Forest, Rangeland and Fire Sciences

Courtney Conway’s 10-year study on the effects of ranching on sage grouse populations.

Department of Forest, Rangeland and Fire Sciences

Step into a legacy of excellence in forestry, forest products, rangeland and fire sciences. Our programs stand out for their quality and affordability, providing you with a comprehensive and valuable education. With accreditation from esteemed organizations like the Society of American Foresters, the Society for Range Management, the Association for Fire Ecology and the Society of Wood Science and Technology, your degree will be highly regarded. For 100 years, we’ve been shaping the leaders who drive progress in these critical fields.

Our students engage in hands-on studies, working directly with top faculty in amazing laboratories and outdoor classrooms. These spaces include the U of I Experimental Forest, the Pitkin Forest Nursery and Rock Creek Ranch, among others.

Choose from five bachelor's degree programs, three associate’s degree programs and two graduate programs. Students have the option to take advantage of abundant opportunities for research, working with faculty who are at the top of their fields.

Forest, Rangeland and Fire Sciences faculty

Our students gain hands-on research experience working alongside world-class faculty experts in the Department of Forest, Rangeland and Fire Sciences.

Department leadership

Charles Goebel

Professor of forest ecosystem restoration and ecology and department head of Forest, Rangeland and Fire Sciences

Kaella Dinius

Administrative specialist II

Department faculty

Kristina Bartowitz

Research assistant professor of ecosystem ecology

Ryer Becker

Assistant research professor, forest operations and products manufacturing extension specialist

Luigi Boschetti

Professor of remote sensing

Randall Brooks

Extension professor of forestry and extension forestry specialist

Mark Coleman

Professor of forestry

Meghan Foard

Senior ecology instructor

Paul Gessler

Professor of remote sensing and geospatial ecology

Heather Heward

Senior fire ecology and management instructor

Tara Hudiburg

Professor of ecosystem ecology

Jason W. Karl

Director of the U of I Rangeland Center, professor of rangeland ecology, and Harold F. and Ruth M. Heady Endowed Chair of Rangeland Ecology

Robert Keefe

Associate professor of forest operations and director of the University of Idaho Experimental Forest

Mark Kimsey

Associate professor of forest resources and director of the Intermountain Forestry Cooperative

Leda Kobziar

Professor of wildland fire science, director of Master of Natural Resources Program

Karen Launchbaugh

Professor of rangeland ecology

Armando McDonald

Distinguished professor of forest and sustainable products

Jessica Miesel

Associate professor of fire ecology

Andrew Nelson

Associate professor of forestry, director of Franklin H. Pitkin Forest Nursery, Tom A. Alberg and Judith Beck Endowed Chair of Native Plant Regeneration

Timothy E. Link

Professor of hydrology; director, Water Resources Graduate Program

Steven R. Shook

Professor of forest and sustainable products

Eric Winford

Research assistant professor of rangeland ecology and management, associate director of the Rangeland Center