A monthly message from the dean
Welcome to Fall 2026, Warnell!
A New Year, A Changing World, and the Enduring Value of Forestry and Natural Resources
As we begin a new fall semester, there is a familiar energy across campus. Students are returning to classrooms, labs, and field sites. Faculty are launching new courses and research projects. Staff are preparing for another year of service to our students and the broader Warnell community. Even with its familiar rhythm, the start of a new academic year is always energizing.
We also begin this year at a moment of significant change for the natural resources professions and in higher education as a whole. There is uncertainty in federal funding and how federal agencies, like the U.S. Forest Service, will be structured in the future. In addition, across the Southeast and beyond, shifts in forest products markets are affecting communities, landowners, industry, and the future of working forests. Mill closures have created uncertainty in places where forest products have long supported rural economies and helped keep forests as forests. When markets weaken, the effects extend well beyond any single facility. They touch landowners, communities, and the long-term conservation of forested landscapes.
You may have seen this recent story in The Wall Street Journal, which takes an in-depth look at the challenges facing Georgia’s forest economy.
At the same time, artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies are reshaping nearly every profession, and natural resources will be no exception. AI will transform how we analyze data, monitor landscapes, model systems, manage forests, communicate science, and make decisions. But it will also increase demands on the natural resources that support it. The rapid expansion of data centers and AI-driven computing will require substantial electricity and water, linking the digital economy directly to energy production, water availability, watershed management, and environmental stewardship.
These technologies offer extraordinary opportunities, but capitalizing on them responsibly will require sound judgment and a commitment to sustaining the natural resources on which they depend.
This is why the work of the Warnell School matters so much.
The future of natural resources will not be shaped by technology, markets, or policy alone. It will be shaped by people who understand forests, water, wildlife, communities, and working landscapes. It will be shaped by people who can work across disciplines, communicate clearly, use new tools wisely, and make sound decisions in complex environments. It will be shaped by the kind of people who have always adapted to significant shifts in technology to advance their mission.
This is the workforce we are preparing at the Warnell School.
The challenges ahead are real. Traditional markets are under pressure. Career paths will evolve. Technology will change faster than our institutions are often prepared to change. But I am optimistic because Warnell is grounded in the kind of education that endures: rigorous science, hands-on learning, field experience, applied problem-solving, and a deep commitment to service.
If forest products markets are changing, we must help develop the next generation of ideas, partnerships, and professionals who can support resilient working forests. If AI is transforming the workplace, we must ensure our students know how to use new tools without losing the judgment that comes from field experience and scientific training. If communities are facing uncertainty, we must continue to be the kind of school that shows up, listens, and contributes practical solutions.
This is what a land-grant natural resources school like ours is called to do.
To our students: You are preparing for careers that will matter. The world you are entering will be different from the one many of us entered, but it will need your skills, curiosity, adaptability, and commitment.
To our faculty and staff: Thank you for the work you do every day to prepare students, advance knowledge, serve communities, and strengthen this school.
To our alumni and friends: Your partnership is more important than ever. You help us understand the changing needs of the professions, support our students, and extend Warnell’s impact far beyond campus.
As we begin this academic year, I am energized and hopeful, even amid the change around us. Since our founding in 1906, Warnell has not simply endured change; we have consistently led through it. We will do so again.
Welcome back, and best wishes for a fantastic fall semester.
Go Dawgs!
J. Todd Petty | Dean and Professor
University of Georgia
Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources
