Virginia Tech College of Natural Resources and Environment
Encyclopedia
The College of Natural Resources and Environment at Virginia Tech contains academic programs in forestry, fisheries, wildlife sciences, geography, and wood science. The college contains four departments as well as a graduate program in the National Capital Region and a leadership institute for undergraduates. The College of Natural Resources and Environment conducts most of its research in facilities located in Blacksburg or through the National Science Foundation's
Industry & University Cooperative Research Program (I/UCRC). In 2010-11, the college consisted of 737 students and 145 faculty members. The current dean of the college, Paul M. Winistorfer, was appointed in 2009.
By 1969, the Department of Forestry and Wildlife had become the fastest growing department on campus, having grown from 66 undergraduates and five graduate students, to 346 undergraduates and 52 graduate students. That same year, the department was officially made a unit of the College of Agriculture, and by 1974, it split into the Department of Forestry and Forest Products and the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences. By 1975, a School of Forestry and Wildlife Resources was established. This school became an official university college in 1992, named the College of Forestry and Wildlife Resources. In 2000, the college changed its name to the College of Natural Resources before settling on its current title in 2010.
in 1965 "for the purposes of developing, implementing and coordinating water and related land research programs," is also located in Blacksburg.
Beyond Blacksburg, the College of Natural Resources and Environment is also affiliated with research centers that are part of the National Science Foundation
's Industry/University Cooperative Research Center program , such as the Wood-Based Composites Center and the Center for Advanced Forestry Systems. In addition, the college has connections to the Virginia Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, whose cooperators include the United States Fish and Wildlife Service
, the United States Geological Survey
, the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries
, and the Wildlife Management Institute.
The college has also been the recipient of research funding from national organizations. For example, in 2011, the National Institute of Food and Agriculture
(NIFA) awarded Virginia Tech’s Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conversation $3.4 million of a coordinated agricultural grant to study the effects of climate change on southern pine forests. Additionally, in 2010, researchers from Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources and Environment received a $3.4 million grant from the United States Department of the Interior
to study the effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
in the Gulf of Mexico on piping plovers
, shorebirds that have been listed as threatened since 1986.
, has served as an editor and associate editor of major forestry publications, including Forest Science, The Southern Journal of Applied Forestry, and the Canadian Journal of Forest Research; he has also authored his own forestry textbook, Forest Measurements.
John Seiler, an Alumni Distinguished Professor of forestry, directs an internationally recognized research program in wood plant ecophysiology.
In 2010, Audrey Zink-Sharp was the first female elected as a Fellow of the Society for Wood Science and Technology.
, the College of Natural Resources and Environment’s forestry program was second on the perceptions-based composite score and third on the citations-based and publications-based index. In 2010, the National Research Council also ranked the forestry Ph.D. program as one of the best in the nation. Additionally, during the last accreditation process in 1996, peer institutions ranked the college’s wildlife and fisheries programs first and second, respectively.
In addition to its academic programs, the college has also been ranked for its research programs. The National Science Foundation
ranked the $91 million research program in the College of Natural Resources and Environment and the Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
fifth in the nation.
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
Industry & University Cooperative Research Program (I/UCRC). In 2010-11, the college consisted of 737 students and 145 faculty members. The current dean of the college, Paul M. Winistorfer, was appointed in 2009.
History
Although the college was not officially established until 1992, its roots were present in Virginia Tech’s history as early as 1925 when the first professor of forestry, Wilbur O’Byrne, was hired. By the early 1930s, students were able to study field horticulture, landscape design, and the chemical properties of sprays used to protect orchards. In 1938, the first bachelor of science degrees in conservation and forestry were offered in the Department of Biology.By 1969, the Department of Forestry and Wildlife had become the fastest growing department on campus, having grown from 66 undergraduates and five graduate students, to 346 undergraduates and 52 graduate students. That same year, the department was officially made a unit of the College of Agriculture, and by 1974, it split into the Department of Forestry and Forest Products and the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences. By 1975, a School of Forestry and Wildlife Resources was established. This school became an official university college in 1992, named the College of Forestry and Wildlife Resources. In 2000, the college changed its name to the College of Natural Resources before settling on its current title in 2010.
Academics
The College of Natural Resources and Environment contains four departments and executive and traditional master’s programs in the National Capital Region. As of 2010-11, the college had 737 students taking classes on the Blacksburg campus, thereby making it the smallest at Virginia Tech in terms of enrollment.Fish and wildlife conservation
The Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation offers a bachelor of science in fisheries science and a bachelor of science in wildlife science to undergraduate students. It also offers an M.S. and Ph.D. in both fisheries and wildlife sciences to graduate students.Geography
Undergraduates can earn a B.A. in geography. The department offers two options for undergraduate geography majors: culture, regions, and international development or geospatial and environmental analysis. The department has been approved to add an undergraduate B.S. degree in meteorology in Spring 2012. This will be the only meteorology program offered in Virginia. Graduate students may earn an M.S. in geography. The Department of Geography also participates in the college’s doctoral program in geospatial and environmental analysis.Wood science and forest products
Undergraduates can earn a bachelor’s degree in wood science and forest products. The department, which has a strong focus on biomaterials, offers students the opportunity to choose one of the following four options: packaging science, forest products business, residential wood structures, or wood materials science. Graduate students can earn an M.S., M.F., or Ph.D. though the department.Forest resources and environmental conservation
Undergraduates can earn a B.S. in one of the following majors: forestry, environmental resource management, and natural resources conservation. Within a major, students can choose one of the following options: forest resource management, forest operations and business, urban forestry, environmental resource management, watershed management, conservation and recreation management, environmental education, and natural resource science education. Graduate students can earn an M.S., M.F., or Ph.D. through this department. The department actively participates in the college-wide doctoral program in geospatial and environmental analysis.Natural resources graduate program (National Capital Region)
Located in the National Capital Region, the natural resources graduate program has three different areas on emphasis: urban issues, natural resource policy, and international perspectives. Through this program, students can earn a master of natural resources (M.N.R.), an executive master of natural resources (X.M.N.R.), or a certificate of graduate studies in natural resources. The executive master of natural resources focuses on leadership for sustainability. Currently, the natural resources graduate program offers over 30 courses in traditional and hybrid classroom settings.College of Natural Resources and Environment leadership institute
In addition to these academic programs, the college has recently established the College of Natural Resources and Environment Leadership Institute for undergraduate students. In this two-semester study sequence, students study leadership styles and work on group projects focused on enhancing leadership qualities. Additionally, students meet with state government, state agencies, and non-governmental organizations in order to experience organizational and political processes in action.Research centers and cooperatives
On Virginia Tech’s main campus, faculty and students from the college conduct most of their research in Cheatham Hall and Latham Hall. These facilities can be used to study the physiology, nutrition, and genetics of trees, fish, and wildlife. Additionally, faculty and students have access to the Thomas M. Brooks Forest Products Center, located in the Corporate Research Center adjacent to the Blacksburg campus. The center contains laboratories for wood-based composites manufacture and testing, a high-bay wood engineering lab with full-scale timber testing equipment, a wood drying laboratory, the William A. Sardo Pallet Laboratory, and the Center for Unit Load Design laboratory. The Virginia Water Resources Research Center, established by the Commonwealth of VirginiaVirginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
in 1965 "for the purposes of developing, implementing and coordinating water and related land research programs," is also located in Blacksburg.
Beyond Blacksburg, the College of Natural Resources and Environment is also affiliated with research centers that are part of the National Science Foundation
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
's Industry/University Cooperative Research Center program , such as the Wood-Based Composites Center and the Center for Advanced Forestry Systems. In addition, the college has connections to the Virginia Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, whose cooperators include the United States Fish and Wildlife Service
United States Fish and Wildlife Service
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service is a federal government agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats...
, the United States Geological Survey
United States Geological Survey
The United States Geological Survey is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten it. The organization has four major science disciplines, concerning biology,...
, the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries
Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries
The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, or VDGIF, regulates fish and wildlife in Virginia. It is managed by the Director of Game and Inland Fisheries and overseen by the Virginia Board of Game and Inland Fisheries.-Mission:...
, and the Wildlife Management Institute.
The college has also been the recipient of research funding from national organizations. For example, in 2011, the National Institute of Food and Agriculture
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
The National Institute of Food and Agriculture is a U.S. Federal government body whose creation was mandated in the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008. It is intended to consolidate all federally-funded agricultural research, and will be subordinate to the Department of Agriculture...
(NIFA) awarded Virginia Tech’s Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conversation $3.4 million of a coordinated agricultural grant to study the effects of climate change on southern pine forests. Additionally, in 2010, researchers from Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources and Environment received a $3.4 million grant from the United States Department of the Interior
United States Department of the Interior
The United States Department of the Interior is the United States federal executive department of the U.S. government responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land and natural resources, and the administration of programs relating to Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Native...
to study the effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
Deepwater Horizon oil spill
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico which flowed unabated for three months in 2010, and continues to leak fresh oil. It is the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry...
in the Gulf of Mexico on piping plovers
Piping Plover
The Piping Plover is a small sand-colored, sparrow-sized shorebird that nests and feeds along coastal sand and gravel beaches in North America. The adult has yellow-orange legs, a black band across the forehead from eye to eye, and a black ring around the neck...
, shorebirds that have been listed as threatened since 1986.
Distinguished faculty
Harold Burkhart, a University Distinguished Professor of forestryForestry
Forestry is the interdisciplinary profession embracing the science, art, and craft of creating, managing, using, and conserving forests and associated resources in a sustainable manner to meet desired goals, needs, and values for human benefit. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands...
, has served as an editor and associate editor of major forestry publications, including Forest Science, The Southern Journal of Applied Forestry, and the Canadian Journal of Forest Research; he has also authored his own forestry textbook, Forest Measurements.
John Seiler, an Alumni Distinguished Professor of forestry, directs an internationally recognized research program in wood plant ecophysiology.
In 2010, Audrey Zink-Sharp was the first female elected as a Fellow of the Society for Wood Science and Technology.
Rankings
According to a 2006 study of the research impact of North American forestry programs published in the Journal of ForestryJournal of Forestry
The Journal of Forestry is the primary scholarly journal of the Society of American Foresters that aims to advance the forestry profession, keeping professional foresters informed about developments and ideas related to the practice of forestry. The journal publishes editorial and technical content...
, the College of Natural Resources and Environment’s forestry program was second on the perceptions-based composite score and third on the citations-based and publications-based index. In 2010, the National Research Council also ranked the forestry Ph.D. program as one of the best in the nation. Additionally, during the last accreditation process in 1996, peer institutions ranked the college’s wildlife and fisheries programs first and second, respectively.
In addition to its academic programs, the college has also been ranked for its research programs. The National Science Foundation
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
ranked the $91 million research program in the College of Natural Resources and Environment and the Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences is one of eight colleges at Virginia Tech with a three-part mission of learning, discovery, and engagement. It has more than 2,500 undergraduate and graduate students in a dozen academic departments. In 2009, the National Science Foundation ranked...
fifth in the nation.
Notable alumni
- Mitchell Byrd (wildlife science 1949, Ph.D. 1954), a chancellor professor emeritus of biology at The College of William & Mary, was instrumental in the re-population of peregrine falconsPeregrine FalconThe Peregrine Falcon , also known as the Peregrine, and historically as the Duck Hawk in North America, is a widespread bird of prey in the family Falconidae. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-gray back, barred white underparts, and a black head and "moustache"...
east of the Mississippi River and also is associated with the return of bald eagles to the East Coast.
- Carl E. Garrison III (forestry and wildlife 1978) has served as Virginia state foresterVirginia Department of ForestryThe Virginia Department of Forestry is the department of the government of Virginia responsible for the maintenance and oversight of Virginia state forests....
since 2004 and was recently reappointed by Virginia Governor Bob McDonnellBob McDonnellRobert Francis "Bob" McDonnell is an American politician who has been the 71st Governor of Virginia since January 2010. A former lieutenant colonel in the United States Army, McDonnell served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1993 to 2006 and served as Attorney General of Virginia from 2006...
.
- Douglas DomenechDouglas DomenechDouglas Domenech, a native of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and resident of Loudoun Conunty, Virginia,, is the former Deputy Chief of Staff of the United States Department of the Interior and a Bush Administration appointee to the White House Working Group on the Political Status of Puerto Rico,...
(forestry and wildlife management 1979) was appointed secretary of natural resources in 2010 by Virginia Governor Bob McDonnellBob McDonnellRobert Francis "Bob" McDonnell is an American politician who has been the 71st Governor of Virginia since January 2010. A former lieutenant colonel in the United States Army, McDonnell served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1993 to 2006 and served as Attorney General of Virginia from 2006...
.
- Gary Norman (M.S. fisheries and wildlife 1980) was awarded the National Wild Turkey FederationNational Wild Turkey FederationThe National Wild Turkey Federation is an international non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of the wild turkey and the preservation of our hunting heritage...
’s Henry Mosby Award, one of the highest honors a wildlife biologist can receive, for his key role in restoring wild turkeys in Virginia.
- Barbara Knuth (Ph.D. fisheries and wildlife science 1986) is vice provost and dean of the Graduate School at Cornell UniversityCornell University Graduate SchoolThe Cornell University Graduate School confers most professional and research master's degrees and doctoral degrees in various fields of study for the university. The departments under which instruction and research take place are housed in Cornell's other schools and colleges. The administrative...
and was a past president of the American Fisheries Society.
- Sybille Klenzendorf (M.S. fisheries and wildlife 1997, Ph.D. 2002) currently serves as the managing director for the species conservation program at the World Wildlife FundWorld Wide Fund for NatureThe World Wide Fund for Nature is an international non-governmental organization working on issues regarding the conservation, research and restoration of the environment, formerly named the World Wildlife Fund, which remains its official name in Canada and the United States...
.