Forestry's future seen to be trees, trees, trees

By Keith Gerein,

The Edmonton Journal

May 25, 2009

U of A school to reverse falling enrollments

Ever since he was a small child, Kirk Hawthorn has loved the outdoors.
Kayaking, hiking, fishing and camping have been his passions for as long as he can remember.

So when it came time to choose a university major, the Lac La Biche resident knew he wanted to study a science that could help safeguard his wilderness playground.

After a few years of searching, Hawthorn finally found his calling in forestry -- a field that indulges his academic talents while allowing him to work outside a typical laboratory.

It's a career he believes should have great appeal to today's environmentally conscious generation of students. Enrolment numbers tell a different story. Across the country, post-secondary institutions are struggling more than ever to attract young people into forestry programs.

At the start of this decade, the eight Canadian universities involved in forestry had a combined enrolment of 2,608 undergraduates. By 2007-08, the total had declined to 1,539 -- a drop of more than 40 per cent.

The University of Alberta has been no exception, with enrolment plunging from 541 to 352 over the same time period.

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Forestry's future seen to be trees, trees, trees

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