About the Department
Our vision is to forge a sustainable future where ecosystems and people thrive.
Our mission is to create a bright future for humanity by keeping forests healthy, waterways clean, soils fertile, and native wildlife and fish abundant.
Our diverse and inclusive community fosters new discoveries, pioneers cutting-edge science, prepares students for meaningful careers, inspires the next generation of leaders, and builds partnerships to devise innovative management solutions to the greatest environmental challenges of our time.
We proudly serve with our communities locally to globally to better steward Earth's ecosystems.
We accomplish our mission through Teaching, Research, and Extension.
Our teaching provides undergraduate students hands-on experience with real-world applications, excellent internship experiences, and robust scholarship opportunities. Our graduate education offers master of science and doctor of philosophy degrees rooted in research through our core science and management disciplines.
Research programs focus on generating the new knowledge needed to restore, conserve, and better manage ecosystems to be more sustainable. Research includes all areas of natural and agricultural ecosystems, wildlife and fisheries sciences, forest sciences, hydrological sciences, and soil sciences.
Extension programs led by the Department help people make informed decisions that improve their own well-being and ensure clean water, viable populations of native wildlife, recreational opportunities, attractive communities, and the sustainable production of wood and paper products.
Meet our faculty, staff, and students, and learn more about our academic home. Welcome!
Latest News
September 21, 2023
College of Ag Sciences student interns at the U.S. State Department
Ava Klink, a senior majoring in environmental resource management in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, admits that getting a coveted internship with the U.S. State Department in Washington, D.C., is unusual for someone with her educational background.
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September 14, 2023
Penn State-led team to study climate-threatened Colombian Paramos’ soil microbes
Some scientists believe the Paramos, a grassland ecosystem found in the northern Andes Mountains of South America, are “the world’s fastest evolving and coolest biodiversity hotspot,” according to Estelle Couradeau, assistant professor of soils and environmental microbiology in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences. This ecosystem — which is the prime headwater for lower tropical ecosystems and downstream urban centers in the Andean and the Orinoco-Amazon regions — is in jeopardy, she explained. Couradeau will lead a National Science Foundation-funded international team conducting research on how climate change will affect soil microbes in the ecologically fragile and important Paramos ecosystem in Colombia’s Andes Mountains.
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September 7, 2023
Course at Penn State gives students hands-on wildland fire management training
This spring, five students in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences traveled to North Carolina and Florida to learn about wildland fire management and fire ecology techniques.
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September 7, 2023
One Health Microbiome Center honors creativity and mentoring with award series
The One Health Microbiome Center (OHMC) in the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences at Penn State has named eight recipients for its 2023-24 Inaugural Award Series, which reflects on a profound year of impacts and achievements and recognizes the talents of the OHMC community.
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Upcoming Events

Fall 2023 Invited Speaker Series: Dr. Bryan Black
October 19, 2023
217 Forest Resources Building

Fall 2023 Invited Speaker Series Dr. Malak Tfaily
November 16, 2023
217 Forest Resources Building

Fall 2023 Invited Speaker Series Bharat Sharma Acharya
December 7, 2023
217 Forest Resources Building
Department of Ecosystem Science and Management
- Office 814-865-7541
- Fax 814-865-3725