The Department of Forestry at Mississippi State University
Mississippi State University’s (MSU) Department of Forestry is one of three departments in the College of Forest Resources and Mississippi State University’s Forest and Wildlife Research Center. Our department dates to 1954 and is located in Starkville, a town of 24,800 in northeast Mississippi. Our mission is to conduct impactful research, educate future leaders, and serve our industry that supports 61,000 jobs, sells forest products and services exceeding $13.1 billion, and provides $5.00 billion in value added to Mississippi’s economy.
Faculty are housed both on the main campus in Thompson Hall and four Research and Extension Centers strategically located across the unique production regions of our state. The Department has two undergraduate degree programs accredited by the Society of American Foresters, Forestry (since 1966) and Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation (since 2017). We offer MS and PhD degrees in Forestry. Our average enrollment is 175 students across the undergraduate and graduate programs.
Student organizations include our national award-winning Society of American Foresters student chapter, the National Forestry Honor Society Xi Sigma Pi, Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Sciences (MANRRS) that facilitates career preparation and participation for under-represented groups in agricultural and natural resources and related fields, and Fire Dawgs providing state and federal training, fire education, and prescribed burning opportunities.
Key to our providing a meaningful education is the University’s 8,244-acre research, teaching, and demonstration forest, the John W. Starr Memorial Forest. The University also owns Bulldog Forest properties throughout the state that are not only available for research and outreach activities but also provide income to fund a first-class learning environment for our students, faculty, and staff. The Sam D. Hamilton Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge and Tombigbee National Forest are nearby and often partner with the Department for teaching, research, demonstration, and outreach activities.
Research areas include Forest Biology and Watershed Management; Forest Economics, Management, and Policy; and Forest Measurements and Spatial Technology. Extension Forestry faculty are academically linked to the Department of Forestry and serve MSU Extension by conducting applied research and forestry educational outreach programs. Professors train and mentor students while studying topics from timber management to timber markets to timber stand growth and yield.
Contact Information
Department of Forestry
PO Box 9681
Mississippi State, MS 39762-9601
Thompson Hall 105
(662) 325-2949
Further Reading
FRA’s University Series
Issue.9- University of Tennessee School of Natural Resources: An Overview
Issue. 8- An Overview: Virginia Tech’s Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation
Issue.7- The University of Kentucky: Department of Forestry and Natural Resources
Issue. 6- The University of Georgia Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources
Issue. 5- The Division of Forestry & Natural Resources at West Virginia University
Issue. 4- The School of Forest Resources at the University of Maine
Issue. 3- Department of Forest, Rangeland and Fire Sciences | College of Natural Resources | University of Idaho
Issue. 2- University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (UW-Stevens Point) Forestry Program
Issue. 1- The College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment at Auburn University
