A study of the basic concepts of botany related to woody species and their use, along with basic soil and site characteristics in the identification of trees and forest vegetation. Labs may be conducted in an outdoor forest setting often in steep terrain and inclement weather.
The application of statistical concepts, computations, and software to forestry sampling and inventory problems. Land, individual tree and timber stand measurement techniques will be covered as will the design and implementation of sampling systems to derive information necessary to meet landowner objectives.
An examination of fundamental material properties of wood and how these characteristics influence use for a diversity of wood products. Concepts covered include species identification, chemical and mechanical properties and their effect on utilization, and utilization technologies.
Apply economic concepts to silvicultural practices, land values, and values affiliated with various forest uses. Apply supply and demand concepts and financial computations to identify and quantify economic consequences of silvicultural actions or management practices. Taxation and monetizing ecosystem services will be discussed.
Plants have played a major role in human affairs. Course will relate plant life processes and chemistry to human uses: food crops, spices, medicinals, and materials. Major units are the origins agriculture and early domesticates, ethnobotany, and a selection of plants and plant products with major historical impacts - potato, nutmeg, pepper, chocolate, sugar cane, cotton, quinine, rubber, tobacco. Contemporary themes include herbal medicine and plant-based pharmaceuticals.
Principles and operations of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) applied to forestry and natural resources. Students will learn to collect necessary field data to create GIS maps and digital spatial data sets, perform basic spatial analysis, and integrate social and economic data to solve spatially related natural resource problems.
Forest ecology is the study of the structure, function and dynamics of forested ecosystems. Forest ecologists study how different components of the physical environment, climate, land use, and species interactions have come to shape the forests of today and how changes in patterns across the landscape will influence how forests look and function in the future. This course provides students with an overview of the distribution, nature, and dynamics of forested ecosystems.
A study of ecologically based manipulations of forests to achieve desired management objectives. Develop and apply silvicultural prescriptions and learn the effects of these prescriptions on timber and non-timber forest benefits, forest health and biodiversity, soil, and water resources as well as their effect on broader social, economic, and ecological issues.
In an issues based format, students will study and write about societal trends and their impact on natural systems, the disconnect between society and nature, wildlife-human interactions, as well as problems related to globalization and urbanization. This course is a Graduation Composition and Communication Requirement (GCCR) course in certain programs, and hence is not likely to be eligible for automatic transfer credit to UK.
The principles of sustained yield forest management, management objectives, forest regulation, allowable cut, and timing of timber harvests. Students will identify management objectives for various properties and ownership types and integrate scientific knowledge and both timber and non-timber considerations with landowner objectives to derive management decisions.
