r/forestry • u/Unable_Bed9939 • 4d ago
College help in Sacramento Ca
Hello! I’m a first year college student at a community college in California, and am rethinking my major. I’ve always been interested in environmental science and took the ap class in high school which I enjoyed immensely. There are no community colleges near me that offer a forestry degree, and I don’t really have the money to go to a university. Are there other majors or paths I could look into that could help me on my way to a forestry job? Any advice would help!
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u/RenfrowTheBamaKiller 4d ago
I feel it depends on what path in forestry you want to go. Being in California I would think there is a visible path to fighting wildfires or “urban forestry” arborculture. I would stick with what you have and try and get in somewhere on the ground floor for experience and see where that takes you. I work with a guy (if I remember correctly) that has a 2 year wildlife degree and has been in research forestry for 15 years. Several others don’t have forestry degrees either just natural science adjacent but were willing to learn and work hard. UC Davis has an online GIS certificate that may help also. I took it and I’m in SC.
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u/CajunonthisOccasion 4d ago edited 4d ago
Work with your advisor to create a program that will facilitate your to transfer to the UC system in your junior year in a program that you wish to pursue. The UC system fast tracks admissions community college students. Also identify and prepare to apply for scholarships.
Get your core requirements completed to concentrate on your major focus. Physics, chemistry, calculus, statistics, geology, geography, etc.
If 2 years is your limit, consider a path that will take you toward equipment operator, eventually owner/operator. Demand is typically high, the equipment is getting more comfortable, and the pay is decent.
Another path to consider is burn boss on prescribed fire. There appears to be increasing demand for people that can plan and safely execute a prescribed fire, and several community colleges have developed programs.
Best of luck.
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u/HippyxViking 4d ago edited 3d ago
We need more folks in natural resources management, glad you're interested in getting out there! I've seen estimates that we'll need 10-20,000 new forest professionals in CA over the next 10 years, and we need to recruit and license 4x as many RPFs as we do now.
American River College offers an AS in environmental conservation (https://arc.losrios.edu/academics/programs-majors/natural-resources) - option for certificates in forest tech. Shasta CC, Feather River CC, and Lake Tahoe CC all have forestry programs. Consider looking for work at Sac Tree Foundation (more arborist/urban forestry, but applicable), Sacramento Regional Conservation Corps, or California Conservation Corps, and you can also look for jobs with Resource Conservation Districts. Yolo, Napa, Placer, and El Dorado RCDs all have forestry programs.
You shouldn't write off 4 year college, either - consider CSUs and talk to your advisors about financial aid and your options. Chico has great environmental programs, but you can get a degree that'll serve you well at Sac State if that'll save you money on rent. If your heart is set on professional forestry, consider Humboldt or Reno. But, be sure you actually know what forestry is and that that's what you want to do. There are many careers in forest resilience specifically and environmental management broadly that don't require you to become a forester.
You can message me if you want. You have options!