Forest Engineering
Qualifications
Overview
Forest engineering is a hybrid of engineering, forestry, and management. It requires people who can combine skills to solve engineering problems in the natural environment, with a focus on balancing economic, societal, and environmental requirements.
Forest engineers construct and evaluate the operational systems that make the forest industry ‘work’. This can include:
- designing and building new roads
- developing or modifying forestry equipment
- planning harvest operations
- optimising transport logistics
- integrating new technologies
- supervising employees and contractors
- ensuring safety standards are maintained.
Forest engineers work with public and governmental agencies. They look after the environment, and may steer projects through the resource consent process. Forest engineering graduates know the forest environment and forest products and processes, and they provide the essential link between the forest and the final product.
- The Forest Engineering programme at UC is the only one of its kind in Australasia.
- Studying Forest Engineering includes courses and expertise taught through Te Kura Ngahere | School of Forestry and Te Tari Pūhanga Metarahi, Rawa Taiao | Department of Civil and Natural Resources Engineering.
- There is a real focus on 'hands-on' engineering practices, with many field trips to expose students to real-world engineering problems and opportunities.
UC offers Forest Engineering as a discipline within the Bachelor of Engineering with Honours.
There is also a Bachelor of Forestry Science specialising in Forestry at UC.
First year
The first year of the Bachelor of Engineering with Honours is made up of:
Six compulsory courses taken by all Engineering students:
- ENGR 100 Engineering Academic Skills
- ENGR 101 Foundations of Engineering
- EMTH 118 Engineering Mathematics 1A
- EMTH 119 Engineering Mathematics 1B
- COSC 131 Introduction to Programming for Engineers
- PHYS 101 Engineering Physics A: Mechanics, Waves, Electromagnetism and Thermal Physics
Plus courses specific to Forest Engineering:
In addition you must complete one other 100-level optional course. Check with Te Rāngai Pūkaha | College of Engineering Student Advisor for suggested options.
More information:
- To see how this qualification is structured, see the degree diagram on the Bachelor of Engineering with Honours page.
- For guidance on how to structure your first year, visit the Engineering First Year webpage.
2nd–4th years
Once you have completed the first year and successfully applied for entry into Forest Engineering, you will study that discipline within the next three years.
Second year
- FORE 199 Workshop Training Course
- ENGR 200 Engineering Work Experience
- EMTH 210 Engineering Mathematics 2
- ENCN 213 Design Studio 1
- ENCN 221 Engineering Materials
- ENCN 231 Solid Mechanics
- ENCN 253 Soil Mechanics
- ENFO 204 Forest Measurement
- FORE 205 Introduction to Forest Engineering
- FORE 215 Introduction to Forest Economics
Third year
- ENCN 305 Programming, Statistics and Optimization
- ENCN 353 Geotechnical Engineering
- ENCN 371 Project and Infrastructure Management
- ENFO 327 Wood Science
- FORE 316 Forest Management
- FORE 342 Geospatial Science in Forest Monitoring and Management
- ENNR 320 Integrated Catchment Analysis or ENCI 335 Structural Analysis and Systems 1
An external field camp also forms part of the third-year programme.
There is also an opportunity to go on an 8–12 months exchange to specialise in solid wood processing at either the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, or the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia, USA. No tuition fees beyond the usual UC fees are due.
Fourth year
- ENFO 499 Industry Field Programme
- ENFO 410 Forest Engineering Research
- FORE 422 Forest Harvest Planning
- FORE 423 Forest Transportation and Road Design
Plus four courses chosen from:
- ENCN 415 Pavement Engineering
- ENCN 452 Advanced Geotechnical Engineering
- ENGE 412 Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering
- ENGR 403 Fire Engineering
- ENNR 423 Sustainable Energy Systems
- FORE 426 Forest Products Marketing and International Trade
- FORE 435 Forest Economics 2
- FORE 443 Biosecurity Risk Management
- Any approved 400-level Engineering course
Forest engineers have a wide skillset that provides work opportunities both at home and abroad. Graduates can take up employment in the forest industry, but because of the multidisciplinary nature of forest engineering, job opportunities are also available in areas including general engineering consultancy, local and regional councils, government agencies, resource management, and research.
Careers in these organisations are challenging, creative, stimulating, and offer great scope for advancement.
Find out more about what you can do with a degree in Forest Engineering.
Contact us
Te Kura Ngahere | School of Forestry
Phone +64 3 369 3500
Email engdegreeadvice@canterbury.ac.nz
Location
Forestry building – see campus maps
Postal address
Te Rāngai Pūkaha | College of Engineering
Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury
Private Bag 4800
Christchurch 8140
New Zealand
Browse related subjects to Forest Engineering
Choose an area that you are interested in and learn how UC's extensive range of study options can let you study what you want to.
Natural Resources Engineering
Natural resources engineers protect, improve, and maintain the sustainability of the natural resources we depend on. These resources include land, soils, water, ...
Physics
What type of student might consider a Physics degree? As a child, famous UC alumnus Ernest Rutherford was intrigued by seeing a stick apparently bend when ...