AuburnUniversity

School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences

Course Syllabus

2015

Course Number:FORY 4970 Forest Soils

Credit Hours:3

Two lectures: Tue. & Thur. 11:00 – 11:50 PM

One 3 hour laboratory per week: 1:00 – 3:50 PM

Location:Forestry and Wildlife Sciences Building, Room 1221

Prerequisites:CHEM 1010, School approval for non-majors

Instructor:Dr. James P. Shepard
4431 Forestry and Wildlife Building
(334) 844-1111

Office Hours:By appointment. Appointments can be made by phone, e-mail, or by seeing the instructor immediately before or after class.

Course Description:Overview of forest soil composition, formation, biota, classification, chemistry, ecology, and sustainable management

Course Objectives:Upon successful completion of this course, students will have learned:

  1. foundational knowledge about forest soils and their management;
  2. how to collect field data, analyze it, and integrate it into soils theory;
  3. how foundational knowledge is applied in forest management;
  4. about their personality type and the personality types of their classmates and how this affects learning and collaboration
  5. how the care of soil is the foundation of sustainable forestry; and
  6. to developan aptitude and interest in life-long learning.

Text:Binkley and Fisher. 2013. Ecology and Management of Forest Soils, 4th Edition. J. Wiley and Sons.

Laboratory:Laboratory sessions will alternate between outdoor field trips and data analysis inside. Students should dress appropriately for the weather, including precipitation. Outdoor labs will only be cancelled if the university is closed for weather or if there are audible thunderstorms in the study area.

Teaching Approach:This course will use active learning. Before most class meetings, students will be assigned to read papers, or watch recorded lectures or videos on Canvas. Students should plan to spend up to 30 minutes preparing for each class session.

Learning Activities:Teams of ~4-5 students will be formed at the beginning of the course and team composition will not change all semester. Team-based learning activities will include the following.

  1. Collaboration on daily quizzes;
  2. Working collaboratively during class on specific assignments using white board exercises, gallery walks, and team presentations.
  3. Students will keep a journal to reflect on their learning with weekly entries as a minimum.
  4. One-minute papers will completed weekly to assess learning and to identify the concepts most difficult to understand.
  5. A three-hour laboratory session will be held each week. Some laboratory sessions will be held outdoors to collect data and make observations. Students should dress appropriately for the weather, including precipitation. Outdoor labs will only be cancelled if the university is closed for weather or if there are audible thunderstorms in the study area.

Assessment:Daily quizzes will be given and students will take a 5 question multiple choice quiz individually,and then they will retake the same quiz with their teamusing an instantaneous feedback assessment technique (IF*AT) that allows for multiple attempts to answer each question. Quiz scores will be calculated as 50% individual score and 50% team-based score.

Exams the two hour exams and the final exam will be 25 – 50 point question multiple choice exams using the IF*AT approach and will be taken individually.

Laboratory reports will be prepared and submitted by teams. Lab reports will be due 1 week following the last lab session on each topic. Some lab reports will simply be graded by the instructor. Others will us a two-phase assessment process. The first assessment will be by peer review. Your report will be evaluated by another team, who will mark your report with suggestions for improvement. You will have 1 week to consider their comments and revise your report. The instructor will grade your report on a 100 point scale for technical accuracy, adherence to the lab instructions, format, grammar, and spelling.

JournalStudents will keep a journal as a Word file and will submit it weekly through Canvas. The journal will be assessed for weekly compliance with required weekly entry content and near the end of the semester the journals will be assessed and graded with 50% on compliance with weekly assigned journaling and 50% as an overall assessment of your progress in reflecting on your learning.

Grading Scale:The final grade for the course will be calculated according to the following:
40% two hourly exams (20% each)
10% for daily quizzes

5%for weekly journal

25%laboratory reports

20% final non-comprehensive exam

Final course grade will be based on the following scale:
A: 89.5 - 100
B: 79.5 - 89.4
C: 69.5 - 79.4
D: 59.5 - 69.4
F: < 59.5

Attendance:Students are expected to attend all classes and laboratory sessions and will be held responsible for any content covered in the event of an absence. Quizzes or exams missed because of unexcused absences will count as zeros. Please inform the instructor ofplanned absences beforehand and illness as soon as reasonable afterwards.

Excused absences:Students are granted excused absences from class for the following reasons: illness of the student or serious illness of a member of the student's immediate family, the death of a member of the student's immediate family, trips for student organizations sponsored by an academic unit, trips for university classes, trips for participation in intercollegiate athletic events, subpoena for a court appearance, and religious holidays. Students who wish to have an excused absence from class for any other reason must contact the instructor in advance of the absence to request permission. The instructor will weigh the merits of the request, and render a decision. When feasible, the student must notify the instructor prior to the occurrence of any excused absences, but in no case shall such notification occur more than one week after the absence. Appropriate documentation for all excused absences is required. Please consult the Student Policy eHandbook for more information on excused absences.

Make-up Policy:Arrangement to make up a missed major examination (e.g.:hour exams, mid-term exams) due to properly authorized excused absences must be initiated by the student within one week of the end of the period of the excused absence(s). Except in unusual circumstances, such as the continued absence of the student or the advent of university holidays, a make-up exam will take place within two weeks of the date that the student initiates arrangements for it. Except in extraordinary circumstances, no make-up exams will be arranged during the last three days before the final exam period begins.

Academic Honesty:All portions of the Auburn University student academic honesty code (Title XII) found in the Student Policy eHandbook will apply to university courses. All academic honesty violations or alleged violations of the SGA Code of Laws will be reported to the Office of the Provost, which will then refer the case to the Academic Honesty Committee.

DisabilityStudents who need accommodations are asked to electronically submit

Accommodations:their approved accommodations through AU Access and to arrange a meeting during office hours the first week of classes, or as soon as possible if accommodations are needed immediately. If you have a conflict with my office hours, an alternate time can be arranged. To set up this meeting, please contact me by e-mail. If you have not established accommodations through the Office of Accessibility, but need accommodations, make an appointment with the Office of Accessibility, 1228 Haley Center, 844-2096 (V/TT).

Other Policies:Use of computers, tablets, and smart phones is encouraged during most class active learning activities. Use of these devices will be strictly prohibited when taking quizzes and exams, however. Students will silence phone ringers and will confine the use of their devises to learning class material.

Exams

1st Hour Exam 9/22/15

2nd Hour Exam 10/27/15

Final Exam12/08/15Noon – 2:30PM

Tentative Lecture Outline

Forest soils versus agricultural soils

Soil formation and composition

Soil water

Chemistry of soil surfaces and solutions

Classification and mapping

Biogeochemistry

Site productivity

Soil management: harvesting, site preparation, drainage

Fertilization

Tentative Laboratories

Sustainability field trip to Old Rotation, erosion at the Kreher Preserve and Nature Center

Field trip: Piedmont geology and soils

Field trip: Coastal Plains geology and soils

Soil profile description: soil horizons, texture, structure, color, and pH

Particle size analysis

Sustainability field trip: Providence Canyon State Park, GA

Relationships between forest productivity and soil / site: Piedmont

Relationships between forest productivity and soil / site: Piedmont

Relationships between forest productivity and soil / site: bottomland