Syllabus

FTY 101 – Introduction to Forest Resources
Fall 2007
(revised July 25, 2007)

Description

A week-long field course designed to introduce students to the forest and its components, its ecology, and its use by society.

Credit Hours: 1

Prerequisites: None.

First-year students will meet with the instructor or their advisor during the first 6 weeks of the semester at a scheduled time.

Objectives/Learning Outcomes

Students will:

  1. Recognize basic components of the forest, how they are measured, how they interact, and how they can be used by society.
  2. Describe and identify key issues, their background, and the knowledge needed to deal with these issues for a range of disciplines in forest resources: forestry, conservation, wildlife, ecology, recreation, operations, and wood products.
  3. Be able to evaluate which forest resource discipline is best suited to their interests and goals.

Instructor Information

Dr. William H. Livingston

Associate Professor of Forest Resources
116 Nutting Hall

Office hours by appointment

Phone: 581-2990

Email:

Instructional Materials

Textbooks:

Required:

During the field week, required readings will be available as hand-outs.

Most of the readings will come from:

¨  Bryan, R.R. 2004. Focus Species Forestry – A Guide to Integrating Timber and Biodiversity Management in Maine, 2nd ed. Maine Audubon, Falmouth, Maine. 92 p.

¨  Russell M. Burns and Barbara H. Honkala, Technical Coordinators. 1990. Silvics of North America: 1. Conifers; 2. Hardwoods. Agriculture Handbook 654. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Washington, DC. (2 vol.) 877 p.

Recommended:

The following book is not required but is recommended for the student who wants a general field reference on forests.

¨  Kricher, J.C. 1988. A Field Guide to Eastern Forests, North America. Houghton Mifflin Co., NY. 488 p.

Required materials:

Belongings for overnight stays in a cabin (sleeping bag, towels, bathroom articles, clothes, flashlight with extra batteries), sturdy boots, rain gear, warm jacket.

Grading and Course Expectations

  1. Field activities will require recording observations and creating maps. All material will be passed in for review on a daily basis.
  2. Students will keep a journal of daily activities. The journal needs to include:
  3. Date:
  4. Activity:
  5. Focus of activity:
  6. Summary of what was done:
  7. Description of location
  8. Description of activity
  9. What did you learn?
  10. Written assignments are due 1 week after the final class session. Each assignment will show:
  11. The objective.
  12. How data was collected.
  13. Presentation of the data (table or graph)
  14. Discussion on data and assignment’s objective
  15. Graded assignments can be picked-up from the instructor 1 week later.
  16. Additional credit of up to 10% of the course grade can be earned by revising written assignments and returning them to the instructor within 1 week.
  17. Grades will be based on the following scale (% of total points earned):
    ≥90%: A 80-89%: B 70-79%: C 60-69%: D <60% Fail
  18. Course grade will be calculated as: Field Work – 50%, Journal – 50%

Course Schedule

Sunday: Introductions

Time / Activity
1-2:30 / Lunch and Introductions, Nutting Hall Lobby
3-5 / Travel to Tanglewood
6-7 / Dinner
7-8 / Unpack in cabins
8-9 / Evening refreshments, campfire

Monday: Compass Skills

Time / Activity
7-8 / Breakfast
8-12 / Map and Compass/Tree Identification
12-1 / Lunch
1-5 / Locating boundaries / Using an Ax and Saw to Make a Fire
5-6 / Dinner
6-7 / Open
7-10 / Recreation & Campfire

Tuesday: Type Map / Forest Recreation

Time / Activity
7-8 / Breakfast
8-12 / Stand types
12-1 / Lunch
1-3 / Complete gathering data for stand types
3-6 / Maintenance of Recreational Trails
6-7 / Dinner
7-8 / Complete type map
8-10 / Recreation & Campfire

Wednesday: Forest & Wildlife Ecology

Time / Activity
7-8 / Breakfast
8-12 / Introduction to Forest Ecology, Soils, Forest Structure, Wildlife Habitat
12-1 / Lunch
1-5 / Inventory of Forest Structure, Soils, Wildlife Habitats
5-6 / Dinner
6-7 / Write in journal
8-10 / Recreation & Campfire

Thursday: From Specialty Products; Forestry

Time / Activity
7-8 / Breakfast
8-9 / Introduction to white pine, its use and history. Discuss silviculture of white pine on woodlot.
9-12 / Go to Center for Furniture Craftsmanship for demonstrations and tour.
2-6 / Lunch in field, travel to managed stands & harvesting operations, demonstrate key processes
6-7 / Dinner
7-8 / Write in journal
8-10 / Recreation & Campfire

Friday: Robbins Lumber

Time / Activity
7-8 / Breakfast
8-9 / Pack belongings, clean cabins
9-12 / Travel to Robbins Lumber for tour.
12-2 / Lunch, return to campus
2-5 / Move into dorm rooms

First-year students and other campus students will meet with the instructor on Fridays at 1:10-2 pm in room 257 Nutting Hall, for the first six weeks of classes. This time will be used to take care of assignment expectations and to discuss student experiences on campus. The schedule includes:

First Week of Semester: Written assignments due. Note: Supplemental readings for helping with the assignments will be available on-line. Get reading assignments from required books.

Second Week of Semester: Return graded assignments; discuss strategies for studying; assignment on note-taking.

Third Week of Semester: Turn-in second written assignment; discuss strategies for studying.

Fourth-Fifth Week of Semester: Students will be shown curricula requirements for various forest resource majors. Student and advisor expectations for meeting curricula requirements will be discussed.

Policies

Students are expected to attend all field sessions to earn a grade in the class. Make-up for excused absences during the week will be arranged on a case-by-case basis. All written assignments must be turned-in, or an incomplete grade will be given.

Academic honesty (plagiarism, etc.)

Academic dishonesty includes cheating, plagiarism and all forms of misrepresentation in academic work, and is unacceptable at The University of Maine. As stated in the University of Maine’s online undergraduate “Student Handbook,” plagiarism (the submission of another’s work without appropriate attribution) and cheating are violations of The University of Maine Student Conduct Code. An instructor who has probable cause or reason to believe a student has cheated may act upon such evidence, and should report the case to the supervising faculty member or the Department Chair for appropriate action.

Student Behavior

Every student in the class is expected to be familiar with the University's Student Conduct Code (http://www.umaine.edu/handbook/) part of which states, "It is expected that students will conduct their affairs with proper regard for the rights of others and of the University. All members of the University community share a responsibility for maintaining an environment where actions are guided by mutual respect, integrity, and reason." If the instructor believes that a student's behavior is violating this code or other codes in the Handbook, the instructor has the options to ask that the behavior cease, ask that the student stop attending class, and/or seek advice from the appropriate office on campus on how to deal with the student's behavior.

If you have questions about this policy or want examples on what is acceptable and unacceptable behavior, please speak with the instructor.

Students with disabilities statement

If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, please contact Disability Support Services (East Annex, 581-2319)

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