When was CEFTS founded?
The Council of Eastern Forest Technician Schools (CEFTS) was founded in 1976 by a small group of Forest Technology Instructors. Since then, CEFTS membership has grown to include 15 academic institutions across the eastern US and Canada.

Who can be CEFTS Members?
CEFTS members are institutions, not individuals. Any faculty member of a CEFTS institution is welcome to participate fully in the organization’s activities.

What are the benefits of participating in CEFTS?
The most important event sponsored by CEFTS is the annual meeting. The meetings, which typically last two to three days, are hosted each year by a different member institution. With mix of field trips, business and discussion sessions, these meetings are tremendous learning opportunities and are just plain fun! Participants come away from these meetings with new ideas for teaching, and recruiting students. They may also develop valuable new contacts or simply make some new friends.
What is the CEFTS awards program?
We offer a North American Forest Technician Honor Society, Forest Technician scholarships, a Graduate Forest Technician Achievement Award, CEFTS Alumni Recognition, and a Meritorious Service Award.  As of 2003, over 400 students have been recognized in the North American Forest Technician Honor Society.

To qualify for the North American Forest Technician Honor Society a student must have achieved a 3.0 GPA and a 3.3 GPA in their forestry courses.  Thirty-five graduates have been given Graduate Forest Technician Achievement Awards for their contributions to forestry or forest technology education.
What is the relationship between CEFTS and the SAF?

CEFTS enjoys a close working relationship with the Society of American Foresters. CEFTS encourages members to seek SAF recognition of their Forest Technology programs. An SAF representative often attends the CEFTS annual meeting to update members on developments related to SAF recognition and seek input into the process from CEFTS members.

A list of SAF recognized forest technology programs can he found on the SAF website eforester.org.