Welcome to the School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science,
Michigan Technological University, and the Keweenaw Peninsula.

We are located in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, an area attractive to students and faculty who thrive in a rugged and beautiful environment. The School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science is one of the most productive forest research programs in the country.  We currently enroll 180 undergraduate students and 75 graduate students.

A USDA Forest Service ecosystems lab is co-located with the School and offers additional opportunities for collaboration and access to facilities, including a rhizotron.

The Forest Service lab and Michigan Tech work cooperatively as part of the Northern Institute of Applied Carbon Science.
 
School faculty are important contributors to five of the many university research centers:
The Ecosystem Science Center
The Biotech Research Center
The Sustainable Futures Institute    
Center for Water and Society
Earth, Planetary and Space Sciences Institute

The School has a 93.000-square-foot teaching and research facility, and has state-of-the-art laboratory equipment that includes advanced capabilities in molecular biology and a wetlands laboratory.  The School owns a mass spectrometer for isotope analysis (18O and 13C) and will soon add a water extraction line.  The School owns and manages the 4,500 acre Ford Forest, located 45 miles south of the main campus.  The forest and associated Ford Forestry Center are used for research, teaching, and educational outreach.

Wetlands are extensive throughout Michigan's Upper Peninsula and will offer the successful candidate a substantial collection of local field sites. Wetlands in the Keweenaw range from riverine fringe wetlands to boreal peatlands to swamp forests to graminoid marshes.  Both the geology of the area and low anthropogenic development mean that the Upper Peninsula has an abundance of wetlands unmatched in many parts of the United States. 11% of the western Upper Peninsula is wetlands and 20% of the eastern Upper Peninsula is wetlands. The diversity and pristine nature of wetlands in the Upper Peninsula provides many opportunities for exciting research.

The School is known internationally for its research and recently was ranked first among forestry universities in number of citations per faculty member (as ranked by the Journal of Forestry) and first in Ph.D. Forestry Programs (as ranked by Academic Analytics). Conservation Biology

Quality teaching at both the undergraduate and graduate levels is central to the mission of the School and University.  The school offers incoming students work study stipends to help them meet and work with faculty.  In addition to a rigorous set of courses in three undergraduate majors students can elect to study abroad, participate in the national student exchange, and participate in research programs.  Our undergraduates have received national and regional honors and have published in peer-reviewed journals.  The typical teaching load for faculty is one required course, in this case Wetland Ecology, and two additional courses in the faculty member's area of expertise.  At least one of the courses should be at the graduate level.

We have high quality students who are enthusiastic about wetlands.  Student recently organized a student chapter of the Wetlands Society, only the second such chapter in the United States.  Here's what several students have to say about wetlands:


Bull moose in a marsh wetland on Isle Royale National Park.

The Isle Royale Institute is located within the school and works on education, research and outreach.  The School has a long standing relationship with Isle Royale National Park and has worked with the park on research and management issues.





Location is everything.

The Keweenaw Peninsula is an area with a wide range of outdoor recreation, Lake Superior surrounds us, providing opportunities for wind surfing, kayaking, and sailing  ...



Along the Superior shore.



The Montreal River as it empties into Lake Superior.


Michigan Tech owns Mt. Ripley



and the Michigan Tech Trails.  While the trails have been the site of both the senior and junior national cross-country ski championships, there is plenty of high-quality recreational activity at the trails from hiking to biking to bird watching.

   

Family skiing at Tech Trails.



Moutain biking at Tech Trails.

Both Swedetown and Maasto Hiihto/Churning Rapids are cross-country ski areas in the winter and have extensive mountain bike systems in the summer (and a few days each year you can both bike and ski!)

   

Swedetown and Maasto Hiihto / Churning Rapids

The North Country Trail is just south of Houghton with much of the trail in the Ottawa National Forest. Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park is approximately one hour away and Pictured Rocks National Lake Shore is three hours away in Alger County.



North Country Trail near Norwich Mine with the Porcupine Mts in the background.



The Red Trail at Lake Manganese.

While rural and remote, Michigan Tech and the local area provide the wide range of cultural events you would expect in a university setting.  The University operates the Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts.   The historic Calumet Theater brings in a wide range of entertainment.  During the summer, the Pine Mountain Music Festival comes to the Keweenaw Peninsula.  The region has a strong arts community and several festivals occur throughout the year.  In February, Houghton hosts winter carnival.  Winter Carnival is an official university recess with many events.  Large ice sculptures are constructed throughout the town.



The Phi Kappa Tau ice sculpture.


The local school systems are small and personal.

Adams Township Schools
Calumet-Laurium-Keweenaw Schools
Chassell Schools
Copper Country Christian School
Dollar Bay - Tamarack City Schools
Hancock Schools
Houghton-Portage Schools
Lake Linden Schools (with a beautiful school forest)


Lake Linden students at the school forest.  160 acres of the Lake Linden School Forest  was donated by Gene Hesterberg, former dean of the School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science.

Housing is affordable and the cost of living is lower than in the average college town.

Real Estate (We are not endorsing any of these real estate agents, just providing links to some agencies in the local area.).

Allan's Realty
Century 21 North Country Agency
Fraki's Real Estate Company
Gateway Real Estate
North Wind Real Estate
Re/Max Douglass Real Estate
Statewide Real Estate of Houghton

 
Winter also provides plenty of opportunity to strengthen the cardio-vascular system.

   

   ...... and this is just the beginning of all the Keweenaw Peninsula has to offer.  You can find more at the City of Houghton's page or the Keweenaw Peninsula Chamber of Commerce page.