Forest Nursery Management and Technology (A.S.)
This degree engages in an experiential commercial forest nursery program with an emphasis on practices, technology and operations unique to the North American nursery industry. Students prepare to directly enter the workforce after two years of hands-on learning and training.
Students focus on propagation and production of trees, shrubs, and native plants using advanced technologies at the environmentally controlled modern greenhouses located at the University of Idaho’s Pitkin Forest Nursery in Moscow. The University of Idaho is one of only two universities nationwide that operate a forest nursery on a commercial scale (400,000+ seedlings a year.)
Students prepare with both business‐related coursework and applied practices, and with private enterprises and public nurseries, to gain the skills necessary to manage a commercial nursery.
Required course work includes:
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ASM 112 | Introduction to Agricultural Systems Management | 3 |
| CHEM 101 & 101L | Introduction to Chemistry and Introduction to Chemistry Laboratory | 4 |
| COMM 101 | Fundamentals of Oral Communication | 3 |
| ECON 201 | Principles of Macroeconomics | 3 |
| or ECON 202 | Principles of Microeconomics | |
| ENGL 101 | Writing and Rhetoric I | 3 |
| ENGL 102 | Writing and Rhetoric II | 3 |
| FOR 152 | Careers in Forest Nursery Management and Technology | 1 |
| FOR 153 | Forest Nurseries Tour | 1 |
| FOR 220 | Forest Biology & Dendrology | 3 |
| FOR 251 | Nursery Insects and Disease | 2 |
| FOR 255 | Nursery Irrigation and Fertilization | 1 |
| FOR 257 | Sustainable Nursery Design and Management | 3 |
| FOR 298 | Forest Technology Internship | 1 |
| LARC 288 | Plant Materials & Design 1 | 3 |
| MATH 123 | Math in Modern Society | 3 |
| or MATH 143 | College Algebra | |
| MKTG 321 | Marketing | 3 |
| PLSC 102 | The Science of Plants in Agriculture | 3 |
| PLSC 201 | Principles of Horticulture | 3 |
| PLSC 300 | Plant Propagation | 3 |
| SOIL 205 | The Soil Ecosystem | 3 |
| SOIL 206 | The Soil Ecosystem Lab | 1 |
| AGEC 333 | Introduction to Sales | 3 |
| or MKTG 422 | Sales Management | |
| Select 12 General Education credits of electives | 12 | |
| Total Hours | 68 | |
72 required credits for this degree.
After completing the Associate of Science in Forest Nursery Management and Technology, students will:
1) Be able to identify forest and rangeland plants and understand how they grow in relation to abiotic components such as light, moisture, and soil nutrients.
2) Be able to identify and manage important insects and diseases that impact forest nurseries.
3) Understand and apply basic horticultural concepts and technology to manage real-world problems and solutions related to sustainable forest nursery management.
4) Understand and apply basic business principles and marketing practices to sustainably manage forest nurseries.