Forestry

Forests, vital to the global ecosystem, cover 30% of the world’s land area. Forestry is concerned with the understanding and sustainable management of these forests for the benefit of society. Postgraduate level study will prepare you for the challenge of managing forests for the many benefits they provide, at a time of global environmental change.

Our practical approach to teaching uses our unique location by combining traditional lectures with fieldtrips that demonstrate real forestry practicalities and current environmental issues. Our extensive local, national and international networks and our active research programmes allow us to deliver high quality teaching addressing cutting-edge issues, as the report from an international exchange student from Canada illustrates. We work closely with, and introduce students to, UK organisations such as Natural Resources Wales, Forestry Commission, Woodland Trust, Forest Research , Institute of Chartered Foresters and the Small Woods Association.

Natural resource management, and forest management in particular, is becoming ever more important, and there is a generally acknowledged skills shortage in the forestry profession. The speed with which our graduates gain employment reflects this. Graduates from our courses have progressed on to relevant employment in public sector organisations, NGOs and academic institutions both in the EU and overseas. Our MSc courses can also form a stepping stone in postgraduate research and have produced high calibre research scientists in the fields of tree biology, forest science, and natural resource management.

Our research team is multidisciplinary and spans the entire breadth of the forest discipline. We have active research programmes spanning from boreal to tropical forests. Our work concerns forests and climate change adaption, mitigation, deforestation, biodiversity, disaster recovery, food security, flood protection, nutrient cycling, human wellbeing, conservation and the role of forests in recreation.

Bangor is at the forefront of international forestry research with a fantastic reputation for its research activities. Students and academic staff are active collaborators with international organisation such as the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center, Costa Rica (CATIE), the Center for International Forestry Research, Indonesia (CIFOR), and the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF).

Forestry@Bangor has access to two inspiring facilities utilised for teaching and research activities. Treborth Botanical Garden and Henfaes Research Centre both located a short distance outside of Bangor.