Fleming College

Program Highlights

Urban forestry focuses on the care, protection, and maintenance of trees, forests and green spaces in towns and cities. It's caring for "the green in the gray."

As an urban forestry technician, you will require technical, applied skills, but you will also need the ability to work with people and communities. Your work will involve balancing, integrating, and linking the social, economic, environmental, and conservation-related issues associated with the urban forest and community spaces.

This unique 2 + 2 program blends applied and multidisciplinary skills to prepare for the demands of this emerging field. Professionals are needed who can communicate effectively with the public, understand and interpret legislation and policies, and have a broad perspective on planning and conservation. Upon graduation, you will be able to:

• Identify and appraise a wide range of species in the urban forest
• Maintain safe and healthy trees by applying principles of tree anatomy and physiology
• Recommend appropriate arboriculture practices
• Use a range of GIS tools and spatial technologies to collect, analyze and model the characteristics of urban forests
• Understand soil characteristics, watershed dynamics, and wildlife habitats that contribute to urban forest ecosystems
• Safely operate, maintain and troubleshoot equipment
• Demonstrate and advocate for an integrated approach to urban forestry management
• Interpret legislation, regulation and policies relating to urban forestry
• Plan, budget and implement business practices associated with the urban forestry practitioner
• Apply practices and principles of urban forest management in an ethical and professional manner.

You will complete three university-level courses (Communications, Math and Introductory Chemistry) during your diploma program at Fleming College, providing an opportunity to determine if pursuing a degree in this field at university is the right choice for you.

University of New Brunswick Pathway

This program was developed in collaboration with University of New Brunswick (UNB). As a result of this special partnership, the Urban Forestry Technician program is a pathway to a university degree. Students can spend two years at Fleming College and two years at University of New Brunswick (UNB) earning both a college diploma in Urban Forestry and a Bachelor of Science in Forestry degree with an Urban Forestry major. Urban Forestry Technician courses that are eligible for transfer to UNB require a grade of 70% or higher.

Download the agreement for more details

Other University Pathways

Eligible graduates of the Fleming Urban Forestry Technician diploma also are able to complete the Bachelor of Urban Forestry degree at University of British Columbia, with three additional years of study at UBC.

Graduates who meet admission/agreement requirements can complete a Bachelor of Science in Forestry at Lakehead University with a four-week summer transition program, and two years of additional study.

Work Experience

Earn while you learn during the paid, summer co-op working in urban forestry between semester 2 and 3.

Common First Semester

Students in our Urban Forestry Technician Co-op diploma program and Urban Forestry certificate program take the same courses for first semester. You will acquire a base of knowledge and fundamental skills in this first semester. Once you have successfully completed the common first semester, you have the flexibility to switch into the other program if you choose to do so, starting in semester two in January, provided there is space available.

Why Choose Fleming?

The college's Forestry Technician program is the largest in Canada, and has produced highly sought after grads for more than 45 years. The college was also the first to offer certificate programs in Arboriculture and Urban Forestry.

Fleming College is well known for its commitment to student success through personalized support, programs and pathways that ladder to higher learning.

Is this You?

• You want to make a difference - through involvement with conservation and sustainability in a growth area of the environmental sector
• You recognize the value of hands-on skills/ minds-on skills
• You enjoy working with people and working outdoors
• You are ready for a challenge.

Career Opportunities

Program graduates will qualify for a broad range of positions with increasing levels of responsibility in supervisory and management roles. There is very little specific career training in urban forestry at the degree level in Canada, although urban forestry jobs have continued to grow. Within the Fleming-UNB program, graduates are eligible to become Registered Professional Foresters, which is a requirement for many of the higher-level urban forestry jobs. Employment opportunities include work with:

• City, county, provincial, federal and other government agencies
• Municipal parks, recreation and/or planning departments
• Environmental consulting companies
• Arboreta, botanical gardens and tree research centres
• Hydro and utility companies
• Corporations with multiple urban properties and private lands
• Private landscaping and arboriculture industries

Transfer Agreements

You may be able to use credits obtained at Fleming College to continue your postsecondary education in pursuit of a degree. The articulation and credit transfer agreements with our partner institutions are summarized below.