Liberal Forestry school

Skully · October 10, 2002, 01:49:25 PM

I cant take it anymore. Colorado State University is not a forestry school. Almost every Proffessor in the department is liberal and in my opinion opposses cutting.

I am trying to get a traditional forestry education and it has been difficult here. There are a few "old school" guys left, but the core forestry courses are being dropped with fewer and fewer electives being offered.

Luckily I will soon be done. I guess it is my own fault I should have went to ESF or VT or somewhere else.

I can get off my soapbox now.

First I will in defense say the quality of education is great, they are just heading away from traditional forestry in my opinion.

I hope I dont get in trouble

Frank_Pender · October 10, 2002, 02:33:45 PM

You are so correct, Skully. I could see some of the hadwriting on the wall as CSU 35 years ago. I was headed there for my masters in clinical psychology. They reportedely had one if not the finest program in the country. After a day or three of my roaming and interviewing campus people I came back home to Oregon. Sure glad I did. ;D

Ron Wenrich · October 10, 2002, 03:19:46 PM

I went to Penn State 35 years ago. It wasn't necessarily a "liberal" school, but we had our share of demonstrations, sit-ins and the like. We even had a few riots. A great time to be on campus.

The worst violence they had was after the football team beat UCLA. But, they didn't call the cops out on that one. College students will be college students. They even upset a bus!

You can chose whether you want to participate or just tolerate whatever the political climate may be. I haven't seen a political climate that I enjoy, so I just tolerate it.

As for the forestry dept., they have been going that way for the past several decades. Reason: that's where the jobs are at. Not too many people graduate to become mud foresters. The gov't isn't hiring any of those anymore. They want what your curriculum offers.

That doesn't mean that you have to take the same stand or follow the same path as others in your class. After I graduated, there were no jobs in forestry. I ended up making my own. The degree just gives you the background. What experience you get will give you the direction.

I started as a choker setter on the West Coast. I came back East and worked in a hardwood mill, started by stacking lumber and ended up doing procurement work. I went into forest consulting, then moved back to consulting at the mill level. It ain't what you got, it's how you use it.

Skully · October 10, 2002, 10:36:12 PM

Ron and co.
Thanks for the support. I am a environmentalist. I love nature but I also think forests should be managed i.e. cut

I am planning to move back to the Ithaca NY area and have a job lined up as a procurement forester trainee. It truly is what I think will be my dream job. I also plan on buying a small wood lot and playing silviculturist master.

Dan

C_Miller · October 12, 2002, 09:34:33 AM

So I asked a guy going to Penn State "Nittany Lions?"

He said "No, but I crocheted a Tiger once."

Ron Scott · October 13, 2002, 11:11:23 AM

Penn State played the University of Michigan into the first overtime game of Michigan's history yesterday before Michigan took the win. Quite a college football game between these schools.