Forestry and Society

HORT 302/ RGSC 302

Instructor: J.G. MexalAssistant: Trine Jobe

Skeen 348Skeen 253

646-3335646-

Web site: http//:cahe.nmsu.edu/directory/esource

Office Hours:MWF 1:30-3:00 pm or by appointment

Course Description: Global study of the development and use of forest resources for production of wood, fuel, fiber, and food products. Climate, edaphic, cultural, and economic influences on forests of the world evaluated. Lecture notes available online

Textbooks: Miller, C. and R. Staebler. 2004. The greatest good. 100 years of forestry in America, 2nd ed. SAF, MD, 125 p.

MacLean, J.N. 1999. Fire on the mountain.

Course Outline:

WeekLectureEssay

1Orientation/The Problem

2Definitions & Tools/How a Tree Grows

3History Video/FieldTrip 1 (Sept 13)

4Where a Tree Grows-Tropics/Boreal

5Where a Tree Grows-U.S.2 (Sept 27)

6Where a Tree Grows-N.M./Human Impacts

7Forest Impacts on Humans-Historic/Urban3 (Oct 9)

8Forest Impacts on Humans-Specialty Crops/Wildlife/Lifestock

9Forest Pests/Silviculture4 (Oct 20)

10Silviculture-Fire/Reforestation

11Reforestation Practices-US/Latin America5 (Nov 1)

12Carbon Sequestration/Global Climate Change6 (Nov 10)

13STUDENT PRESENTATIONS

14STUDENT PRESENTATIONS/THANKSGIVING

15STUDENT PRESENTATIONS

Dec. 8(1:00-3:00) final & course evaluation

Grading:Quizzes (~12@ 30 pts ea)~360 points

Essays (6 @ 50 pts ea) 300 points

Group presentation (ppt) 250 points

Final 50 points

Participation & Activities 50 points

TOTAL~1000 points

A 90%B 80%

C 70%D 60%

Essays: Students will report on six (6) different subjects related to this course. Each essay will be at least 900 words, typed, and spell checked. Essays will list the subject area, title of article, author(s), and sources (journal, WWW URL, etc). Your essay should include: objectives, evidence supporting conclusions, and your impression (agree, disagree, why?) of the subject. No articles will be accepted after 5:00 pm on the due date. Articles may be e-mailed. See above for due dates for these articles. Essays will be critiqued, graded and returned to the student. The student can revise and return the paper for re-grading within one (1) week. The first essay will be a discussion of the first reading: “The Greatest Good”. In this essay, I would like you to discuss the changes (good, bad, ugly) that have occurred in the US Forest Service. The second essay will be a discussion of the second reading “Fire on the Mountain.”

Possible essay topics for the 4 remaining essays may include (you may write about a particular subject only once):

SustainabilityForest Genetics/BreedingAgroforestry

AfforestationReforestationShifting Agriculture

Forest ProductsDeforestationTropical Forestry

Green CertificationUrban Forestry“New Forestry”

Exotic ForestrySilvicultureTemperate Forestry

Boreal ForestryDendrochronologyClimate change

Recreation-ForestryNM Forestry/RangeCarbon Sequestration

Famous Foresters (e.g. Hartig, Wakeley, Muir, Leopold, Humboldt, Pinchot, Zobel)

Group project:Students will work in groups of three (3) to prepare a 20 min. Powerpoint seminar on one of the topics below. The seminar will be presented during the last 3-4 lectures in the semester. Dates will be determined by drawing lots. Among the discussion areas for each topic could be: compare and contrast, economic analysis, origin, manufacturing process, critical problems, statistics, etc. Include pictures and pertinent data in the presentation. Teams will be judged on completeness, content, and teamwork.

Topics:

  1. Construction materials: Wood vs. steel vs. adobe
  2. Pine nut origin:Piñon vs. pine nuts vs. pignolias
  3. Cloth:Tencel vs. silk vs. cotton
  4. Fuel:Fuelwood vs. oil vs. wind
  5. Endangered species:Orangutan vs. monarch butterfly vs. Mexican spotted owl
  6. Tree sap:Maple syrup vs. naval stores (resin, turpentine) vs. rubber
  7. Flooring:Bamboo vs. oak vs. cork
  8. Tree nuts:Pecan vs. pistachio vs. walnut
  9. NM Riparian forests:Cottonwood vs. salt cedar vs. Russian olive
  10. Christmas trees:Douglas-fir vs. Scots pine vs. Noble fir
  11. Wood products:Plywood vs. Oriented Strand Board (OSB) vs. particle board
  12. Paper:Wood pulp vs. kenaf vs. exotics (banana, etc)
  13. Wood properties:Ironwood vs. oak vs. balsa
  14. Forest regions:Georgia vs. Oregon vs. Michigan
  15. Salt cedar control:Chemical control vs. mechanical vs. biological (goats/bugs)
  16. Forests:40o N latitude vs. equator vs. 40 o S latitude
  17. Insect pests:Emerald ash tree borer vs. bark beetle vs. gypsy moth
  18. Diseases:Sudden oak death (SOD) vs. fusiform rust vs. chestnut blight
  19. Non-timber forest products:Lumber vs. mushrooms vs. medicinal plants
  20. Wildlife habitat:Old growth vs. plantations vs. uneven aged forests
  21. Silviculture:Clear cut vs. patch cut vs. uneven aged management
  22. History:Gifford Pinchot vs. John Muir vs. Aldo Leopold
  23. Alternatives (economics):paper v plastic, paper towels v hot air dryer, woodpulp v. kenaf

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: If you have (or believe you have) a disability and would benefit from classroom accommodation(s), please contact the Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) Office located at Corbett Center, Room 244[Phone: 646-6840: TTY: 646-1918]. Appropriate accommodations may then be provided for you.

Academic Misconduct: According to the NMSU Undergraduate Catalog (p.21), “Academic misconduct includes, but is not limited to, the following actions: …Plagiarism, which includes, but is not necessarily limited to, submitting examinations, themes, reports, drawings…undocumented quotations,…or other material as one’s own work when such work has been prepared by another person or copied from another person.” Students plagiarizing the work of others will receive a grade a zero (0) for that assignment. Any student caught plagiarizing a second time will receive a grade of ‘F’ for the entire course.

Asimov’s Super Quiz

HORT/RGSC 302

Name:______

Major:______Class: ______

Hometown: ______

Reason for taking this course:

Freshman Level

  1. Complete the book title: “A tree grows in ______.”
  2. Complete the line of the Longfellow poem: “Under the spreading ______tree”.
  3. What kind of tree was the tallest tree on record? ______.
  4. What type of race begins with lights flashing on a “Christmas tree”? ______.
  5. What song has the lyric “Just what makes that little old ant, think he’ll move that rubber tree plant”? ______.

Graduate Level

  1. Who said “Santie Claus, why are you taking our Christmas tree, why?”? ______.
  2. This tree in SequoiaNational Park is the largest (by volume) in the world. ______.
  3. Who wrote the poem “Trees”? ______.
  4. What country’s flag features a tree? ______.
  5. What book begins “If you want to find Cherry Tree Lane… ask a policeman at the crossroads.”? ______.

Ph.D. Level

  1. The science of dating trees by counting annual tree rings is called ______.
  2. Older trees have 2 types of wood, sapwood and an inner, darker ______.
  3. What tree provides an oil used in flavoring gin? ______.
  4. The seeds of this tree have pairs of wings that act like helicopter blades. ______.
  5. What family of trees and shrubs typically produce ‘catkins’? ______.