Newsletter - Summer 2022

Letter from the Department Head

Dear friends,

Another academic year has come to an end. It has been an honor to serve another year as the department head for this great department, and it is my joy to share with you some of the exciting and impactful work our students, staff and faculty have completed over the year.

While these annual newsletters are always a great opportunity to reflect on the great work achieved across the Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences Department (NRES), I believe the 2021-22 year stands out and is particularly special. Namely, it represents perhaps one of the most uncertain, difficult and prolonged challenges we have faced in recent history due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  As you will see in the below highlights, our students -- with tremendous support from our faculty, staff, alumni and external partners -- were not only able to persevere through these challenges, in many cases, they were able to grow and thrive and continue the important work critical to society.

Program growth

NRES has experienced a record year in program growth! While enrollment in our department has generally increased year over year, this coming year has shattered existing records with more than 280 new students expected this fall, representing about a 30% increase over last year. The newly created forest and fire sciences major alone increased over 40% since last year, with around 70 new students expected this fall.

In general, this broad increase in enrollment across our majors reflects California’s growing need to manage carbon and biodiversity in forests and other working landscapes, manage water and protect water quality, increase sustainability of food production, and consider how our forest, farms and societies will adapt to a changing climate. To learn more about the different programs, visit the NRES Majors webpage.

Continue here to learn more about student success, faculty research and alumni connections.