STEPHEN F. AUSTIN STATE UNIVERSITY

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1 FOR 347 Syllabus, Spring 2012 Instructor: Dr. Jeremy Stovall Page 1 of 5 STEPHEN F. AUSTIN STATE UNIVERSITY Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture P. O. Box 6109 SFA Station Nacogdoches, TX Phone (936) Fax (936) FOR : Silviculture, Spring 2012 FOR : Silviculture Lab, Spring 2012 Course Details Instructor: Dr. Jeremy Stovall Phone: (936) stovalljp@sfasu.edu Office: 203B Forestry Office Hours: T: 9:30-noon, W: 10:00-noon Generally I maintain an open door policy. Please feel free to stop by outside of office hours, but if you are coming to campus specifically to see me it would be best to make an appointment by . Class: 8:00am 9:15am Tuesday and Thursday, Forestry 221 Lab: 2:00pm 4:50pm Thursday, Forestry 221 Course Description FOR 347. Silviculture - 3 semester hours, 2 hours lecture and 3 hours lab per week. Study of silvicultural systems, regeneration and intermediate management from ecologic and economic viewpoints. Required field trips. Prerequisites: FOR 205, FOR 209. Course fee required. Program Learning Outcomes Forestry 347 is one of the forestry core courses required of all forestry majors and thus competency is required. A minimum grade of a C must be attained or the course will have to be repeated. The course is designed to address the following Program Learning Outcomes, as given in the BSF Program Matrix: 1. Demonstrate understanding and competency of forest ecology and biology; 2. Demonstrate understanding and competency in the measurement of forest resources; 3. Demonstrate understanding and competency in managing forest resources; 4. Demonstrate understanding and competency of forest resource policy, economics, and administration. 5. Demonstrate understanding and competency in oral and written communication skills. *Items #1 - #4 above are required by the Society of American Foresters, the program s accrediting agency. *This is not a General Education Core Course Course PLO 1 Forest Ecology & Biology B.S. Forestry Program Learning Outcomes: Proficiency Levels PLO 2 Forest Resource Measurement PLO 3 Forest Resource Management PLO 4 Forest Resource Policy, Economics, Administration PLO 5 Oral & Written Communication Skills FOR 347 A A A A A A Advanced FOR 347 supports Program Learning Outcome by providing students with transitional, high level topic-specific information, activities, and opportunities that enable the students to apply their critical thinking and tactical skills to resolved increasingly challenging strategic situations.

2 FOR 347 Syllabus, Spring 2012 Instructor: Dr. Jeremy Stovall Page 2 of 5 Student Learning Outcomes Upon the completion of this course, successful students will be able to: 1. Demonstrate an understanding of stand dynamics, including concepts of stand structure, function, establishment, growth, composition, health, and quality (PLO 1). 2. Explain the ecological underpinnings and technical considerations for common intermediate and regeneration treatments that comprise modern silvicultural systems (PLO 1, 2). 3. Develop data-driven, time and space-bounded prescriptions for forest stands that consider ecological, economic, and societal aspects of management decisions in an ethical context (PLO 1,2,3,4). 4. Communicate technical material clearly to a variety of audiences using text, tables, graphs, and maps, including logical rationale supporting management decisions (PLO 5). 5. Create solutions to real-world forest management challenges by applying higher-order thinking skills to their knowledge of silviculture (PLO 1,2,3,4,5). Text and Materials Required: Smith et al. The Practice of Silviculture: Applied Forest Ecology. 9 th edition, 1997 (ISBN: ) Required: Eyre. Forest Cover Types of the US and Canada (SAF 1980) *This text comes free with an SAF membership. If you are not an SAF member, you may purchase a copy from me at cost for $5.50 (this saves you about $5 on shipping). Required: Texas Forestry Association & Texas Forest Service. Texas Forestry Best Management Practices (2010) I ll give you a free copy in class. Recommended: Oliver & Larson. Forest Stand Dynamics. Update edition, 1996 (ISBN: ) A hard hat (per college policy). Appropriate clothing and boots for the field. A clip board for taking notes in the field. A calculator capable of performing basic statistical functions. Course Website Reading quizzes, lectures, course documents, and grades will all be available on the silviculture course website, which can be found at: Course Requirements In Class Exams (Midterms and Final Exam): Will be cumulative written tests with fill-in-the-blank, shortanswer, or essay format questions which may include drawing and labeling diagrams and graphs. Question banks will be provided. While cumulative, exams will focus primarily on material since the last exam. Reading Quizzes: Reading quizzes will be taken on the course website prior to attending class. A quiz will be due at 11:59 PM local time every Monday during the course, except for weeks with an in class exam or when the instructor indicates there is no quiz. If you have any technical difficulties with the quiz, contact me BEFORE the quiz is due, or you will receive a 0. All quizzes are open-note, open-book, open internet. However, 1) you are not allowed to work with anyone via any medium (phone, ,

3 FOR 347 Syllabus, Spring 2012 Instructor: Dr. Jeremy Stovall Page 3 of 5 etc.) or discuss the quizzes with anyone who has not yet taken them, and 2) you will be given only one timed opportunity to take each quiz. Any violation of the first provision will be considered cheating. Each quiz will cover the reading assignments for that week. Readings are available in both the syllabus and on the course website in the course documents section. The questions on the quiz will not require you to exhaustively memorize material from the readings, but rather will explore broader concepts and critical-thinking regarding the readings. Nonetheless, if you don t do the readings before taking the quizzes, you probably won t do well. The final question on each quiz will be as follows: Were there any parts of the reading you did not understand? Any parts you had difficulty with? Please include any questions you have relevant to the reading. To receive credit if you do not have a question, tell me instead how some part of the reading affected how you think about silviculture. What in the reading changed your perspective? To earn credit you must at a minimum provide one question or statement that demonstrates you have thought about the assigned reading. You ll be able to spend more time on the rest of the quiz if you prepare your answer to this question in a word processer before starting the quiz then copy and paste it. Lab Reports: Lab reports will be due as indicated on the schedule below. Reports will always be due Thursday at 8:00 AM the week following each lab unless you are told otherwise. All lab reports are to be typed. The format of lab reports will vary from week to week to provide you with the technical writing skills you will need as a professional. A style manual with instructions and examples is available on the course website in the lab documents section. A lab exam will also be administered during the final lab period. Requirements will be discussed further in lab, and detailed instructions for each lab will be available in the lab documents section of the course website. Grading Policy Item Percentage Midterm Exam 1 15% Midterm Exam 2 15% Final Exam 15% Reading Quizzes 20% Lab Reports 35% COURSE GRADE 100% Percent Grade Letter Grade >89.44% A % B % C % D <59.45% F Grades will be made available on the course website throughout the semester unless enrollment is less than 10. If grades are not posted due to low enrollment, you may stop by my office whenever the door is open to get an update on your grades. I can also you a spreadsheet with your grades at any time, but only to your TITAN account. Final grades or individual assignments MAY be curved if deemed appropriate by the instructor. Applying a curve will NOT result in the lowering of any student s grade A grade of 0 will be given to all involved parties on any assignment or exam on which cheating occurs. A second instance of any type of involvement in cheating by any individual will result in an F in the course.

4 FOR 347 Syllabus, Spring 2012 Instructor: Dr. Jeremy Stovall Page 4 of 5 TENTATIVE SCHEDULE**** WEEK DATE DAY LECTURE ASSIGNMENT LAB 1 q 1/19 Thurs Introduction to Silviculture --- Succession 2 q 3 q 4 5 q 6 q 7 8 q 9 10 q 11 q 12 q q 15 q 16 1/24 Tues Introduction to Silvicultural Systems PoS*: Tree & Crown 1/26 Thurs Stand Dynamics I: Succession PoS: Classification 1/31 Tues Stand Dynamics II: Disturbances OL**: Stand 2/2 Thurs Stand Dynamics III: Stand Structure FEM paper*** Delineation 2/7 Tues Stand Dynamics IV: Ecophysiology --- Prescription 2/9 Thurs Methods of Regeneration: Introduction --- Writing 2/14 Tues Methods of Regen: Even Aged Clearcut PoS: Loblolly Pine 2/16 Thurs Methods of Regen: Even Aged Seed & Shelter PoS: Plantations 2/21 Tues Methods of Regen: Two Aged Methods --- 2/23 Thurs Methods of Regen: Uneven Aged PoS: PTAEDA 4.0 2/28 Tues MIDTERM EXAM 1 study Site Prep & 3/1 Thurs Stand Establishment: Site Prep PoS: Planting 3/6 Tues Stand Establishment: Natural Regen OL: ; PoS: Regen 3/8 Thurs Stand Establishment: Artificial Regen McKeand; PoS: Surveys 3/13 Tues 3/15 Thurs SPRING BREAK (NO CLASS OR LAB) 3/20 Tues Stand Establishment: Planting PoS: Forest 3/22 Thurs Intermediate Treatments: Competition Control PoS: Herbicides 3/27 Tues Intermediate Treatments: Thinning Methods PoS: Stocking 3/29 Thurs Intermediate Treatments: Thinning Effects PoS: Guides 4/3 Tues Intermediate Treatments: Thinning Application PoS: 47-57; /5 Thurs EASTER BREAK (NO CLASS) NO LAB 4/10 Tues MIDTERM EXAM 2 study Plantation 4/12 Thurs Intermediate Treatments: Forest Nutrition Fox Papers Thinning 4/17 Tues Silvicultural Systems: BMP s TX BMP Manual: /19 Thurs Silvicultural Systems: Forest Certification FSC & SFI Papers BMP s 4/24 Tues Silvicultural Systems: Timber Management PoS Hardwood 4/26 Thurs Silvicultural Systems: Bottomland Hardwoods I Hodges Paper Silviculture 5/1 Tues Silvicultural Systems: Bottomland Hardwoods II Meadows Paper 5/3 Thurs Silvicultural Systems: Longleaf Pine Franklin Paper LAB FINAL 17 5/8 Tues CUMULATIVE FINAL EXAM 8:00-10:00 AM study NO LAB q = Reading quiz due over that week s readings by Monday at 11:59pm *PoS = Practice of Silviculture (Smith, Larson, Kelty, & Ashton) **OL = Forest Stand Dynamics (Oliver & Larson) ***Readings not in PoS are currently available on the course website in the course documents section. ****This schedule is subject to change without notice. However, I will notify you in class and in writing or by as soon as possible of any changes to 1) exam dates, or 2) reading assignment due dates. Attendance Policy Attendance is important to successfully achieve the student learning outcomes described above. Attendance will be taken within the first 5 minutes of all classroom and lab sessions. AN UNEXCUSED LAB ABSENCE WILL RESULT IN A GRADE OF ZERO FOR THAT WEEK S ASSIGNMENT. PLEASE MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO ATTEND ALL LABS. It is university policy to excuse students from attendance for certain reasons. Among these are absences related to health, family emergencies and student participation in university-sponsored events. Students are responsible for providing documentation

5 FOR 347 Syllabus, Spring 2012 Instructor: Dr. Jeremy Stovall Page 5 of 5 satisfactory to the instructor for each class missed PRIOR to the absence. CLASS SESSION ATTENDANCE IS MANDATORY, and unexcused absences may result in lowered grades on individual assignments. Lab Safety and Conduct Policy Hardhats will be worn at all times that anyone is underneath tree-cover. Appropriate clothing, including pants and boots, is required for the labs. IF YOU ARE INAPPROPRIATELY DRESSED YOU WILL BE SENT HOME AND WILL RECEIVE A ZERO FOR THAT LAB S ASSIGNMENTS (see attendance policy above). It is at the discretion of the instructor what appropriate dress for the field is. Please do not wear sandals, tennis-shoes, sneakers, crocs, flip-flops, slippers, etc. You may also require a jacket or rain gear in the winter and drinking water during warm weather, as appropriate. Your lab will meet every week as scheduled. If we are scheduled to go to the field, then we will go, regardless of weather conditions. Come to lab appropriately dressed. Academic Integrity (A-9.1) Academic integrity is a responsibility of all university faculty and students. Faculty members promote academic integrity in multiple ways including instruction on the components of academic honesty, as well as abiding by university policy on penalties for cheating and plagiarism. Definition of Academic Dishonesty: Academic dishonesty includes both cheating and plagiarism. Cheating includes but is not limited to (1) using or attempting to use unauthorized materials to aid in achieving a better grade on a component of a class; (2) the falsification or invention of any information, including citations, on an assigned exercise; and/or (3) helping or attempting to help another in an act of cheating or plagiarism. Plagiarism is presenting the words or ideas of another person as if they were your own. Examples of plagiarism are (1) submitting an assignment as if it were one's own work when, in fact, it is at least partly the work of another; (2) submitting a work that has been purchased or otherwise obtained from an Internet source or another source; and (3) incorporating the words or ideas of an author into one's paper without giving the author due credit. Please read the complete policy at Withheld Grades Semester Grades Policy (A-54): Ordinarily, at the discretion of the instructor of record and with the approval of the academic chair/director, a grade of WH will be assigned only if the student cannot complete the course work because of unavoidable circumstances. Students must complete the work within one calendar year from the end of the semester in which they receive a WH, or the grade automatically becomes an F. If students register for the same course in future terms the WH will automatically become an F and will be counted as a repeated course for the purpose of computing the grade point average. Students with Disabilities To obtain disability related accommodations, alternate formats and/or auxiliary aids, students with disabilities must contact the Office of Disability Services (ODS), Human Services Building, and Room 325, / (TDD) as early as possible in the semester. Once verified, ODS will notify the course instructor and outline the accommodation and/or auxiliary aids to be provided. Failure to request services in a timely manner may delay your accommodations. For additional information, go to Responsible Use of Technology It is expected that all students will only use cell phones, PDAs, laptop computers, MP3 players and other technology outside of class time or when appropriate in class. Answering a cell phone, texting, listening to music or using a laptop computer for matters unrelated to the course may be grounds for dismissal from class or other penalties. Acceptable Student Behavior Classroom behavior should not interfere with the instructor s ability to conduct the class or the ability of other students to learn from the instructional program (see the Student Conduct Code, policy D-34.1). Unacceptable or disruptive behavior will not be tolerated. Students who disrupt the learning environment may be asked to leave class and may be subject to judicial, academic or other penalties. This prohibition applies to all instructional forums, including electronic, classroom, labs, discussion groups, field trips, etc. The instructor shall have full discretion over what behavior is appropriate/inappropriate in the classroom. Students who do not attend class regularly or who perform poorly on class projects/exams may be referred to the Early Alert Program. This program provides students with recommendations for resources or other assistance that is available to help SFA students succeed.