SAF Membership Categories & Dues
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Applicants must apply for the highest member category for which they are qualified. Membership dues are given in US dollars.
- Professional Member—$133
- To be a Professional Member, you must meet one of the following criteria:
- be a graduate of an SAF-accredited forestry curriculum or of a candidate curriculum for accreditation; OR
- be a recipient of a graduate degree in forestry from an institution that has an SAF-accredited forestry curriculum or one that is a candidate for accreditation; OR
- be a scientist or practitioner who holds a bachelor’s or higher degree within the "broad field of forestry,"* based on a curriculum that is neither SAF-accredited nor a candidate for accreditation, and who has three or more years of "qualifying experience"** within the "broad field of forestry."* Professional Members may hold any office and vote on any questions before the Society.
- be a graduate of an SAF-accredited forestry curriculum or of a candidate curriculum for accreditation; OR
- Conditional Professional Member—$133
- To be a Conditional Professional Member, you must be a scientist or practitioner who holds a bachelor’s or higher degree within the broad field of forestry, based on a curriculum that is neither SAF-accredited nor a candidate for accreditation, and who has less than three years of qualifying experience within the broad field of forestry. Conditional Professional Members may hold office and vote at the Chapter, Division, and State Society levels until meeting the requirements of Professional Member, and may serve, with voting and office-holding privileges, on working groups and the House of Society Delegates.
- Associate Member—$133
- To be an Associate Member, you must be a scientist or practitioner who holds a bachelor’s or higher degree in a subject area not within the broad field of forestry but who works in a position that strongly influences the profession of forestry (excluding elected officials). Associate Members may hold office and vote at the Chapter, Division, and State Society levels, and may serve, with voting and office-holding privileges, on working groups and the House of Society Delegates.
- Technician Member—$133
- To be a Technician Member, you must be a graduate of an associate degree program within the broad field of forestry. Technician Members may hold office and vote at the Chapter, Division, and State Society levels, and may serve, with voting and office-holding privileges, on working groups and the House of Society Delegates.
- Student Member—$35
- To be a Student Member, you must be an undergraduate or graduate student in forestry, preforestry, or a forest technician program, or in another program within the broad field of forestry. Student Members who are members of a student chapter may vote on any question before their Student Chapter.
- International Member—$133
- To be an International Member, you must be a graduate of a forestry program or program within the broad field of forestry and not a citizen or permanent resident of the United States, its possessions, Canada, or Mexico. International Members may attend any meeting of the Society and take part in the discussions, but shall have no vote.
- Reinstatement Procedures
- If you were ever a member of SAF, you are eligible to rejoin at the category of membership previously held, provided you still meet the requirements. To do so, check "Reinstating Member" on the front of the application and complete the information. You do not need the endorsement of a voting member and there is no admission fee to reinstate. Your membership dues will be at the current rate, based on the length of your past membership. To view current rates click here.
NOTE:
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, nonindustrial forestry, and wilderness and recreation forestry.
“Qualifying experience” occurs when one spends at least one-half of one’s employment duties within the broad field of forestry.
Dues and Fees
Once your application is approved, your membership will be effective on receipt of your National SAF dues payment. Dues will be prorated for the amount remaining in the current year. Any overpayment accompanying your application will be credited to your account.
- National Dues
- The annual dues noted above apply ONLY to new members. The Society uses a sliding dues schedule; your annual dues will increase with length of membership. You will receive an annual renewal notice in the fall of each year.
Dues Info - State Society, State Division, or Chapter Dues
- State Society, State Division, or Chapter involvement is encouraged but optional. Dues vary from $1 to $25. These dues are not applicable to Student Members or International Members. You will be notified of these dues.
- Additional Contributions
- Members who wish to make a contribution to SAF above their annual membership dues will be recognized in The Forestry Source newspaper. These members are acknowledged as Sustaining Members.
Contributions made to SAF are tax-deductible.
