Past and Present

Welcome to FNR Past and Present

The Department of Forestry and Natural Resources has trained professional foresters for the last 100+ years. These graduates, whether their careers were in forestry or some other field, have made major contributions to the economy and society of Indiana, the United States, and the World. More recently we’ve trained professional wildlife and fisheries scientists who’ve made equally significant contributions. We’ve also made major contributions through forestry, wildlife and fisheries research. Since the start of our program in 1905 with only two courses, we have added an extension program, numerous courses that form our three majors which include Aquatic Sciences, Forestry and Wildlife, along with minors in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, Forest Ecosystems, Furniture Design, Urban Forestry, Wildlife and Wood Products. Students continue to receive the opportunity to utilize new technologies in studies and research.

Our intent is to use this website for our alumni and friends to directly participant in the past and future of the Purdue Forestry and Natural Resources Department without time limits. We are very fortunate to have a departmental yearbook, the Purdue Log, to help bring back memories. These are still being scanned and posted to this website. Many of you will be interested in the History of Summer Camp. This page will have links to the Purdue Log summer camp stories. If you are a Lost Lake alumnus you will want to keep up-to-date on the Reunion at Lost Lake for future years. The Camp was completely remodeled in 2012, actually rebuilt. The History of the Department is an ongoing project.

Tell us your story: We’d like to know what’s been up in your life since graduation. Equally important we’d like your memories of your time with us, especially at summer camp. You can communicate with us by Facebook or by e-mail to fnrweb@purdue.edu​. If you do a Facebook posting we’ll assume it’s OK to post your stories on this website. If you communicate by e-mail please let us know if you don’t want your story posted.

  • Tell us what you've been up to since graduation.
  • Message us on Facebook about your story (we will assume you approve posting it to the website).
  • Email us at wendymayer@purdue.edu and let us know if you approve of it being posted.

What's Trending for FNR

Seedlings on Week 1 of Kadian's internship; seedlings on Week 9 of her internship; Kadian with a frog found in the greenhouse. Frogs are beneficial in the greenhouse because they eat fungus gnats, which can damage roots of seedlings.
FNR Field Report: Kadian Brown

Kadian Brown, a senior forestry major with a forest management concentration, worked as a forest...

Read More
Andrew Tucker takes a break in front of a tree with Don Carlson and Zane Smoldt
FNR Field Report: Andrew Tucker

Andrew Tucker, a junior forestry major with a concentration in sustainable biomaterials and a...

Read More
Mikaela Agresta spraying invasive species with a UTV sprayer.
FNR Field Report: Mikaela Agresta

Mikaela Agresta, who completed her degree in forestry with a minor in wildlife science in May...

Read More
The 2023 FNR Awards recipients: Dave Case, Trent Osmon, Adam Janke, Emily McCallen and John “Jack” Seifert.
FNR Honors 2023 Career Award Recipients

The Purdue Department of Forestry and Natural Resources honored five individuals for their career...

Read More
Zane Smoldt plants a tree during urban forestry practicum in June 2023
FNR Field Report: Zane Smoldt

Zane Smoldt, a junior forestry major with a concentration in forest management, worked as a...

Read More
A view of Clingmans Dome in North Carolina
FNR Field Report: Lucas Wilson

Lucas Wilson, a senior wildlife major from Batesville, Indiana, worked as a breeding bird atlas...

Read More