B.Sc. Forestry is the undergraduate forestry program of the Faculty of Forestry (FOF), Agriculture and Forestry University (AFU), Hetauda, Makawanpur. The faculty began the program in 2013. Its B.Sc. Forestry curriculum is organized across eight semesters and combines biological and social sciences with silviculture, forest management, wildlife, soil and watershed studies, forest products, surveying, remote sensing, natural resource management, environmental studies, and field training. Practical components are built into many individual courses, while dedicated field-training courses take students into forestry, conservation, community forestry, and natural resource management settings.
| Area | Details |
|---|---|
| Course | B.Sc. Forestry |
| Level | Bachelor's degree |
| University | Agriculture and Forestry University (AFU) |
| Faculty | Faculty of Forestry (FOF) |
| Location | Hetauda, Makawanpur, Nepal |
| Academic program started | 2013 |
| Academic structure | 8 semesters |
| Field component | Practical courses and dedicated field training |
| Practical forest resource | 95 ha forest |
The Faculty of Forestry also has eight academic departments covering basic science, ecology and environmental science, forest products, forest survey and engineering, natural resource management, silviculture and forest biology, soil and watershed management, and wildlife.
The B.Sc. Forestry curriculum begins with scientific, social, communication, legal, and introductory forestry subjects before moving into increasingly technical areas of forest science and natural resource management.
The first semester includes:
Principles of Cytology, Genetics and Plant Breeding
Communicational and Technical English
Elementary Economics
Social Science for Forestry
Forest Law and Policy
Principle and Practice of Office Management
Principles and Practices of Silviculture
Wildlife Biology
This combination gives students an early base in plant science, communication, economics, social dimensions of forestry, forestry law, administration, silviculture, and wildlife.
The second semester moves further into technical forestry through subjects including:
Wood Anatomy
Forest Surveying
Tree Physiology
Wildlife and Ecotourism Management
Dendrology
Forest Extension
Introductory Soil Science
Several of these courses contain both theory and practical components. Forest Surveying, for example, covers chain and compass surveying, plane-table surveying, contouring, and GPS survey, with field exercises in measurement, mapping, compass work, and GPS use.
As students progress through the program, the curriculum covers a broad set of forestry subjects. Major areas include:
Silviculture and forest regeneration
Forest ecology and forest management
Forest mensuration and inventory
Wood anatomy, forest products, and wood technology
Wildlife biology and wildlife management
Soil science and watershed management
Forest surveying and GPS
Remote sensing and aerial photo interpretation
GIS and spatial analysis
Community forestry and governance
Natural resource economics
Forest extension and communication
Medicinal and aromatic plants
Range management
Environmental change
Statistics and computer applications
Entrepreneurship and forest enterprise planning
Remote Sensing and Photo Interpretation, for example, addresses aerial photography, photogrammetry, image interpretation, remote-sensing sensors, satellite imagery, land-use mapping, and applications in natural resource management.
The later part of the program also includes subjects such as Entrepreneurship Development and Communication Skill, which addresses enterprise opportunities, small and medium-sized forest enterprises, market assessment, business planning, and communication.
Practical work is not confined to a single part of the program. Many courses combine theory with laboratory, field, survey, mapping, observation, or project exercises.
Dedicated field-training courses add longer periods of field exposure.
FT 201 carries 2 practical credit hours. The training is planned for about seven days and connects students with forestry programs and development activities. Its scope includes:
Field forestry practices
Forest industries
Wildlife activities
Soil conservation activities
Field reporting and assigned tasks
FT 301 also carries 2 practical credit hours and may run for up to seven days. It covers field practices related to:
Forestry operations
National park management
Watershed management
Field-based reporting
FT 401 carries 3 practical credit hours and may run for up to ten days. It is centered on community-based forest management. Students work in groups and prepare a community forest management plan or a business plan for products from community forests.
These field courses give the program a structured progression from observing forestry operations to applying management, planning, and community-based forestry work.
The curriculum contains practical tasks that require students to work with forestry measurements, biological materials, maps, communities, data, and management problems.
Examples include:
Timber and wood identification
Tree and forest measurement
Compass, plane-table, and GPS surveying
Soil sampling and soil-property analysis
Wildlife field observation
Community forest assessment
Statistical analysis using computer software
Remote-sensing interpretation
GIS-based mapping
Watershed assessment
Business-plan preparation
Environmental assessment case studies
The eighth-semester course Global Environmental Change also includes practical study connected with environmental assessment, including Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) processes in the Nepalese context.
At the Faculty of Forestry in Hetauda, students have access to a 95 ha forest that supports field-based academic work. Course-related case studies and field visits are also part of the faculty's teaching approach.
This setting is relevant to subjects that depend on direct observation and measurement, including silviculture, dendrology, surveying, forest inventory, ecology, wildlife, soil and watershed studies, and forest management.
B.Sc. Forestry is an accepted academic background for M.Sc. Forestry at the Faculty of Forestry, AFU. The postgraduate program accepts applicants with B.Sc. Forestry or an equivalent degree who meet its stated academic requirements.
The faculty also conducts postgraduate study in forestry-related fields and PhD study in Forestry.
Institution: Faculty of Forestry (FOF), Agriculture and Forestry University (AFU)
Location: Hetauda, Makwanpur, Nepal
Phone: +977-57-524154, +977-57-527354
Email: deanforestry@afu.edu.np
Website: www.afu.edu.np/forestry
The curriculum is organized across eight semesters and combines theoretical courses, practical classes, laboratory and field exercises, and dedicated field-training courses.
The program covers silviculture, wildlife, forest ecology, forest management, forest products, surveying, soil and watershed management, community forestry, remote sensing, GIS, natural resource economics, statistics, environmental studies, and related subjects.
Yes. The curriculum contains dedicated Field Training courses, including FT 201, FT 301, and FT 401, alongside practical work within individual subjects.
FT 401 focuses on community-based forest management. Students work in groups and prepare a community forest management plan or a business plan related to community forest products.
Yes. Forest Surveying covers field measurement, compass surveying, plane-table surveying, contouring, and GPS. The curriculum also includes remote sensing, aerial photo interpretation, and GIS-related work.
Yes. Global Environmental Change includes practical work related to Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) processes in the Nepalese context.
