Urban Forestry carves out its niche at Southern

Established in 1992, Southern University’s Urban Forestry Program was one of the first degree granting programs in the United States and the only Urban Forestry program in the State of Louisiana. The program offers a Bachelor, Masters and Ph.d degrees in Urban Forestry. Dr. Abdollahi, Professor and Chairman of the program said, “The program currently has about 40 undergraduates students, 23 students in Masters degree program and 13 students in the Ph.D program”.
The Urban Forestry curricula prepares students to address important urban and community forestry issues such as urban forest management, forest health management, ecosystem analysis, ecophysiology, ecology, Arboriculture, soils, hydrology and Geographic Information Systems (GIS).
When asked about the career opportunities available to students once they have completed the program, Dr. Abdollahi, said, “Students can become scientists and as scientists they can work with federal entities, for example the USDA and/or Forest Service or students can work with universities and private industries that offer urban greening. Students who obtain a Bachelor degree take jobs at the state level with agencies such as Department of Natural Resources, Department of Environmental Quality and the Department of Agriculture and Forestry. There are also students who take jobs within the highest level of administration with the Department of Environmental Quality”.
Dr. Abdollahi said, “Undergraduate student assistantships are available to students interested in pursuing a degree in Urban Forestry. The program does not have a GPA requirement to obtain an assistantship. The assistantships are performance based”.
Any student interested in obtaining additional information about the program’s curricula, faculty and application package may visit the program’s website at www.urbanforestry.subr.edu. Interested students may also contact Dr. Abdollahi by phone at (225) 324-8206 or stop by room # 102 Fisher Hall for additional information on assistantships.