the School's first dean and Toumey its second.
When the School opened, other places in the United States offered forestry training, but none had a post-graduate program. (Both Pinchot and Graves had gone to Europe to study forestry after graduating from Yale.) In the fall of 1900, the New York State College of Forestry at Cornell
New York State College of Forestry at Cornell
The New York State College of Forestry at Cornell was a statutory college established in 1898 at Cornell University to teach scientific forestry. The first four-year college of forestry in the country, it was defunded by the State of New York in 1903, over controversies involving the college's...
had 24 students, Biltmore Forest School
Biltmore Forest School
The Biltmore School of Forestry was the first school of forestry in North America. The school of "practical forestry" was founded by Carl A. Schenck in 1898 on George W. Vanderbilt's Biltmore Estate near Asheville, North Carolina.-History:...
9, and Yale 7. Despite its small size, from its beginnings the School influenced American forestry. The first two chiefs of the USFS were Pinchot and Graves; the next three were graduates from the School's first decade. Wilderness and land conservation advocate Aldo Leopold
Aldo Leopold
Aldo Leopold was an American author, scientist, ecologist, forester, and environmentalist. He was a professor at the University of Wisconsin and is best known for his book A Sand County Almanac , which has sold over two million copies...
graduated in the class of 1908.
In, 1915, Yale School of Forestry's second dean, James W. Toumey, became one of the "charter members", along with William L. Bray
William L. Bray
William L. Bray, Ph.D. University of Chicago, botanist, plant ecologist, biogeographer and Professor of Botany at Syracuse University, was the first dean of the New York State College of Forestry at Syracuse University, from 1911-12....
of the New York State College of Forestry
History of the New York State College of Forestry
The New York State College of Forestry, the first professional school of forestry in North America, opened its doors at Cornell University, in Ithaca, New York, in the autumn of 1898. After just a few years of operation, it was defunded in 1903, by Governor Benjamin B. Odell, in response to public...
, by then reestablished at Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
, and Raphael Zon
Raphael Zon
Raphael Zon was a prominent U.S. Forest Service researcher.- Early Life :Raphael Zon was born in Simbirsk in the Russian Empire in 1874, to parents Gabriel Zon and Eugenia Berliner. A classmate of Lenin's, he fled Russia in 1896 while on bail following arrest for organizing a trade union...
, of the Ecological Society of America
Ecological Society of America
The Ecological Society of America is a professional organization of ecological scientists. Based in the United States, ESA publishes a suite of publications, from peer-reviewed journals to newsletters, fact sheets and teaching resources. It holds an annual meeting at different locations in the...
. In 1950, the 1917 "activist wing" of that society formed today's The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy is a US charitable environmental organization that works to preserve the plants, animals, and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive....
.
The school changed its name to the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies in 1972. The school's newest dean is Sir Peter Crane
Peter Crane
Sir Peter Crane, FRS is a former Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, London. He is a fellow of the Royal Society, a foreign associate of the United States National Academy of Sciences and a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences since 2002. He was awarded a knighthood on...
, the English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
evolutionary biologist who formerly served as Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, usually referred to as Kew Gardens, is 121 hectares of gardens and botanical glasshouses between Richmond and Kew in southwest London, England. "The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew" and the brand name "Kew" are also used as umbrella terms for the institution that runs...
at Kew
Kew
Kew is a place in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in South West London. Kew is best known for being the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens, now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
School buildings
Othniel C. Marsh House
Marsh Hall, formally known as Othniel C. Marsh House, is a historic house at 360 Prospect Street on Prospect Hill in New Haven, Connecticut. The property, which includes the house and a area, was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1965....
, the Environmental Science Center, the houses at 301 Prospect St. and 380 Edwards St., and teaches the Yale College undergraduate courses needed for the Environmental Studies major. Kroon Hall, the School's flag-ship building, is named for the Philanthropist Richard Kroon (Yale Class of 1964). The building has 50000 square feet (4,645.2 m²) of space and is "a showcase of the latest developments in green building technology, a healthy and supportive environment for work and study, and a beautiful building that actively connects students, faculty, staff, and visitors with the natural world." The building obtained Platinum Rating under the 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....
certification system. It is designed by Hopkins Architects
Hopkins Architects
Hopkins Architects Partnership LLP is a prominent British architectural firm established in 1976 by Sir Michael and Lady Patricia Hopkins. The practice has won many awards for its work and has twice been shortlisted for the Stirling Prize, including in 2011 for the 2012 London Velodrome and in...
of London with Architect of Record Centerbrook Architects.
Degree programs
The School currently grants the following degrees: Master of Environmental ManagementMaster of Environmental Management
The M.E.M. is a degree designed for students with primary interests in careers in environmental policy and analysis, stewardship, education, consulting, or management dealing with natural resource or environmental issues...
(MEM); Master of Environmental Science (MESc); Master of Forestry (MF); and Master of Forest Science (MFS). One-year, mid-career MEM and MF options are available for environmental professionals with at least 7 years of relevant work experience. Additionally, a program is available for Yale College
Yale College
Yale College was the official name of Yale University from 1718 to 1887. The name now refers to the undergraduate part of the university. Each undergraduate student is assigned to one of 12 residential colleges.-Residential colleges:...
undergraduates in which a bachelor's degree in the College and a master's degree from the School can be earned in five years. The School also offers joint-degree programs with the Yale School of Architecture
Yale School of Architecture
The Yale School of Architecture is one of the constituent professional schools of Yale University. It is generally considered to be one of the most prestigious architecture schools in the world.- History :...
, Yale Divinity School
Yale Divinity School
Yale Divinity School is a professional school at Yale University, in New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. preparing students for ordained or lay ministry, or for the academy...
, Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
The Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, founded in 1847, is one of the oldest graduate schools in the United States. It conferred the first Ph.D...
, Yale Law School
Yale Law School
Yale Law School, or YLS, is the law school of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Established in 1824, it offers the J.D., LL.M., J.S.D. and M.S.L. degrees in law. It also hosts visiting scholars, visiting researchers and a number of legal research centers...
, Yale School of Management
Yale School of Management
The Yale School of Management is the graduate business school of Yale University and is located on Hillhouse Avenue in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. The School offers Master of Business Administration and Ph.D. degree programs. As of January 2011, 454 students were enrolled in its MBA...
, Yale School of Public Health
Yale School of Public Health
The Yale School of Public Health was founded in 1915 by Charles-Edward Amory Winslow and is one of the oldest public health masters programs in the United States...
, Pace University School of Law
Pace University School of Law
Pace University School of Law, known colloquially as "Pace Law School", is the law school of Pace University, a comprehensive, independent, and diversified university with campuses in New York City and Westchester County...
, and Vermont Law School
Vermont Law School
Vermont Law School is a private, American Bar Association accredited law school located in South Royalton, Vermont . The Law School has one of the United States' leading programs in environmental law, and the Law School is currently ranked #1 in Environmental Law by U.S...
. A new joint program with the Universidad de los Andes in Bogota, Colombia will commence in 2012.
A Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
(Ph.D.), officially administered by the Yale Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, is also offered at Yale F&ES.
Summer sessions of the School were held on the Pinchot estate, Grey Towers, in Milford
Milford, Pennsylvania
Milford is a borough in Pike County, Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat. Its population was 1,021 at the 2010 census. It was founded in 1796 by Judge John Biddis, one of the state's first four circuit judges, who named the settlement after his ancestral home in Wales.Milford has a...
from 1901 to 1926. (The site is now Grey Towers National Historic Landmark.)
Centers and programs
- Center for Biodiversity and Conservation Science;
- Center for Business and the Environment at Yale;
- Center for Environmental Law and PolicyYale Center for Environmental Law and PolicyThe Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy is a joint initiative between the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies and the Yale Law School.-Mission:...
; - Center for Green Chemistry & Engineering at Yale;
- Center for Industrial Ecology;
- Environment and Health Initiative;
- Global Institute of Sustainable Forestry;
- Hixon Center for Urban Ecology;
- Tropical Resources Institute.
- The Yale Climate & Energy Institute
School forest
The School owns and manages 10880 acres (44 km²) of forestland in ConnecticutConnecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
, and Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
. The Yale-Myers Forest
Yale-Myers Forest
The Yale-Myers Forest is a 7,800-acre forest owned by Yale University and administered by the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. Located in the towns of Union, Ashford, Eastford, and Woodstock in the northeast corner of Connecticut...
, in Union, Connecticut
Union, Connecticut
Union is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 854 at the 2010 census, making it the least populous town in Connecticut and the second-least populous municipality in Connecticut; only the Borough of Fenwick has fewer people...
, donated to Yale in 1930 by alumnus George Hewitt Myers
George Hewitt Myers
George Hewitt Myers was an American forester and philanthropist.He was born in Cleveland, Ohio and graduated from Yale College in 1898. He pursued graduate work in English at Harvard from 1898 to 1899. He graduated in the first class of Yale Forest School with a degree of Master of Forestry in 1902...
, is managed by the school as a multiple-use working forest. Yale-Toumey Forest, near Keene, New Hampshire
Keene, New Hampshire
Keene is a city in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 23,409 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Cheshire County.Keene is home to Keene State College and Antioch University New England, and hosts the annual Pumpkin Fest...
, was set up by James W. Toumey (a former dean of the School) in 1913. Other Yale forestlands include Goss Woods, Crowell Forest, Cross Woods, Bowen Forest, and Crowell Ravine.http://www.yale.edu/schoolforest/
Student groups
The school has an active tradition of student involvement in academic and extracurricular life. Many students take part in student interest groups, which organize events around environmental issues of interest to them. There are also purely social and recreational groups, such as the Forestry Club, which organizes Friday "TGIF" ("Thank-God-I'm-a-Forester") happy hours and school parties; the Polar Bear club, which swims monthly in Long Island Sound under the full moon (year-round); Veggie Dinner, which is a weekly vegetarian dinner club; the Loggerrhythms, an a capella singing group; and the student-run BYO Café in Kroon Hall opened in 2010.Notable graduates
- Frances BeineckeFrances BeineckeFrances Beinecke is the current President of the Natural Resources Defense Council, the nonprofit conservation group, serving since 2006.She was appointed by President Barack Obama to the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling...
, President, Natural Resources Defense CouncilNatural Resources Defense CouncilThe Natural Resources Defense Council is a New York City-based, non-profit, non-partisan international environmental advocacy group, with offices in Washington DC, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Beijing...
; member, National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore DrillingNational Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore DrillingThe National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling is a bipartisan presidential commission, established by Executive Order 13543 signed by Barack Obama on May 21, 2010, that is “tasked with providing recommendations on how the United States can prevent and mitigate...
(2010) - Richard M. BrettRichard M. BrettRichard M. Brett was a conservationist and author.-Early life:Brett, was born in Darien, Connecticut and spent most of his life in Woodstock, Vermont, and Fairfield, Connecticut. Brett was a graduate of the Taft School, Williams College, and the Yale School of Forestry.-Career:Brett served as...
, conservationist - William Wallace CovingtonWilliam Wallace CovingtonWilliam Wallace Covington is a Regent's Professor of Forest Ecology at Northern Arizona University , and the Director of the Ecological Restoration Institute at NAU...
, Regents' Professor, Northern Arizona University; Director of the Ecological Restoration Institute - William B. Greeley, Chief, U.S. Forest Service, 1920–1928
- Ralph HosmerRalph HosmerRalph Sheldon Hosmer was Hawaii's first territorial forester, a contemporary of Gifford Pinchot who was among the group of educated American foresters that organized what is now the U. S. Forest Service...
, pioneering Hawaiian forester - Aldo LeopoldAldo LeopoldAldo Leopold was an American author, scientist, ecologist, forester, and environmentalist. He was a professor at the University of Wisconsin and is best known for his book A Sand County Almanac , which has sold over two million copies...
, conservationist and author of A Sand County AlmanacA Sand County AlmanacA Sand County Almanac: And Sketches Here and There is a 1949 non-fiction book by American ecologist, forester, and environmentalist Aldo Leopold. Describing the land around the author's home in Sauk County, Wisconsin, the collection of essays advocate Leopold's idea of a "land ethic", or a...
*2011- New USFS film "Green Fire" on life and legacy of Aldo Leopold* - H. R. MacMillanH. R. MacMillanHarvey Reginald MacMillan, CC, CBE was a Canadian forester, forestry industrialist, wartime administrator, and philanthropist....
, forester and industrialist - John R. McGuire, Chief, U.S. Forest Service, 1972–1979
- Mark PlotkinMark PlotkinMark J. Plotkin is an ethnobotanist and a plant explorer in the Neotropics, where he is an expert on rainforest ecosystems...
, ethnobotanist, explorer, and activist - Robert Michael PyleRobert Michael PyleRobert Michael Pyle is a lepidopterist and author who has published twelve books and hundreds of papers, essays, stories and poems. He has a Ph.D. from the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies at Yale University. He founded the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation in 1974...
, lepidopterist and John-Burroughs-Medal–winning author - Samuel J. RecordSamuel J. RecordSamuel J. Record was an American botanist who played a prominent role in the study of wood.Born at Crawfordsville, Indiana, Record graduated from Wabash College in 1903 and received a Master of Forestry degree from Yale University in 1905. After working for the US Forest Service he joined the...
, botanist - Peter Seligmann, co-founder and CEO, Conservation InternationalConservation InternationalConservation International is a nonprofit organization headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, which seeks to ensure the health of humanity by protecting Earth's ecosystems and biodiversity. CI’s work focuses on six key initiatives that affect human well-being: climate, food security, freshwater...
- Ferdinand A. Silcox, Chief, U.S. Forest Service, 1933–1939
- David Martyn Smith, forester and educator, author of The Practice of Silviculture
- Robert Y. Stuart, Chief, U.S. Forest Service, 1928–1933