Introduction to Forestry and Conservation

Catalog description

Two Lecture. Three lab. This course focuses on developing an understanding of current conservation issues, especially climate change, and designing conservation practices to address these issues. Students will gain experience in ‘reading the landscape’, or evaluation of landscape health condition through personal observation. Students will be exposed to a variety of conservation practices, development of experimental treatments, monitoring of conservation treatments, developing economic plans for conservation projects, and building community capacity to participate in conservation activities. Includes field trips. Students will be able to: explain environmental issues facing humanity and forests; describe philosophies in forestry that balance human needs and conservation; describe a range of land management activities related to forestry and conservation; examine how ecosystem functions are affected by land management decisions and climate change; conduct basic ecological research based on the scientific method; demonstrate forestry basics of tree identification, measurements, and site evaluation; discuss the pros and cons of different management strategies aimed at conservation; identify local ecosystems (i.e. life zones) and dominant flora and fauna; express and refine their own views on conservation and forestry issues. Prerequisite(s): None. Corequisite(s): None. Pre/Corequisite(s): None