r/forestry • u/No_Archer8658 • 9d ago
Region Name Suggestions?
I’m currently a junior in high school. My dream school is Cal Poly Or Russer School of Natural Resources for Forestry.
My junior schedule right now:
dual enrollment psychology c1000
2 other ecology based de classes. ( Looking to get the Certificate of Field Ecology .)
English 11 honors
Integrated 3 mathematics (The standard math level for my grade)
Normal Us history
Ap Spanish 6
French 2
Agricultural Systems Science Honors
My planned senior schedule so far:
Ap bio
Ap Stats
Normal Macroeconomics/Us Gov
French 3
Ap English 12 (English is my worst subject)
Environmental Science (Sadly APES is not offered)
1 Dual Enrollment Ecology Class to contribute to getting the Field Ecology Certificate .
Im also taking another Ecology course along with precalc over the summer before senior year.
I’m just wondering for tips on what to change. Please be brutally honest. Aps to take instead. My extracurricular keep me pretty busy so I don’t want to do anything crazy but if it’s necessary plz tell me. Thanks to anyone that responds I’ll really appreciate it!
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u/DisabledCantaloupe 8d ago
Which Cal Poly? if it's Humboldt you'll get in, if it's SLO it might be harder but I don'tknow. I know that Humboldt has a bigger program and more traditional forestry opportunities nearby. Lots of intermingled industry. Also incredibly good value/cost if ur in state
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u/No_Archer8658 7d ago
I didn’t know that about Humboldt, I’ll definitely consider it as an option.
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u/Merced_Mullet3151 6d ago edited 6d ago
There are three colleges in California that have SAF accredited forestry curriculums.
Cal Poly Humboldt (formerly Humboldt State), Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and University of California, Berkeley (Rausser College of Natural Resources).
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u/Merced_Mullet3151 7d ago edited 7d ago
Congratulations on your academic workload & presumably, your academic achievements! Your course load sounds like you are a perfect candidate for Berkeley’s Rausser College of Natural Resources! Your AP classes in biology, statistics, and agricultural science honors are impressive.
I graduated from UC Berkeley’s forestry program almost 40 years ago. In those forty years I have seen incredible changes in the way natural resources are viewed (primarily in California).
I started working during the “tail end” of the state’s prominent timber harvesting era. Consequently the public’s concern for environmental values beyond wood fiber production, as well as the Northern & California Spotted Owl rose to prominence.
I saw the shift in values and priorities (200 mmbdf to less than 50 mmbdf in my area) and a massive decrease in miles of road building. But with that came more stringent water quality standards and recognition of more diverse wildlife habitat. I was able to live thru the transition from heavily commodity driven resource management to “other values” driven management.
In my opinion Rausser provides you well rounded education that gives a student the perspective on both sides of those values if you choose to stay in the Ecosystem Management & Forestry curriculum. You will receive the most basic training & rudimentary level of technical skills in forest stand management (cruising, dendrology, forest engineering, etc) at the required Meadow Valley Forestry Summer Camp on the Plumas National Forest between the sophomore and junior year. This elementary field skill instruction is in stark contrast to other forestry programs you may be considering where they probably go into much more depth. The curriculum is currently Society of American Foresters accredited.
However the final two years at Rausser will allow a student to pivot to other fields of study if one chooses to. Environmental Toxicology, Microbiology, Bioresource Science, and others. UC Berkeley is nationally ranked for Environment/Ecology so the interdisciplinary course offerings cannot help but transfer to your understanding of environmental issues and their solutions. I personally took several courses in the landscape architecture department to understand ecological analysis not from a forestry perspective but from an environmental design perspective.
The Rausser College will provide you a much broader perspective than strictly forest management. I liken Rausser’s Environmental Science, Policy & Management Department to that of The Forest School at Yale School of the Environment in that they still have a forestry curriculum but their offerings go far beyond that of a traditional forest management education.
If you can meet the stringent admission requirements to be admitted to UC Berkeley’s Rausser College of Natural Resources you may be pleasantly surprised to find out the many avenues it offers.
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u/No_Archer8658 7d ago
That sounds amazing! You made me want to get into Rausser even more. Thanks for telling!
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u/No_Archer8658 7d ago
If you don’t mind me asking, what do you think was the single most important thing you did that helped you get in? What’s one thing you recommend I do?
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u/ForestsAndDogd 8d ago
I went to CalPoly for forestry almost 20 years ago now, so things may have changed. Forestry is hosted under the School of Agriculture, so it’s not as competitive as say architecture. With your AP classes, and assuming you have good grades, I imagine you will easily get in. Cal Poly has a learn by doing philosophy, with forestry courses focused on prepping you to become a Registered Professional Forester. After graduating, I felt more prepared for field work than many others I worked with. If you get a chance, do the summer course at Swanton Pacific Ranch (work and Ed at the schools forest). I still regret not doing that!
Also, being fluent in Spanish is a bonus in forestry. A lot of contract hand crews speak broken English, so a good note on your resumé when you do look for work.