Program details
The Forestry Management Internship program will set you on the path to a career in multiple resource forest management.
By learning the basics of plant growth, forest ecology and the principles and practices of sustainable forest management, you will become qualified for a job with a tribal, state or federal forest resource management agency.
TREES can support tribal members registered in any accredited 2-year or 4-year forestry program in the nation.
Here’s what we can help with:
Paying for school
Our program provides $5,000 in tuition assistance per year to interns demonstrating progress in their work and education. SKC TREES also administers the delivery of tuition assistance to Forestry and Fire interns working under the BIA Pathways Program.
Gaining experience
SKC TREES works to find suitable placements that match interns, their interests and their needs with the demands of tribal managers across Indian Country. Our tribal exchange program helps match student interns to forestry operations with tribes and Indian nations.
Paying for housing
For Interns that require travel and lodging to complete their summer working internships the TREES program will assist where possible. During the 2020 summer season, SKC TREES extended $1,200 in housing support to interns in order to keep them working during the pandemic.
Paying for travel
For Interns that require travel and lodging to complete their summer working internships the TREES program will assist where possible.
Providing field trips
About once a year, SKC TREES offers field trips to further immerse students in the field of forestry. Lasting about 4 to 5 days, these trips consist of visiting Forest lands managed by BIA and Tribal managers. These field trips give you the chance to interact with working foresters and fire managers as they review Forest and Fire management activities on the ground.
Providing mentors
Our experienced and knowledgable staff encourage professional growth and stoke student interests. Going to school and making ends meet isn’t easy, and we work hard to make sure you don’t waste precious time and money getting where you want to go. Our mentors combine deep experience and expertise with passion and good heartedness. We love listening to students and we are open and available to help hard working students succeed.
Forestry Mentor, Adrian Leighton, PhD
Adrian Leighton has been an adviser and instructor of Forestry at Salish Kootenai College since 2003, and the designer of the Bachelor of Science program in Forestry at SKC. Since 1994, his major interest has been understanding the point of intersection between responsible resource management and the ecology of natural systems. Off campus, he is a current co-chair of the Intertribal Timber Council Research Sub-Committee and a member of the 3rd Indian Forest Management Assessment Team (IFMAT III).
Forestry Mentor, Nicole Stiffarm
Nicole Stiffarm is the lead program manager in charge of student placements, academic advising, and program compliance. She is an enrolled tribal member of the Chippewa Cree Tribe in Rocky Boy, MT, and a mother of three. She is a 2012 graduate of Salish Kootenai College and holds a Bachelor of Science in Forestry with an emphasis in Forest Management. She currently serves as the Chair for the Intertribal Timber Council Education Committee and as Secretary/Treasurer of the Mountain West Professional AISES Chapter.