Axe ’Em, Jacks!
Class size: 12 million (acres)
At SFA, you won’t just study forestry. You’ll live it.
Forestry and agriculture students at SFA have access to hands-on, transformative learning experiences through incredible resources, including 12 million acres of forests, state-of-the-art research laboratories and more.
Stephen F. Austin Experimental Forest
Spread out over 2,560 acres, the Stephen F. Austin Experimental Forest is a valuable resource for SFA and the community. The forest, which is located just a few miles from downtown Nacogdoches, is part of the Angelina National Forest and has been set aside for activities like research, education and outreach.
The Stephen F. Austin Experimental Forest serves as a living laboratory for SFA faculty and an interactive classroom for SFA forestry students. The forest also features two interpretive walking trails, which are open to the public year-round.
STMicroelectronics Forests
These working forestlands represent a win-win for SFA and for STMicroelectronics, a global manufacturer of semiconductors. The unique partnership began in 2001, when STMicroelectronics purchased 3,449 acres of bare farmland in the Nacogdoches area. The company’s goal? To plant trees and create new forests that would offset its carbon emissions and thus to help reduce its overall carbon footprint.
Today, the property is managed by the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture. These forests provide the College with a dynamic, interactive setting for faculty and graduate research and hands-on learning for undergraduate and graduate forestry students. The property also helps generate funds for forestry scholarships through timber sales and recreational leasing.
East Texas Plant Materials Center
The 75-acre East Texas Plant Materials Center is a living laboratory focused on addressing regional, plant-related conservation issues such as:
- protecting soil and water
- developing technology for mining and timber reclamation
- utilizing native plants to improve wildlife habitats
- producing renewable energy with native plants and grasses
- and educating and raising public awareness of plant-related conservation issues.
The East Texas Plant Materials Center is part of the United States Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Plant Materials Program. Learn more about the program and the East Texas Plant Materials Center.
The National Center for Pharmaceutical Crops
The National Center for Pharmaceutical Crops is a research facility dedicated to crops that have medicinal or therapeutic purposes. Much of the research at the center focuses on the discovery and development of anti-cancer and anti-viral compounds.
The center is also home to unique plant samples, a greenhouse, a commercial extractor and distiller and a wide range of state-of-the art phytochemistry and bioassay equipment.
For more information about the National Center for Pharmaceutical Crops, contact Dr. Shiyou Li at lis@sfasu.edu.