Linking the Urban Forestry Profession
with Higher Education
Hiring and recruitment links between employers of urban foresters and
universities are inconsistent and insufficient to create a sustainable
professional pipeline that can foster diverse career opportunities.
STRATEGIC ACTIONS
1. Facilitate a periodic national summit of urban forestry educators for
networking, curriculum dialogue, and professional development.
2. Facilitate mechanisms for ongoing alignment of urban
forestry and related curricula with agreed upon specialized
expertise that is widely recognized by employers.
3. Facilitate ongoing conversations between higher education and
employers to create diverse career pathways for new graduates and
facilitate inclusive student recruitment, mentoring, and placement.
4. Conduct facilitated systematic review of professional urban foresters to
develop multiple and more specific education needs, including consideration
of graduate programs (e.g., use a DACUM process or a gap analysis).
5. Creatively expand reach of urban forestry curricula beyond the
traditional stakeholders of natural resources and forestry programs.
6. Identify and address the structural roadblocks in the
job market that limit entry-level positions.
Increasing Student Recruitment and
Awareness of Urban Forestry
Students have low awareness of urban forestry as a career and
do not readily visualize a career path for the profession.
STRATEGIC ACTIONS
1. Develop and communicate to the public and potential
students consistent and recognized mechanisms of
professional preparation for a career in urban forestry.
2. Consistently communicate to university and high school students
the specialized expertise required for a career in urban forestry.
3. Develop extensive internship links and meaningful mentorship opportunities.
4. Create networks that reach broader audiences and new demographics,
well beyond traditional natural resources stakeholders and specifically
addressing urban institutions, underrepresented groups, and youth.
5. Expand awareness of the range of specializations within the
broader urban forest management profession so that students
can pursue diverse career paths into urban forestry.
The Urban Forestry 2020 project is supported by U.S. Forest Service,
Urban and Community Forestry, Virginia Tech, University of Maryland,
West Virginia University, and Virginia State.
www.uf2020.frec.vt.edu
