The Departments of Forest Ecosystem Science and Forest Management, College of Natural Sciences, Forestry, and Agriculture, offer graduate study leading to a non-thesis Master of Forestry, a Master of Science in Forestry and a Ph.D. in Forest Resources. An interdisciplinary Master of Science degree in Resource Utilization is offered jointly by the Department of Forest Management and the Departments of Resource Economics and Policy, and Plant, Soil, and Environmental Sciences. The Department of Forest Ecosystem Science is a participant in an interdepartmental degree in Ecology and Environmental Sciences.
Students may choose from a wide range of specialties, including wood science and technology (emphasis on wood properties, wood composites, wood preservation, and wood utilization), forest biological sciences (forest ecology and silviculture, forest genetics, soils, entomology, physiology, and pathology), forest biometrics (inventory, remote sensing, GIS), forest economics and policy, management sciences (forest management, systems analysis, operations research), forest operations, forest business administration, and forest-based park science, recreation, and tourism.
The forestry program at The University of Maine is one of the oldest in the United States and has had accredited undergraduate degrees since the early years of professional forestry accreditation. All graduate forestry degrees are offered under full University accreditation and, in addition, the Master of Forestry degree is Society of American Foresters accredited as a first degree in forestry. “SAF is recognized by the Commission on Recognition of Postsecondary Accreditation as the specialized accrediting body for forestry in the United States”. The Forestry Departments are housed in Nutting Hall. Both basic and applied graduate research are accomplished through the use of well-equipped laboratories in Nutting Hall, greenhouse facilities on campus, and several field research stations throughout the state. Maine, the most heavily-forested state in the country, sets the context for this research, though projects reach beyond state and national boundaries. Much of the research is field oriented, and there are a variety of ecosystems and socioeconomic conditions available for investigation. The College is responsible for the management of the Dwight B. Demeritt Forest, a 1,700-acre tract adjoining the campus, the 4,000-acre Penobscot Experimental Forest, and nearly 4,000 acres of other forest properties in Maine. Maine contains more acreage of industrial forest land than any other state, but half of its forests are in small ownership parcels. Opportunities exist for research on biophysical and socioeconomic problems of both industrial and nonindustrial private forests. Through the cooperation of forest industry, opportunities exist for on-site wood processing studies. Maine’s systems of land use regulation and forest taxation and the state’s long-standing reputation as a “vacationland” for forest recreation indicate other categories of research interest.
NASA’s designation of The University of Maine as a Center of Excellence in remote sensing applications and emerging focuses in ecosystem and landscape-level forest management have attracted international applicants from countries such as Belize, Guatemala, and Costa Rica.
Forestry graduate study opportunities are strengthened by association with strong research programs within the College, elsewhere on the Orono campus, and in the Orono area. Within the College, the Cooperative Forestry Research Unit is funded by Maine landowners to conduct research on the intensive management of Maine’s forest types. A federally funded Forest Ecosystem Research Program is administered through the Forest Ecosystem Science Department and carries on long-term research on the nearby Penobscot Experimental Forest. The United States Forest Service research program in Orono (a branch of the Northeastern Forest Experiment Station) employs scientists who hold appointments among the College’s graduate faculty. Cooperative relationships also are common between the Forestry Departments and The University of Maine’s Departments of Biological Sciences, Plant, Soil, and Environmental Sciences, Resource Economics and Policy, Computer Sciences, Geological Sciences, Civil Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and, particularly, the Wildlife Ecology Department of the College of Natural Sciences, Forestry, and Agriculture.
Students are admitted to the graduate programs in forestry on the basis of academic records, Graduate Record Exam scores, experience, and recommendations. All applications may be considered for the several teaching and research assistantships available each year. Several private or government funded fellowships also are available on a competitive basis. Applications for admission in the fall semester should be submitted by February 15, especially if the applicant is seeking financial aid.
In addition to meeting all of the requirements of the Graduate School, graduate students in the Forestry Departments must select an advisory committee, prepare a program of study, and prepare a thesis or project proposal as early in their programs as possible. All graduate students must enroll in at least one graduate seminar. Other course requirements are established by the student and his or her advisory committee. Master of Science students must pass a thesis defense upon completing their thesis without a dissenting vote of the advisory committee. Ph.D. candidates must demonstrate reading proficiency in a language other than their native tongue. A mandatory comprehensive examination, consisting of both written and oral sections, usually is administered after most of the student’s course work has been completed. Both this examination, a prerequisite to further study, and the final examination at the end of a Ph.D. program may be passed with no more than one dissenting vote of the examining committee.
For details about specific aspects of the forestry graduate programs, and regarding the availability of assistantships and fellowships, write to the Chair, Department of Forest Ecosystem Science, or the Chair, Department of Forest Management, College of Natural Sciences, Forestry, and Agriculture, Nutting Hall.
G. Bruce Wiersma, Ph.D. (SUNY, 1968), Professor of Forest Resources
and Dean of the College of Natural Sciences, Forestry, and Agriculture. Pollutant
transport and monitoring, environmental science.
William H. Livingston, Ph.D. (Minnesota, 1985), Associate Professor
of Forest Ecosystem Science and Chair. Cold tolerance of conifers, forest pathology,
forest diebacks and declines.
A. Randal Alford, Ph.D. (Louisiana State, 1980), Cooperating Professor
of Forest Ecosystem Science. Insect chemical ecology and physiology.
Christopher S. Campbell, Ph.D. (Harvard, 1980), Cooperating Professor
of Forest Ecosystem Science. Reproductive and evolutionary biology of trees.
Barbara J. W. Cole, Ph.D. (Washington, 1986), Cooperating Professor of Forest Ecosystem Science. Wood and paper chemistry.
Christopher S. Cronan, Ph.D. (Dartmouth, 1978), Cooperating Professor
of Forest Ecosystem Science. Botany, forest ecology, acidic deposition on forests,
nutrient cycling in forest ecosystems.
Ivan J. Fernandez, Ph.D. (Maine, 1981), Cooperating Professor of Forest
Ecosystem Science. Forest soils, biogeochemistry of forested ecosystems.
Michael S. Greenwood, Ph.D. (Yale, 1969), Ruth Hutchins Professor of
Forest Tree Physiology and Professor of Forest Resources. Cooperating Professor,
Department of Biological Sciences. Forest tree improvement, tree regeneration,
tree physiology.
Daniel J. Harrison, Ph.D. (Maine, 1986), Cooperating Professor of Forest
Ecosystem Science. Mammalian/furbearer ecology, predator-prey systems, interspecific
relationships, forest-wildlife relationships.
Keith W. Hutchison, Ph.D. (Wisconsin-Madison, 1974), Cooperating Professor
of Forest Ecosystem Science. Molecular analysis of endogenous retroviruses of
the mouse; regulation of gene expression during growth and maturation of conifers.
Richard Jagels, Ph.D. (Illinois, 1968), Professor, Department of Forest
Ecosystem Science. Cooperating Professor, Department of Biological Sciences.
Plant reactions to environmental stress.
Jody Jellison, Ph.D. (Oregon State, 1983), Cooperating Professor of
Forest Ecosystem Science. Biological degradation, forest pathology.
Laura S. Kenefic, Ph.D. (Maine, 2000), Assistant Research Professor
of Forest Ecosystem Science. Silviculture, leaf area relationships, effects
of exploitative cutting.
William D. Ostrofsky, Ph.D. (New Hampshire, 1982), Cooperating Assistant
Professor of Forest Ecosystem Science. Hardwood silviculture, forest pathology.
Robert S. Seymour, Ph.D. (Yale, 1980), Curtis Hutchins Professor of
Forest Ecosystem Science. Cooperating Professor in Forest Management. Silviculture;
growth and yield; ecosystem management.
Robert G. Wagner, Ph.D. (Oregon State, 1989), Professor of
Forest Ecosystem Science and Director of Cooperative Forestry Research Unit.
Silviculture; forest ecology and regeneration; vegetation ecology and management.
Alan S. White, Ph.D. (Minnesota, 1981), Professor of Forest
Ecosystem Science and Graduate Coordinator. Forest ecology, silviculture, plant
competition, regeneration, old-growth stand development.
Stephen A. Woods, Ph.D. (Massachusetts, 1989), Cooperating Associate
Professor of Forest Ecosystem Science. Insect diversity, insect ecology and
integrated pest management.
John C. Brissette, Ph.D. (Louisiana, 1990), Faculty Associate in Forest
Ecosystem Science. U.S. Forest Service. Silviculture of northern conifer ecosystems,
ecophysiology of conifer regeneration.
Charles V. Cogbill, Ph.D. (Toronto, 1982), Faculty Associate in Forest Ecosystem Science. Historical ecology, old-growth forests, reserve design, and land management.
Katherine J. Elliott, Ph.D. (Maine, 1991), Faculty Associate in Forest Ecosystem Science. Forest ecology, fire ecology, stand dynamics, biodiversity.
David R. Foster, Ph.D. (Minnesota, 1983), Faculty Associate in Forest Ecosystem Science. Land-use history, paleoecology, and forest dynamics.
Ralph D. Nyland, Ph.D. (Michigan State Univ., 1966), Faculty Associate
in Forest Ecosystem Science. Silviculture of northern hardwoods, uneven-aged
silvicultural systems.
Walter C. Shortle, Ph.D. (North Carolina State University, 1974), Faculty Associate in Forest Ecosystem Science. Forest pathology, wood biochemistry, dendrochemistry, biogeochemistry.
David B. Field, Ph.D. (Purdue, 1974), Edwin L. Giddings Professor of
Forest Policy. Professor of Forest Resources and Chair, Department of Forest
Management. Forest Economics and policy, forest resource
valuation, forest taxation, forest planning.
Thomas B. Brann, Ph.D. (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University,
1979), Professor of Forest Resources. Inventory methods and computer sciences.
Katherine K. Carter, Ph.D. (West Virginia, 1980), Associate Professor
of Forest Resources. Forest genetics, tree improvement of Maine forest species.
John J. Daigle, Ph.D. (Massachusetts, 1997), Assistant Professor of
Forest Recreation Management. Recreation planning and management, social research
methods for natural resource professionals, human dimensions of natural resources
management.
Andrew F. Egan, Ph.D. (Pennsylvania State University, 1993), Associate
Professor of Forest Resources. Program Leader, Forest Operations Science. Forest
operations, timber harvesting, effects of exurbanization and parcelization on
stumpage availability, development of timber harvesting operability factors
using remote sensing.
Douglas J. Gardner, Ph.D. (Mississippi State, 1985), Professor of Wood
Science and Technology. Program Leader, Wood Science and Technology. Wood surface
chemistry, phenolic-adhesive chemistry, wood anatomy, wood composites, wood
adhesion.
Joseph M. Genco, Ph.D. (Ohio State, 1963). Cooperating Professor of
Forest Resources. Chemical engineering, pulp and paper sciences.
Barry S. Goodell, Ph.D. (Oregon State, 1983). Professor of Wood Science
and Technology, Forest Products Lab. Cooperating Professor, Chemical Engineering
and the Advanced Engineered Wood Composites Center. Control of decay in wood,
wood microbiology, wood preservation, wood biotechnology.
Warren E. Hedstrom, Ph.D. (Colorado State, 1970), Associate Professor
of Forest Management. Soil and water engineering, forest roads and structures,
housing.
Alan J. Kimball, M.S. (Maine, 1978), Associate Professor of Forest Resources.
Integrated management of nonindustrial forest properties, ecology and management
of oak-pine forests.
Wilbur F. LaPage, Ph.D. (Syracuse, 1975), Associate Professor of Parks,
Recreation, and Tourism. Public park policy, environmental interpretation, tourism,
and non-economic benefits of public lands.
J. Louis Morin, M.S. (Maine, 1978), Instructor of Forest Resources.
Global Positioning Systems and Geographic Information Systems as they relate
to natural resource management.
William D. Ostrofsky, Ph.D. (New Hampshire, 1982), Director, Office
of Professional Development and Henry Saunders Assistant Professor of Hardwood
Silviculture. Hardwood silviculture, forest pathology.
Robert W. Rice, Ph.D. (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University,
1988), Professor of Wood Science and Technology. Wood physics, wood drying,
non-destructive evaluation, forest products marketing, pulp and paper marketing
and management.
Steven A. Sader, Ph.D. (Idaho, 1981), Professor of Forest Resources. Cooperating Professor of Wildlife Ecology. Graduate Coordinator.
Remote sensing of natural resources, digital image processing, tropical forest
monitoring.
Stephen M. Shaler, Ph.D. (Pennsylvania State University, 1986). Professor
of Wood Science and Technology. Cooperating Professor of Chemical Engineering
and Assistant Director, Advanced Engineered Wood Composites Center. Wood composites
and mechanical properties.
Robert K. Shepard, Jr., Ph.D. (Michigan, 1970), Professor of Forest
Resources. Wood properties, sludge and wood ash application to forest lands.
Jeremy S. Wilson, Ph.D. (University of Washington, 1988). Irving Chair
for Forest Ecosystem Management, Assistant Professor of Forest Resources. Silviculture;
integration of GIS technology, growth and yield models, stand and landscape
visualization, and analysis tools to evaluate future landscape conditions under
a variety of management scenarios, forest development patterns.
Lloyd C. Irland, Ph.D. (Yale, 1973), Faculty Associate in Forest Resources,
Principal, The Irland Group (Forestry Consultants). Forest economics.
Jack Lutz, Ph.D. (University of New Hampshire, 1998), Faculty Associate
in Forest Resources. Timberland investment and economic development.
Laurence Mott, Ph.D. (University of Maine, 1995), Faculty Associate
in Forest Resources. Wood composites.
Lech Muszynski, Ph.D. (University of Poznan, 1997). Faculty Associate
in Wood Science and Technology. Hygro-mechanical behavior of wood; advanced
hybrid wood-FRP composites, coatings, and multifunctional barriers; durability
of wooden and composite structural elements; application of digital image analysis
to measurement of deformation; modeling drying stresses in wood.
Timothy Rials, Ph.D. (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University,
1986), Faculty Associate in Forest Resources. Interfacial structure and properties
of wood-polymer composites; surface characteristics of mechanical pulp fibers;
applications of near infrared spectroscopy to wood quality and process monitoring.
Bret P. Vicary, Ph.D. (Maine, 1986), Faculty Associate in Forest Resources,
James Sewall Co., Consultants. Forest economics, financial analysis, forest
appraisal.
Graduate School
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