SUSTAINABLE SILVICULTURE AND CERTIFICATION SNR Credits

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1 INSTRUCTORS SUSTAINABLE SILVICULTURE AND CERTIFICATION SNR Credits Rick Fletcher, Professor, Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society Oregon State University Benton County Extension Office 1849 NW 9th, Corvallis, OR rick.fletcher@oregonstate.edu John Bailey, Associate Professor, Department of Forest Engineering & Resource Management Oregon State University 235 Peavy Hall, Corvallis, OR John.Bailey@oregonstate.edu PREREQUISITES This course is a component of the 18-credit Graduate Certificate Program in Sustainable Natural Resources (SNR), and it is also open to other graduate students. There are no required prerequisites for non-degree seeking students other than graduate standing. Recommended: Students should have a bachelor s degree in the arts, humanities, or science and preferably at least two years experience working in a natural resources-related field. Students seeking the SNR Graduate Certificate should take SNR 511 their first term because it explains overall Certificate Program goals. Co-requisites: Enrollment in and approval for the Certificate Program must be done before students have taken more than 6 SNR course work units. Students seeking an MS or PhD degree along with the Certificate must submit an application to the OSU Admissions Office; the University and the appropriate Department(s) approve admission to degree-seeking students. More information, including international admissions requirements, can be found at COURSE CONTENT Goals and Objectives Methods of establishing and verifying sustainable silvicultural systems will be examined, using online lectures, reading materials, and case study discussions covering both public and private forestry operations, from small family farm forests to large industrial forest holdings. Different certification systems will be examined, and students will learn how to apply them to their project area. General topic areas are: Silvicultural options for sustainable forestry Measuring and verifying environmental performance

2 MEASURABLE STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES After completing all assignments in this course, students will be able to: Acquire information and tools to integrate social, economic, and ecological objectives into sustainable silvicultural management strategies Identify linkages and interactions between various silvicultural options used to sustain forest productivity and profitability Explain several sustainable silvicultural strategies used by forest managers in various forest types around the world Use environmental performance indicators to evaluate the sustainability of various silvicultural management options Discuss the evolution and current role of forest certification in assessing sustainability of various forest management strategies Develop a Silvicultural Assessment (i.e., Report Card) of environmental performance for a specific forested parcel chosen by the student Student mastery of these outcomes will be demonstrated through weekly postings to online discussion forums and satisfactory completion of eight Discussion Papers, all of which show thoughtful synthesis of sustainable silvicultural principles from weekly lectures and readings, and submission of a final Silvicultural Assessment that integrates sustainable silvicultural principles in the analysis of a chosen project area and evaluation of the sustainability of the current management plan. EVALUATION OF STUDENT PERFORMANCE Students are expected to satisfactorily complete all course work during the 11-week academic term for which they are enrolled. Assignments The student s performance will be evaluated based on their participation in the weekly discussion board postings, including thoughtful responses to other students postings, and satisfactory wellwritten responses to weekly questions in eight one-page discussion papers. Students will be expected to demonstrate completion and thoughtful consideration of the required readings. Evaluation of the certification case study and final silvicultural assessment will be based on the student s ability to integrate sustainable silvicultural principles in the analysis of a chosen project area and to complete a well-written evaluation of the sustainability of the current management plan, using methods provided in the course materials. Additional points will be given for demonstrated understanding, synthesis and analysis of materials provided throughout the course. Grading Policy Structure A 170 points B 150 points C 120 points D > 90 points. Basis Participation in online course discussion groups Complete 8 Discussion Papers worth 10 points each Final Silvicultural Assessment (by Tuesday, Week 11) 60 points 80 points 60 points Total 200 points

3 Late work At the discretion of the instructor, late work may be penalized one full letter grade for each week an assignment is late. Extensions may be granted ahead of time, but not retroactively, for extenuating circumstances (e.g., major personal illness, family emergency). Incompletes Take this course only if you plan to finish it in a timely manner during the term. The instructor will assign an "I" or incomplete only when a student has communicated a strong and compelling case for doing so (e.g., health reasons, military commitment). The instructor will not assign an I or incomplete unless a student has completed over 50% of assigned course tasks. Missing work, such as lack of participation in online discussions, may preclude A- or A grades. If an incomplete or I is not resolved in 12 months or less, the grade becomes an F ( STATEMENT REGARDING STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES Students with documented disabilities who might need special accommodations should contact the lead instructor as early as possible but no later than the first week of the term. Accommodations are collaborative efforts between students, faculty and Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD). Students with accommodations approved through SSD are responsible for contacting the faculty member in charge of the course prior to or during the first week of the term to discuss accommodations. Students who believe they are eligible for accommodations but who have not yet obtained approval through SSD should contact SSD immediately at LINK TO STATEMENT OF EXPECTATIONS FOR STUDENT CONDUCT Academic integrity (OSU policy) Students are expected to be honest and ethical in their academic work. Intentional acts of academic dishonesty such as cheating or plagiarism may be penalized by imposing an F grade. See Plagiarism You are expected to submit your own work in all your assignments, postings to the discussion board, and other communications, and to clearly give credit to the work of others when you use it. Academic dishonesty will result in a grade of F. COURSE EVALUATION We encourage you to engage in the course evaluation process each term online, of course. The evaluation form will be available toward the end of each term, and you will be sent instructions by Ecampus. You will login to Student Online Services to respond to the online questionnaire. The results on the form are anonymous and are not tabulated until after grades are posted. COURSE CONTENT Format Participation in Online Discussions A new discussion paper topic will be posted on Blackboard each week, with instructions for posting messages and for responding to fellow students messages. Just click on the Discussion Board button in the left-hand column and select the appropriate forum for each week; initial check-ins should be made by midnight, Tuesday. In a distance education course such as this, the discussion forum is one of the most important vehicles for learning. Regular, timely and meaningful participation during the entire term counts for 60 points toward your grade (out of 200). Meaningful participation will include application of materials from the weekly reading

4 materials and lectures to the discussion topic posed each week, and thoughtful responses to other students postings. Discussion Papers Students will write eight Discussion Papers (1-2 pages each). The content of the Papers will be based on the synthesis and application of materials from each week s lectures and reading materials. The goal of the Papers is to help students prepare the various sections of their Silvicultural Assessment in an orderly fashion, using topics and material covered each week. Submit each Discussion Paper to Blackboard on or before midnight, Sunday, after each weekly topic is presented. Finishing the Discussion Papers also provides materials and insights to complete the Silvicultural Assessment. Certification Case Study Students should locate a certified forest property in their local area well in advance of the Week 9 case study interview. Contact in person is desired, but if circumstances dictate, contact may be by phone or Internet. Class Project: Environmental Performance/Silvicultural Assessment Each student will write a 6- to 8-page (double-spaced) preliminary sustainable silvicultural assessment for a forest he/she has selected. Content and goals: This assessment will include the analysis of current conditions of the site, the type of management currently being done on the site, and an assessment of the overall economic, ecological, and social sustainability of this management plan. If enrolled in the Graduate Certificate Program, this location can be the same one that the student uses for the SNR 511 and SNR 506 Case Study Project. This preliminary assessment can be used to help provide a starting point for their larger case study project in SNR 506. Final Exam There is no final exam. Instead, each student submits a final version of his/her Silvicultural Assessment, according to timelines established in Weeks 10 and 11. COURSE CONTENT Course Outline Week 1 Sustainable Silviculture Strategies Week 2 Uneven-aged Silviculture Systems Week 3 Uneven-aged Silviculture Systems (continued) Week 4 Even aged Silviculture Week 5 Plantation Silviculture Week 6 Restoration Silviculture Week 7 Monitoring Impacts of Silvicultural Practices Week 8 Forest Certification Week 9 Forest Certification-Interview Week 10 Performance Assessment of A Local Forest Week 11 Finals Week LEARNING RESOURCES Learning resources consist of online lectures, streaming video, readings, supplemental references, website links, and discussion papers that encourage critical thinking. Most materials will be provided electronically through the Oregon State University Blackboard system; log in at You should be able to read and write MSWord files and prepare figures and tables electronically.

5 Although required and additional readings contain examples from forests in a specific geographical area, they are generally applicable to other areas and forest species across the world requiring the same kind of ecological management for successful establishment, growth, tending, and harvesting. No textbook is required. Required Readings The full list of required readings is found in the detailed syllabus, which is provided to students who are enrolled in the course. Questions? We encourage your constructive criticism, suggestions, ideas, and other feedback for improving the course! Please refer to instructor contact information on the first page. Overview of the SNR Graduate Certificate Program structure SNR 511 is the introductory overview course, and SNR 506 is the capstone project course for the Certificate Program. In SNR 511, students are presented an overview of the social, economic, and ecological aspects of sustainable natural resource management. You will synthesize and apply these basic interdisciplinary principles in the creation of an outline for your project. This is the skeleton of the program. The three core courses (SNR 520, 521 and 530) provide more in-depth theory and principles of these three aspects of sustainable natural resources. The other SNR courses provide additional breadth in the nontimber aspects of SNR management, sustainable silvicultural practices and certification, reduced impact timber harvest methods, and ethical aspects of NR management. This is the 'meat' of the program, which you are expected to synthesize and apply in your capstone project in SNR 506. Each course is intended to add to your knowledge base and tool kit, which you will apply to your defined certificate project step by step as you work your way through the courses. SNR 506 is the finale, where you bring together everything you have learned in each course into an interdisciplinary approach to solving a complex natural resource management problem. There is no double-counting of any of the course assignments for any of the SNR courses. Course evaluation We encourage you to engage in the course evaluation process each term online, of course. The evaluation form will be available toward the end of each term, and you will be sent instructions by Ecampus. You will login to Student Online Services to respond to the online questionnaire. The results on the form are anonymous and are not tabulated until after grades are posted.