The Texas A&M Forest Service offers scholarships for future foresters

More than $235,000 in scholarships are available for Texas A&M Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology students who are on track to become foresters.

Funds for this scholarship come from timber sales in the 630-acre John Henry Kirby State Forest, which was donated to the Texas A&M Forest Service in 1929.

This scholarship awards $4,000 annually to freshmen and transfer students in the department, including enrolled Texas A&M Forest Service employees and interns.

“We wanted to create scholarships specifically for those involved in forest resources as well as those who work and intern with the Texas A&M Forest Service,” said Al Davis, director of the Texas A&M Forest Service. “This is intended to encourage undergraduate students to work for the Texas A&M Forest Service and to further educate current employees on this topic.”

We help students succeed in forestry

Katy Gonder, Ph.D., head of the Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, said the scholarships, designed to support the education and training of the next generation of professionals enrolled in the department’s Forestry Resources Track, are an investment in the future of forestry in Texas.

“These scholarships provide essential financial support while introducing Texas A&M students to our state’s rich history of forest management,” Gonder said. “The Forestry Resources Track prepares students to enter the workforce as trained foresters by combining classroom instruction with hands-on experiences, field work and internships with an organization such as the Texas A&M Forest Service.”

There are 18 students enrolled in the Forestry Resource Track and Gonder expects that number to increase to 40 students in the next few years.

Scholarships are awarded competitively based on a Texas A&M University standardized evaluation system that considers factors such as high school academic achievement, leadership skills, community service, special talents, first-generation college status and academic success under difficult circumstances.

The first recipients of this scholarship are expected to be announced in Spring 2025 and awarded for the Fall 2025 semester. The scholarship is awarded to the scholarship holders in two steps at the beginning of each semester.

“The scholarships will mean a lot to the students in our forestry program,” said Jeffrey W. Savell, Ph.D., vice chancellor and dean of agriculture and life sciences. “It is a wonderful opportunity to support them in their academic journey and prepare them for success as they enter a field where graduates find great opportunities and fulfilling careers.”

More about the scholarship

Students not affiliated with the Texas A&M Forest Service must complete the scholarship application in their admission application.

Kirby State Forest was gifted to the Texas A&M Forest Service in 1929 by timber baron John Henry Kirby. Since then, Texas A&M Forest Service foresters have managed the forest, which is divided into 13 management stands.

As trees grow larger, they require more nutrients, sunlight and water, so the thinning process continues throughout the life of the tree stand. In most forests, thinning begins when the trees are 15 years old. Thinning continues to occur at intervals of seven to ten years.

“This scholarship exemplifies the value of the leadership we practice at the Texas A&M Forest Service,” Davis said. “It is always a full-circle moment when you see the fruits of 100 years of forestry practices in our national forests being invested in the natural resource pioneers of tomorrow.”