Auburn University Prepares Forestry Students Through Study Abroad Programs

According to a recent report conducted by the Pew Research Center on a typical day only 50% of Americans get their news from a paper source as opposed to the 61% who receive their news from online sources.
The trend to go digital has had numerous effects on the paper industry in the southeastern united states. In order to combat with the increasingly paperless world, the paper industry has had to reassess and reorganize its current practices.

Because forestry is Alabama’s number one industry generating more than $13 billion in revenue each year the decreased need for paper will have a large effect on the state.

The School of Forestry and Wildlife Studies at Auburn University has acknowledged this changing marketplace through their International Forestry Practicum.

This past summer students in the forestry program were able to travel to Porto Alegre, Brazil for two weeks. During the two week trip, the students were able to learn about the paper marking in Brazil.

“It was a great experience,” said Patrick Jernigan a senior in the Forestry Program at Auburn University. “It was great to see the international paper industry first hand. This trip gave me a greater perspective on different forestry practices around the world.”

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Because of the abundance of trees that are ideal for making paper and the low cost of paper production the paper production industry has led to the rise of Brazil as a paper producing nation.

In 2006 Auburn University was ranked seventh on a list of schools contributing to forestry research by the Journal of Forestry.

The School of Forestry and Wildlife Studies works closely with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System. This program is in place to provide Alabamians with the information they need to make natural resource related decisions. The Alabama Cooperative Extension System is part of Auburn University’s commitment to educating the people of Alabama as a land-grant university.

The International Forestry Practicum is one of four international programs offered through the School of Forestry and Wildlife Studies. The four different programs bring students to various different regions which include South and Central America, Southeast Asia, Australia, Southern Africa and Eastern Europe.

As paper consumption decreases, the students in the Auburn University School of Forestry and Wildlife Studies will be able to compete in the global industry because of programs like the International Forestry Practicum.