The department maintains strong disciplinary research programs in forestry, fisheries, and wildlife, with an emphasis on applied ecology. Additional expertise exists in molecular biology, including genetics physiology and tissue culture, ecology of natural systems, fisheries and aquatic sciences, forest biology, forest measurement and assessment/GIS, natural resource social science, quantitative ecology, wildlife sciences, wood products and wood products manufacturing. The Department of Forestry and Natural Resources Strategic Plan​ shares our vision and mission as we partner with federal, state and organizations to develop and disseminate knowledge in the natural resource sciences.

We have close ties with the USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station via the Hardwood Tree Improvement and Regeneration Center (HTIRC), a collaborative regional research, development and technology transfer effort among industry, university, private, state, and federal entities. USDA Forest Service scientists stationed here hold adjunct faculty status with the department.

On the West Lafayette campus, our administrative offices and Forestry faculty are housed in Pfendler Hall, the Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, Wildlife, and Natural Resource Social Sciences faculty are in the Forestry Building, and the Wood Products Manufacturing Technology faculty are on the first floor of the Wood Products Building. We have additional laboratories, classrooms, and offices in off-campus locations, as well as 4,173 acres of forest land distributed among 25 properties around the State of Indiana.