Applications open for Foresters for the Future scholarship

LITTLE ROCK — Applications for the Foresters for the Future scholarship are now being accepted, according to a news release from the Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Forestry Division and the University of Arkansas at Monticello.

The scholarship will provide $4,000 per semester, for four years, to an incoming freshman pursuing a forestry degree at UAM’S College of Forestry, Agriculture, and Natural Resources, it said.

Applications will be accepted through June 15. Students interested in the scholarship can find more information on the UAM website at uamont.edu/academics/ Cfanr/forestersforthefuture.html.

“Arkansas has nearly 19 million acres of forests with over 12 billion trees,” State Forester Joe Fox said in the release. “This scholarship is a wonderful opportunity for a future forester to obtain a quality education and move into a dynamic and rewarding career field.”

The scholarship program was established by Act 399 of the 2021 Regular Session of the Arkansas General Assembly. UAM and the Forestry Division hope the scholarship will entice students to pursue forestry as a career.

“The forestry industry is a pillar of Arkansas’s economy that impacts every area of our state,” Peggy Doss, UAM chancellor, said in the release. “The Foresters for the Future Scholarship will support our efforts to attract and to retain a diverse group of future foresters and to prepare them for a career path that offers extensive job opportunities in the wood products industry.”

“This scholarship is a tremendous opportunity for our students,” Michael Blazier, dean of the UAM College of Forestry, Agriculture, and Natural Resources and director of the Arkansas Forest Resources Center, said in the release. “Not only does it provide substantial financial aid to help them study for a career in forestry, they get a wide range of internship options for on-the-job learning with the Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Forestry Division.”

The Arkansas Department of Agriculture is “dedicated to the development and implementation of policies and programs for Arkansas agriculture, forestry, and natural resources to keep its farmers and ranchers competitive in national and international markets while conserving natural resources and ensuring safe food, fiber, and forest products for the citizens of the state and nation,” the release said.

The College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources, and the Arkansas Forest Resources Center, a University of Arkansas System Center of Excellence, “brings together interdisciplinary expertise through a partnership between the University of Arkansas at Monticello and the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. The College and Center are headquartered at the University of Arkansas at Monticello campus, but their programs range statewide with the mission of developing and delivering teaching, research, and extension programs that enhance and ensure the sustainability and productivity of forest-based natural resources and agricultural systems. Academic programs are delivered by the College of Forestry, Agriculture, and Natural Resources through the University of Arkansas at Monticello. Through the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, research is administered by the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, and extension and outreach activities are coordinated by the Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service,” it said.