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Choosing the Correct School:
Deciding to pursue an education in forest resources is the first step to a rewarding career. Next, you must decide the level of education (degree) required to work in your chosen area of expertise. 

If your interests are in the area of acquiring woods-oriented field skills, then perhaps a two-year technical degree is right for you.  Technician graduates usually work in the forest under the supervision of a forester conducting such tasks as measuring timber and associated forest resources, supervising harvesting operations, surveying, regeneration, and timber sales transactions. If you are interested in becoming a professional-level graduate than you should probably consider a four-year bachelors degree or higher.

Additional Factors to Consider

• Geography: The location of an institution often has a major impact on the way a program meets its teaching objectives. Practical experience will often focus on the resource conditions and major forest management issues of that region. As a result, employers often hire graduates from programs in their immediate region.
• Emphasis on Research: Programs that offer undergraduate (bachelors) and advanced degrees (masters, doctorate) may expose students to a greater emphasis on research than applied forestry. These programs often are national leaders in providing students with insight into new trends and advances in research within the forestry profession.
• Placement: Programs that offer undergraduate degrees usually cater to local private industry or public resource management agency needs, and have a high placement rate for competent graduates. 
• Curriculum: Forest resource management education is currently quite broadly taught at most institutions within the country. There are a variety of disciplines covered in the curriculum that prepare the graduate for a variety of occupations upon graduation.