Membership

SAF Educational Qualifications: Professional and Student Members

Professional Members: All individuals who have earned an associate’s or higher degree* in forestry or a related field are eligible for SAF professional membership. Professional members of SAF pay dues at one of four membership levels: Premium, Full, Transitional, or Retired. Click here to learn more about the benefits of SAF professional membership.

Students Members: All full-time students pursuing an associate’s or higher degree* in forestry or a related field are eligible for SAF student membership. Click here to learn more about the benefits of SAF student membership.

*All associate's, bachelor's, master's, and doctorate degrees with applications in the field of forestry (including urban forestry, forest technology, or natural resources management) meet SAF educational requirements. SAF does not make distinctions in membership dues levels, categories, or sub-types based on degree type.

Below are SAF's definitions of "forestry" and "natural resources management."

Forestry

SAF defines the word Forestry as the science, art, and business of creating, managing, and conserving forests and associated resources in a sustainable manner to meet desired goals, needs, and values.

Natural Resources Management

SAF defines Natural Resources Management as being within the broad field of forestry. The broad field of forestry consists of those biological, quantitative, managerial, and social sciences that are applied to forest management and conservation; it includes specialized fields such as agroforestry, urban forestry, industrial forestry, and international forestry.

The SAF definitions for "forestry" and the "board field of forestry" were adopted in 1998, per the publication Dictionary of Forestry.