Ecosystem Management and Forestry

Ecosystem Management and Forestry (EMF)  focuses on the conservation and restoration of the earth's natural resources through hands-on study of the ecology, stewardship, and management of forest, woodland, and grassland ecosystems.

The program offers two specializations to choose from, and if the student chooses a specialization in Forestry, they can qualify to take the Registered Professional Forester's licensing exam in California.

• The Forestry specialization provides students with the ecological, quantitative, and social foundation to be the managers and leaders in the management of forests and forest resources.  The Forestry specialization is accredited by the Society of American Foresters and provides four years of qualifying education or professional experience for licensing as a professional forester in California. The goals of the Forestry specialization are very closely associated with the educational requirements of the forestry profession and prepare our students for a variety of careers in forestry or closely related natural resource fields.
• The Natural Resource Management specialization provides students with greater flexibility to explore subjects in ecology, physical environment, monitoring and measurement, and management and policy.  Students can choose to concentrate their studies in water management, ecology, climates change or design their own concentration based on interest.

Students in the program, regardless of concentration, have ample opportunity to acquire interdisciplinary skills in the ecology, stewardship, and management of ecosystems such as forests, woodlands, and grasslands. Within the program, students can choose to emphasize topics such as wildlife biology, water policy, fire science, ecosystem restoration, environmental justice, remote sensing and GIS, and rural sociology.

EMF graduates are well-prepared for graduate school and careers in environmental consulting, public agencies, non-profit conservation organizations, and private companies. Students also have the option of preparing for professional careers in forestry, wildlife, and range management.

Admission to the Major

Advice on admission for freshmen and transfer students can be found on the Rausser College Admissions Guide page or the Rausser College Prospective Student website. Freshman students may apply directly to the major, or they may select the Rausser College of Natural Resource's undeclared option and declare the major by the end of their fourth semester. Transfer students may apply directly to the major through the UC application.

Information for current Berkeley students who would like to declare the major after admission, including information on a change of major or change of college, please see chapter 6 of the Rausser College of Natural Resources Undergraduate Student Handbook.

Honors Program

1. Ecology and Biology

   • Competencies must be documented as an:

     • Understanding of taxonomy and ability to identify forest species, their distribution, and associated habitat requirements.

     • Understanding of soil properties and processes, hydrology, water quality, and watershed functions.

     • Understanding of ecological concepts and principles including the structure and function of ecosystems, plant and animal communities, competition, diversity, population dynamics, succession, disturbance, and nutrient cycling.

     • Ability to make ecosystem, forest, and stand assessments.

     • Understanding of plant and animal physiology and the effects of climate, fire, pollutants, moisture, nutrients, genetics, insects and diseases on ecosystem health and productivity.

2. Measurement of Forest and Natural Resources

   • Competencies must be documented as an:

     • Ability to identify and measure land areas and conduct spatial analysis.

     • Ability to design and implement comprehensive inventories that meet specific objectives using appropriate sampling methods and units of measurement.

     • Ability to analyze inventory data and project ecosystem conditions.

3. Management of Forest and Natural Resources

   • Competencies must be documented as an:

     • Ability to develop and apply silvicultural and restoration prescriptions appropriate to management objectives including methods of establishing and influencing the composition, growth, and quality of forests and wildlands and understand the impacts of those prescriptions.

     • Ability to analyze the economic, environmental, and social consequences of resource management strategies and decisions.

     • Ability to develop management plans with specific multiple objectives and constraints.

     • Understanding of the valuation procedures, market forces, processing systems, transportation and harvesting activities that translate human demands for timber-based and other consumable natural resource products into the availability of those products.

     • Understanding of the valuation procedures, market, and non-market forces that avail humans the opportunities to enjoy non-consumptive products and services of forests and wildlands.

     • Understanding of the administration, ownership, and organization of forest and resource management enterprises.

4. Resource Policy, Economics, and Administration

   • Competencies must be documented as an:

     • Understanding of resource policy and the processes by which it is developed.

     • Understanding of how federal, state, and local laws and regulations govern the practice of forestry and resource management.

     • Understanding of professional ethics and recognition of the responsibility to adhere to ethical standards in decision-making on behalf of clients and the public.

     • Ability to understand the integration of technical, financial, human resources, and legal aspects of public and private enterprises.

Natural Resource Management Concentration

Knowledge and skills are based on the four major subject areas required by the Society of American Foresters. These four subject areas and the basic competencies expected of students are as follows:

1. Fundamental Knowledge of Ecosystem Components and Ecosystem Functioning

   • Competencies must be documented as an:

     • Knowledge of the elements of botany, zoology, entomology, plant pathology, plant physiology, and genetics essential to an understanding of higherâ€order ecological processes.

     • An understanding of taxonomy and systematics and an ability to identify dominant and/or ecologically significant components of the flora and fauna of ecosystems at regional to continental scales.

     • Knowledge of the important life history characteristics of dominant and specialâ€concern species.

     • Knowledge of soil properties and processes, hydrology, water quality, and watershed functions.

     • An understanding of ecological concepts and principles including the structure and function of ecosystems, plant and animal communities, competition, diversity, population dynamics, succession, disturbance, and nutrient cycling;

     • An understanding of the effects of climate, fire, pollutants, moisture, nutrients, insects and diseases, and other environmental factors on ecosystem health and functioning at local and landscape scales.

2. Measurement and Assessment of Ecosystem Components, Properties, and Functioning

   • Competencies must be documented as an:

     • Ability to identify, measure, and map land areas and conduct spatial analyses.

     • Ability to design and implement accurate inventories and assessments of dominant or critical ecosystem components and services, ecosystem properties, and indicators of ecosystem health, including trees and other vegetation, vertebrate fauna, biodiversity, soil and water resources, timber, and recreational opportunities.

     • Ability to summarize and statistically analyze inventory and assessment data, evaluate the status of important ecosystem components, describe and interpret interactions and relationships, and project future ecosystem conditions.

3. Identification and Evaluation of Management Objectives

   • Competencies must be documented as an:

     • Understanding of the valuation procedures, including market and nonmarket forces, that apply to ecosystem goods and services such as timber, water, recreational opportunities, carbon and nutrient cycling, and plant and animal biodiversity.

     • Ability to explain the relationships between demand, costs of production, and availability of those goods and services.

     • Ability to describe procedures for measuring stakeholder values and managing conflicts in the evaluation and establishment of management objectives.

     • Ability to evaluate and understand the economic, ecological, and social tradeâ€offs of alternative land uses and ecosystem management decisions at local, regional, and global scales.

     • Knowledge and understanding of environmental policy as applied to ecosystems and the processes by which it is developed.

4. Management Planning, Practice, and Implementation

   • Competencies must be documented as an:

     • Ability to develop and apply prescriptions for manipulating the composition, structure, and function of ecosystems to achieve management objectives, and to understand the impacts of those prescriptions at local and landscape scales.

     • Ability to identify and control or mitigate specific threats to ecosystems such as insects, diseases, fire, pollutant stressors, and invasive plants or animals.

     • Knowledge of the methods and procedures unique to the production of ecosystem goods and services such as timber, recreation, water, and wildlife populations.

     • Ability to describe the process of adaptive management and its application to the management of ecosystems.

     • Understanding of how federal, state, and local laws and regulations apply to management practice.

     • Ability to develop management plans with specific objectives and constraints that are responsive to ownership or stakeholder goals and demonstrate clear and feasible linkages between current condition and desired future condition.

     • Understanding of professional ethics, including the SAF Code, and recognition of the responsibility to adhere to ethical standards in the practice of natural resource management on behalf of clients and the public.

     • Ability to integrate the knowledge, understanding, and skills from prior coursework in the development of collaborative solutions to realistic management problems.