The Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology is part of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. It was founded in 1933 when the University created a Chair in Game Management for Professor Aldo Leopold. Six years later, Leopold,who is generally considered the father of wildlife management, formed the Department of Wildlife Management. This was the first academic department in the world dedicated to the emerging field of wildlife management. Forestry research was conducted in several college programs and in 1959, the Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management was created to organize forestry and wildlife research under one program.

In 1962, the college created separate Departments of Forestry and Wildlife Management. A further change in 1967 created the Department of Wildlife Ecology, a name more in keeping with the Department’s emphasis on the inter-relationships of animals and their physical environment. In 1997, the department name was changed to the Department of Forest Ecology and Management. The two departments were again combined in 2007 to form the Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology.

Throughout its history, the Department had remained committed to excellence in teaching, mentoring, and scholarly research. We are proud of the 2,600 alumni who have graduated from our programs and now serve as researchers, scientists, practitioners, policy makers, and academic leaders across the United States and in other countries.