Texas A&M University’s Ecosystem Science and Management department’s forestry program (formerly known as the Forest Science and Rangeland Ecology and Management) is refocusing in an effort to make it a model among other schools, according to forest management and economics professor Dr. Jianbang Gan, in a TAMU Agrilife release.
The TAMU forestry program began operating under a new certification Jan. 1, but Dr. Gan says the program began reorganizing itself several years before an accreditation review began by the Society of American Foresters (SAF) — the national scientific and educational organization representing the forestry profession in the United States.
Founded in 1900 by Gifford Pinchot, the SAF is the largest professional society for foresters in the world. The Society’s mission is to advance the science, education, technology, and practice of forestry; to enhance the competency of its members; to establish professional excellence; and, to use the knowledge, skills, and conservation ethic of the profession to ensure the continued health and use of forest ecosystems and the present and future availability of forest resources to benefit society. SAF is a nonprofit organization meeting the requirements of 501 (c) (3). SAF members include natural resource professionals in public and private settings, researchers, CEOs, administrators, educators, and students.
Texas A&M’s forestry program was first given accreditation in 1975, which was renewed in 2003 and is now re-accredited for another 10 years, says Dr. Gan, who served as the department’s accreditation committee chair and is also a Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientist.
Texas A&M AgriLife Research is the state’s premier research agency in agriculture, natural resources, and the life sciences, and conducts hundreds of projects spanning many scientific disciplines to deliver life-sustaining and industry-changing impacts to citizens throughout Texas and around the world.
From Bio News Texas: https://bionews-tx.com/news/2014/01/28/texas-am-forestry-program-gets-new-society-of-american-foresters-accreditation/