What is NRM?

NRM, or Natural Resources Management, falls into three categories:

1. Resources we extract from the ecosystem and then buy or sell like fish, timber, or oil.
2. Ecosystem services that are critical to producing sellable resources but are not commercialized like: clean water, breathable air, range pasturage for livestock, or fertile soils.
3. Intangible resources that are defined by our perceptions and enjoyment of the natural world like recreation opportunities.
4. Natural Resource Managers make decisions or implement strategies to make sure that human extraction or use of these assets and services does not threaten future supplies. Our alumni enter a variety of exciting careers.
5. For example, fire suppression has been implemented in most inhabited areas and many wilderness areas because of the danger wildfires can present to people. However some ecosystems need periodic fires to produce services like abundant wildlife, range pasturage,and clean water. A Natural Resource Manager might work to reintroduce fire to an ecosystem that needs it so its production of needed resources will not be degraded.