About the Department
The Department of Ecosystem Science and Management is Penn State’s home for the conservation and sustainable management of our natural resources.
We are united by our mission to solve conservation problems by conducting innovative research and training tomorrow’s natural resource leaders.
We believe an environment of diversity and respect is critical to achieve and sustain excellence in learning, teaching, and research.
We closely follow our industry and take the lead with new ideas. We boast state-of-the-art facilities and world-class faculty with years of working experience in their fields.
Student success drives the department. Our undergraduate majors offer hands-on science with real-world applications, excellent internship experiences, and robust scholarship opportunities. Our graduate programs offer master of science and doctor of philosophy degrees rooted in research through our core science and management disciplines.
Research is conducted in the science, technology, and management needed to sustain our natural resources. This critical work is facilitated through the core disciplines of forest health, ecosystem function and service, ecosystem management, and watershed resilience. Research includes the ecology of natural and agricultural ecosystems, wildlife and fisheries sciences, forest sciences, hydrological sciences and soil sciences. Our wide range of disciplines provides opportunities to tackle complex environmental problems in a wide array of ecosystems. It also allows for diverse training for students, citizens, and youth in advanced ecosystem management.
Meet our faculty, staff, and students, and learn more about our academic home. Welcome!
Latest News
May 18, 2022
Ethnobotanist gets grant to improve conservation of Pa. medicinal, edible plant
Eric Burkhart, associate teaching professor of ecosystem science and management, has received a $31,600 grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to study and compile wild plant use by foragers in the state.
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May 10, 2022
Future of deer management clouded by coming steep decline in hunter numbers
Because so many deer hunters are aging out of the sport — and new hunters are not being recruited to replace them — deer management strategies will need to change to manage populations of whitetails in many states, according to Penn State's Duane Diefenbach, one of the leading white-tailed deer researchers in the country.
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April 28, 2022
Center for Private Forests at Penn State renamed to honor founder Jim Finley
Penn State and its College of Agricultural Sciences have renamed the Center for Private Forests at Penn State in honor of its founder, the late James C. (Jim) Finley, an outstanding academic scholar and teacher whose pioneering work at the interface of people and forests reached hundreds of thousands of people.
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April 27, 2022
Student wins award, will present work on water and nutrient management solutions
Penn State student Dana Sanchez will advance her interest in environmental education when discussing water and nutrient management solutions for Pennsylvania farms impacting the Chesapeake Bay as a presenter at a national conference.
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Department of Ecosystem Science and Management
- Office 814-865-7541
- Fax 814-865-3725
