VTC Forestry Program Offers Career Opportunities for Vermonters

By Robbo Holleran A new opportunity in forestry education is bringing young people into the forest products industry. Potential new hires are coming along, and if you know of potential students, they should check out Vermont Technical College in Randolph. VTC is well-known for its practical approach to teaching with a hands-on curriculum for career-ready education, with a wide range of majors from Agriculture to Veterinary Technology. Our new Associate in Applied Science degree in Forestry is earned through a practical approach to a broad range of knowledge and skills. The program offers hands-on learning, outdoor labs, industry exposure, and classroom learning. The campus includes two actively managed farm woodlots, a commercial sugarbush, and a small sawmill. Lab courses include exposure to further activities in the surrounding region. Students may choose to enter their career with an associate degree, but there are several options to continue to a bachelor’s degree or beyond. VTC offers a “Plus 2” in Diversified Agriculture or Business Technology and Management. Students can transfer directly to the University of Vermont as juniors to complete a Bachelor of Science in Forestry at the Rubenstein School. The Associate degree in Forestry prepares students for a range of careers in forest management or the forest products industry. Graduates can obtain a Vermont forestry license after completing four years of SAF-certified forester experience and passage of the SAF-certified forester exam. Or they can complete a four-year degree and add two years of experience. Students will have a wide range of skills needed to be successful entrepreneurs and forestry professionals in private practice, forest industry, or government service. We prepare students for careers in forest management, logging, and forest products.

Vermont is the Green Mountain State, with 78% forest cover. Prudent management of this resource is critical to our culture and the rural economy. The forest products industry contributes about $1.4 billion annually as family-wage jobs are dispersed throughout the state in a wide range of careers. Large and small businesses own, manage, or harvest these forestlands. Other businesses are making natural wood products from these raw materials. There are related opportunities in forest resource careers in the public, non-profit, and private sectors. VTC is at the heart of this activity. Molly Willard, a botanist, directs the working lands trainings and forestry program at Vermont Tech. She teaches Dendrology and Forest Ecology for the forestry degree program. She brings enthusiasm and a deep knowledge of botany and ecology to her teaching. Robbo Holleran is a successful forestry consultant with 40 years of experience and teaches the Timber Harvesting and Forest Management courses in the spring semesters. These are all-day classes with both classroom and fieldwork, along with field trips to active projects. We offer broad courses that integrate a wide range of subject matter and skills. New courses are being developed to further improve the program. You can look us up on the web at vtc.edu Robbo Holleran is a consulting forester from Chester. He teaches forestry at Vermont Technical College in Randolph.

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