In May 1903, the governor of Pennsylvania established the Pennsylvania State Forest Academy in Mont Alto. It was one of the first forestry schools in the nation along with the Biltmore Forestry School and the Yale Forestry School. The School of Forest Resources was established in 1907 as the Department of Forestry at The Pennsylvania State College, four years after the start of the Pennsylvania State Forest Academy at Mont Alto. The Penn State program absorbed the State Forest Academy in 1929. A wood products undergraduate curriculum was added in 1941, and a wildlife and fisheries science curriculum was added in 1981. Over 100 years later, the Forest Academy, now Penn State Mont Alto, still educates America’s foresters as well as students in many other academic programs. In 2012, to more effectively address multi-faceted challenges and opportunities related to complex ecosystems, the School of Forest Resources blended the forest science, soil science, and wildlife and fisheries science disciplines to create the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management. The department offers a strong, interdisciplinary foundation in the science and management of natural resources and prepares students to apply sound science to real natural resource management problems.
Books
- Forestry Education in Pennsylvania by Henry Clepper
- A century of forest resources education at Penn State: serving our forests, waters, wildlife,and wood industries by Gerhold, Henry D.
- A history of the Pennsylvania State Forest School, 1903-1929 by Thomas, Elizabeth H.
Centennial Voices: the spirit of Mont Alto: a continuing story, 1903-2003
