Let me start by saying that forests cover over four billion hectares of the Earth’s landmass, that’s around 31% of the total land area according to Statista. But, as the years go by, we’re losing our forests to both deforestation and forest degradation.
In fact, another statistic from World Wide Life shows that in 2019, the tropics lost close to 30 soccer fields’ worth of trees every single minute. And we can’t be losing such a number of forests, especially realizing the impact it has on climate change.
We mostly talk about careers in the medical field, tech, and engineering, but kinda give little attention to our forests, imagine what life would be like without forests, how will our future generation even survive?
So, we are proud you’re pursuing your career in forestry, but we also realize the price to pay is not cheap. For that reason, we decided to compile this list of scholarships for forestry students, one of the good things about these scholarships is that the schools providing them also provide some of the best education in this area so you’re killing two birds with one stone here.
Moreover, before you go ahead, we would advise you to go through some of the primary scholarship requirements, it can help you to prepare accordingly.
So before we list these scholarships, let’s first understand what forestry is, and then we’ll talk a little about some of the benefits of forestry scholarships.
Table of Contents
What is forestry?
Forestry is both the science and art of caring for, protecting, maintaining, planting, managing, and sustaining our trees and forests.
Benefits of Forestry scholarships
- One of the biggest benefits of forestry scholarships is that it reduces or eliminates your financial burden, depending on the one you won.
- Secondly, you don’t have to accumulate loans after graduation.
- You will have access to some other privileges like free conferences, free trips, etc.
- It increases the chances of getting employed immediately after graduation.
Now we’ve discussed forestry scholarship benefits, let’s list these scholarships.
Scholarships for Forestry Students
The beauty of the scholarships we have listed is that most of them (more than 90%) provide sub Scholarships. That is, the schools of forestry and wildlife in these universities have more than one scholarship they provide, which can help you to apply to as many as you’re eligible for.
1. Oregon State University – College of Forestry Scholarships
Oregon State University provides lots of scholarships to students in different fields, and they are providing over $500,000 in scholarship support annually to undergraduate and post-baccalaureate students. Applicants need to maintain high academic standards (at least a 2.5 OSU Accumulative GPA for continuing students) together with other requirements to be eligible.
2. NC State University – Forestry and Environmental Resources Scholarships
One of the reasons I love NC State University is that they provide general merit-based scholarships to entering students, then each school also provide their own scholarships. So you have the chance of winning a lot of scholarships in this university.
The Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources Scholarship Program provides three types of awards: Academic Scholarship, Summer Camp Scholarships and Work Scholarships.
3. University of Kentucky Forestry and Natural Resources Scholarships
The University of Kentucky provides lots of scholarships for forestry students which include;
- Farm Credit Mid-America Scholarships
- Forest Landowner Foundation Scholarship
- Intertribal Timber Council-Truman D. Picard Scholarship Program
- Kentucky Association of Conservation Districts – Betty Barrick Non-Traditional Scholarship
- Kentucky Association of Conservation Districts – Natural Resource Scholarship
- Kentucky Forest Industries Association Foundation – William H. Steele Memorial Forestry Scholarship
- Kentucky Women in Agriculture Scholarship
And many more.
4. Michigan State University – Department of Forestry Scholarships
Among these universities we have listed so far, Michigan State University provides numerous scholarships to students regardless of the department or program they are offering. MSU Forestry has the capacity to award more than $330,000 each year, and these scholarships range from $2,000 per year to full tuition.
There are two important scholarships provided by MCU’s department of forestry, they are;
- Robert F. Brevitz Scholarship (urban forestry)
- Garfield Scholarship (arboriculture, park management, public utility forestry)
5. Northern Arizona University – School of Forestry Scholarships
NAU is another college that provides lots of financial aid for forestry students which includes;
- The Charles O. and Mary Minor Forestry Professorship
- Wally Covington Student Travel Award
- Forestry General Fund
- Forestry Alumni Scholarship Fund
- American Conservation Experience Scholarship
- Ramon Aso Forestry Scholarship Fund
- Laurel and Dorothy Brenn Forestry Scholarship Fund
- Levon P. Dunford Memorial Scholarship Fund
And many more. The School of Forestry has over 50 endowed scholarships that are awarded to forestry program students annually.
6. Mississippi State University College of Forest Resources Scholarships
Mississippi State University also provides several scholarships for forestry students which include;
- Arboriculture/Urban Forestry Memorial Scholarship
- Bynum L. Meeks Endowed Scholarship
- Clyde Patrick Wade Memorial Endowed Scholarship
- Davis and Ann Mortensen Endowed Scholarship in Forest Resources
- Forestry Suppliers, Inc. Endowed Scholarship
- Mississippi Wildlife Federation Scholarship
And many more
7. University of Georgia – Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources
Warnell awards thousands of dollars in scholarships each year. And, all Warnell students (first year through PhD) during the current academic year are eligible to apply when scholarship applications open at the start of each spring semester.
Even students transferring from another institution are encouraged to apply.
8. Michigan Tech – College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science
Michigan Tech provides an average of $7,333 per College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science (CFRES) student annually. Thanks to the generous donations from their alumni, friends, and faculty.
Some of their scholarships include;
- Forestry Alumni Endowed Scholarship
- Forest Resources and Environmental Science Endowed Scholarship
- Women in Natural Resources Endowed scholarship
- Helmuth and Charlotte Steinhilb Endowed Scholarship
- Charles and Patricia Nelson Endowed Scholarship
And many more
9. Virginia Tech – Scholarships for Urban Forestry Students
The College of Natural Resources and Environment provides different scholarships annually to students in the urban forestry option. They include
- F. A. Bartlett Foundation Scholarship- $2,000 awarded annually
- Richard S. Foster Urban Forestry Scholarship- $1,900 awarded annually
- Davey Tree Experts Arbor Grant – $3,000 awarded annually
10. Purdue University – Forestry and Natural Resources Scholarships
Purdue Forestry and Natural Resources have several scholarships available for prospective and current students. One in four students receives scholarships in FNR and the department has given over $80,000 in scholarships. Approximately 82 scholarships are awarded each year.
11. University of Minnesota h Department of Forest Resources Scholarships
The University of Minnesota is another college that provides various academic scholarships to forestry students, and some of them include;
- Bob Ruckdashel and Ron Henderson Memorial Fund
- Forestry Alumni Scholarship Fund
- Forestry Club Scholarship
- Franklin E. Star Recreation Resource Management Scholarship
- Marvin W. Pearson Forest Resources Fund
12. West Virginia University – Scholarships in Arboriculture & Urban Forestry
West Virginia University also provides a handful of forestry scholarships which include;
- Appalachian Vegetation Management Association
- Bartlett Tree Foundation
- Frank Santamour Scholarship
- Garden Club of America Urban Forestry Fellowship
13. University of Connecticut – Department of Natural Resources and the Environment Scholarships
Some of the scholarships for forestry students awarded by UCONN include;
- Robert S. Malloy Scholarship
- Horace C. Eriksson Forestry Scholarship
- McDowell Wildlife Award
- James V. Spignesi, Jr. Memorial Scholarship
- Predoctoral Fellowships from Dean’s Office
- Bishop-Carder Scholarship
14. University of Arkansas at Monticello – Foresters for the Future Scholarship
Foresters for the Future is a new scholarship provided by the Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Forestry Division and the University of Arkansas at Monticello (UAM). The scholarship will provide $4,000 per semester, for four years, to an incoming freshman pursuing a forestry degree at UAM’s College of Forestry, Agriculture, and Natural Resources.
15. Oklahoma State University – Ferguson College of Agriculture Scholarships
This is another university that provides a wide range of scholarships for forestry undergraduate and graduate students. Applicants will need to fill out the Ferguson College of Agriculture Scholarship Application before they can apply.
Some of their scholarships include;
- Clymer – C. L. Clymer Scholarship
- Durrell Forestry Alumni Association Scholarship
- Ted Silker Memorial Scholarship
- Flick Forestry Ranger Award
- Walker Sophomore Forestry Scholarship
- Walker Freshman Forestry Scholarship
- Roque Nalleyy Memorial Scholarship
16. Forest and Wildlife Ecology Scholarships
Both Forest Science and Wildlife Ecology have a number of scholarships administered by the department for declared majors. Some of these scholarships include;
- Helen H. Miller Forestry Scholarship – $1300
- Robert B. Hendricks Memorial/Hardwood Manufacturers Association Scholarship – $3400
- Earle D. Lyon Memorial Scholarship – $500
- Forestry and Wildlife Ecology Departmental Scholarship – $5,000
17. Cal Poly Humboldt Forestry Scholarships
Annually Department of Forestry, Fire Rangeland Management provides about $50,000 in scholarships to outstanding students. Some of their scholarships include;
- Don C. Banghart Forestry Scholarship
- Robert Cary Forestry Scholarship
- Dillard-Bailey Scholarship for Undergraduate Students
- Forestry Pathfinders Commemorative Scholarship
- Marlis Honeywell Forestry Scholarship
- Jerry Partain Forestry Scholarship
- Schmidbauer Family Foundation Scholarship
18. The University of Maine – School of Forest Resources Scholarships
Each year, the School of Forest Resources awards hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships to new and continuing students. They don’t usually award fully-funded scholarships, but their awards are good enough to pay part of your fees.
Their scholarship ranges from $350 to $7,000.
19. Arthur Temple College of Forestry & Agriculture
With the generous help of Stephen F. Austin State University’s Alumni, Friends, and Industry Leaders, Arthur Temple College of Forestry & Agriculture has the ability to offer roughly $300,000 in annual student scholarships. Some of these scholarships include;
- Wayne and Jennie Alexander Forest Landowner Foundation Scholarship
- Distinguished Alumni Scholarship
- Bartlett Tree Foundation Inc. Scholarship
- Dr. Sam and Malcolm Barnes Memorial Scholarship
- Robert E. Attebury Memorial Scholarship
- Paul Walton Allen Scholarship
20. Glenville State University
This is another university that provides various scholarships for forestry students which include;
- Clark Jr. and Marjorie Hardman Scholarship
- Eberly Forestry Scholarship
- Ed Grafton Forestry Scholarship
- Rick Sypolt Land Surveying Scholarship
- Thomas J. Clower Memorial Scholarship
Conclusion
As you can see, there are lots of scholarships for forestry undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate students. I won’t be wrong to say that all the accredited schools of forestry in America provide scholarships to their incoming and current students.
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