CANADIAN EXPERIENCE WITH THE FIVE-YEAR UNDERGRADUATE FORESTRY CURRICULUM
Professional forestry training in Canada is in many ways similar to, yet in others differs sharply from, that in the United States. Points of similarity include the time and circumstances surrounding its origin, the background and training of staff members, the level of training desired, and the curricula and teaching methods that have been developed to provide that training. Canadian schools differ from those in the United States, however, by being small in number, by having relatively small enrolments, by producing a relatively uniform standard of graduate, and by adhering to a five-year undergraduate program, following junior matriculation or university entrance.Canadian schools evolved a five-year program in order to emphasize quality rather than quantity, to provide breadth as well as depth of training. Since the academic year in Canadian universities is relatively short, extending undergraduate training over five years was essential for the student to receive a thorough grounding in both professional forestry subjects and the natural sciences upon which forestry is based.