Imagine a career where you could spend your days outside? You can make this happen when you define your future in Forest Technology. This program takes a hands-on approach that prepares you for technical and mid-management positions in forestry production, wood processing, federal and state agencies, and manufacturing industries. Learn everything from GPS/GIS technology and data collection tools to botany and wildlife. And you’ll do it in our state-of-the-art Earth Science Center, experimental forest with 200 acres of timber, and fully equipped sawmill.
Forest Technology is accredited by the Society of American Foresters.
Your coursework will cover classes specific to your area of specialization along with foundational concepts and lessons that invite fresh perspectives.
4
Semesters
25
Courses
61
Credits
Fall 2026
6 courses 14 credits
67% program-specific courses
Spring 2026
7 courses 15 credits
71% program-specific courses
Fall 2027
5 courses 15 credits
80% program-specific courses
Spring 2027
7 courses 17 credits
71% program-specific courses
Please Note: The outlined curriculum assumes a fall semester start for students completing a full credit load schedule without additional developmental math requirements. Students beginning in the spring and summer, taking less than a full load, and/or requiring developmental coursework follow an altered curriculum sequence. Speak to your academic advisor or school office with questions.
8,000
Square-Foot Sawmill
200
Acres of Timber
Opportunity to Earn 4 Certifications
Get a glimpse of the Schneebeli Earth Science Center. As a student in the forest technology program, you’ll spend much of your time here. The ESC, just 20 minutes from campus, is located on over 400 acres of the “great outdoors.” Explore the trail system, a pond and a fully functioning mill.
Gain real-world experience at our Earth Science Center where you’ll work in three experimental forest sites, which are home to 785 acres of timber. And our 8,000-square-foot sawmill houses lots of industry equipment like a dehumidification dry kiln, dozer, John Deere 440C skidder, CAT D3 skidder dozer, John Deer 380 forklift, and a 2011 tandem International logging truck with Prentice loader.
Think Penn College might be a good fit for you? Make plans to visit and discover what hands-on learning is all about.
As a Forestry student at Penn College, you may be elgible for 132 scholarships.
Earth Science Center honors Arbor Day, Earth Day
April 24, 2026
In honor of Arbor Day – officially observed on April 24 – students in forestry and landscape/plant production majors planted trees at the Schneebeli Earth…
Federal appropriations act includes ESC upgrade
February 13, 2026
Funding to support enhancements to the forestry program’s facility at Penn College’s Schneebeli Earth Science Center is included in the federal government’s…
Penn College appoints new assistant dean
June 04, 2025
Pennsylvania College of Technology has named John A. Pecchia as its new assistant dean of diesel technology and natural resources. Pecchia comes to Penn College…
Controlled burn yields two benefits
May 08, 2025
There’s always something intriguing going on at Penn College’s campuses, and one calm-weather day in April unfolded a controlled burn for the benefit of forest…
Spring 2025 magazine features feats
March 05, 2025
Read the Spring 2025 edition of Penn College Magazine, featuring the feats of the Diesel Performance Club and its lightning quick “Accelerated Learning” Mack…
Industry newsletter plugs Penn College forestry roots
February 27, 2025
Two Pennsylvania College of Technology forest technology graduates and their new business are featured in “The Grain,” the monthly newsletter of the Keystone…
Penn College students pass pesticide certification exams
January 22, 2025
Fourteen Pennsylvania College of Technology students have passed various sections of the Pennsylvania Pesticide Applicator Certification exam. The students are…
Penn College students receive PLNA scholarships
December 09, 2024
Four Pennsylvania College of Technology students have been awarded scholarships totaling $4,500 from the Pennsylvania Landscape & Nursery Association…
Lost hikers? Emergency managers are all in
November 02, 2024
A call comes in from the Lycoming County Department of Public Safety’s 911 Center, reporting lost and injured hikers are in the woods on the property of…
October's recruitment harvest continues
October 20, 2024
The October harvest of internship and job opportunities continues for Pennsylvania College of Technology students. Through the end of the month, five…
Penn College's strong partnerships impact every step of your journey – from your first day in the classroom and labs, to career placement (oftentimes before graduation) and beyond.
The Society of American Foresters (SAF) has awarded Penn College’s Forest Technology program re-accreditation through 2031. Penn College is one of only two SAF-accredited Forest Technology programs in Pennsylvania, and one of only 24 nationally recognized SAF-accredited Forest Technology program in the United States.
Internships are key for career preparation. Apply your knowledge to the workplace and learn about the industry first-hand.
Organize and participate in social, leadership, and professional activities related to careers in forestry. Members plan and participate in college and community service projects, fundraising, and the Woodmen’s Competition.
Your college experience is about more than the classroom. Join one of 65+ clubs and organizations, or create your own.
See the world via Williamsport. Take your education abroad and get hands-on experience learning about your industry on a global scale.
Katalynn interned on a reservation, helping the Bureau of Indian Affairs-Rocky Mountain Region assess woodlands within a 445,000-acre reservation in Lame Deer, Montana.
"I was out in the wild all summer, interacting with trees and wildlife! There aren’t many majors that provide that – let alone the chance to have an internship in such raw country.”
Forestry students recently traveled to Bingaman & Son Lumber Inc. for an industry tour. Students learned about the process from beginning to end, starting with receiving green lumber from over 100 different sawmills to sorting, grading, stickering, kiln drying and secondary manufacturing, finishing with a tour of a facility that thermally modifies wood to be resistant to natural decay. The process, an emerging technology employed by only a handful of businesses in the U.S., allows Pennsylvania hardwoods to be used in high-performance outdoor applications for which they traditionally have not been selected.
Students must acquire their own tools and laptop computer as noted below.
See the Tool List for this major.
The educational program in Forest Technology leading to an Associate of Applied Science in Forest Technology is accredited by the Society of American Foresters.
This major is subject to the transfer standards established by the College (see http://www.pct.edu/catalog/TransferringCredits.htm ). Exceptions must be approved by the school dean.
Graduate Data from December 2014 through May 2019:
Alternative Credit refers to academic credits earned through means other than traditional college course completion, including: credit by exam, articulation, proof of competency gained in high school, work/life experience, and advanced placement.
Visit the Alternative Credit Options page for requirements and procedures and for information on credit through Advanced Placement.
Forest Technology Advisory Committee Members
Mr. Doug Beaulieu
Forester
Wagner Lumber, LLC.
Ms. Renee Carey
Executive Director
Northcentral Pennsylvania Conservancy
Mr. Gerald L Hoy
Forester
PA DCNR, Bureau of Forestry
Ms. Sarah E Johnson
Northern Area Forest Health Specialist
PA DCNR Bureau of Forestry
Mr. Jeffrey Liedtka
Vice President of Forestry Operations
King's Sawmill, Inc.
Mr. Brian A Rider
Executive Director
Pennsylvania Forest Products Association
Mr. Scott Shaffer
VP of Yard Operations
Bingaman & Son Lumber
Ms. Amy Shields
Executive Director
Allegheny Hardwood Utilization Group
Mr. Ray Wheeland
Owner
Wheeland Lumber Company, Inc.
Mr. Curtis Wolfhope
Sales Representative
Lewis Lumber Products, Inc.
Lecturer, Forestry
Instructor, Forestry
Landscape/Plant Production Technology
Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.)
On-Site Power Generation Technology
Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.)
Caterpillar Equipment Technology
Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.)
Heavy Equipment Technology
Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.)
Diesel Truck Technology
Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.)
Heavy Equipment Operator Technology
Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.)
Diesel Truck Maintenance Technician
Certificate