FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT FALL 2017 SCHOOL OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND THE ENVIRONMENT UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

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1 FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT FALL 2017 SCHOOL OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND THE ENVIRONMENT UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN COURSE No.: NRE 547 FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT INSTRUCTOR: Inés Ibáñez Dana 2546 OFFICE HOURS: Tuesdays 12-2 pm (Dana 2546) GSI: Ben Lee MEETING TIMES: Lectures Tuesday & Thursday 11:00 am 12 pm, Dana 1024 Labs Thursdays 12-4 pm, Saginaw forest & Dana 3038 COURSE DESCRIPTION: In this course, we will use ecological concepts as they apply to forests in the context of current forest ecological research and forest management. We will study the biological and ecological basis behind the current challenges forest ecosystems face under global change (i.e., climate change, landscape fragmentation, pollution, introduced species). We will also review the role and impact of humans on these communities, focusing on the services forests ecosystems provide and the emergence of urban ecology. Part of the course will involve developing forest research and management plans, in which we will apply the concepts reviewed in both lecture and lab to real world problems. Students will have the choice to work on their plans as either a research project or a management project. Each student will present a management/research plan during the presentation sessions scheduled at the end of the semester. Labs will consist of field trips to Saginaw forest during the first half of semester and computer labs during the second half. Data collected in the field will be processed in the lab and analyzed during the computer labs. Field labs will focus on learning various sampling design and data collection techniques. Computer labs will focus on the implementation of basic statistical analysis and models in R to the analysis of field data. The lab exercises will involve assessment of forest biodiversity, estimation of tree species biomass and demographic parameters, and measurement of forest carbon pools. COURSE OBJECTIVES: By the end of course, students will have an understanding of the concepts, components, mechanisms and processes that shape forests, and will be able to apply this knowledge to a variety of contexts (e.g., management, recreation, conservation, research). In addition, students will have gained skills in reading comprehension, synthesis, scientific presentation, field techniques, and basic modeling skills. 1

2 PREREQUISITES: Students taking this course are expected to have a background in general ecology and have mastered the basic principles in ecology. CLASS SCHEDULE Day September 5 September 7 September 12 September 14 September 19 September 21 September 26 September 28 October 3 October 5 October 10 October 12 October 17 October 19 Topic BASIC CONCEPS Course introduction Forests ecosystems (Boreal, Northern temperature, Tropical and Managed forest) I Forests ecosystems (Boreal, Northern temperature, Tropical and Managed forest) II Forests ecosystems (Boreal, Northern temperature, Tropical and Managed forest) III Sampling design Evaluating forest conditions Forest Soils I Forest Soils II Energy and nutrients-biogeochemical cycling Energy and nutrients-primary production and allocation FOREST DISTURBANCES Disturbances: Insects, Wind and Fire I Disturbances: Insects, Wind and Fire II Management/Research plan 1 due11:00 am Midterm exam FALL BREAK Succession and gap dynamics Using natural disturbance dynamics in management 2

3 October 24 October 26 October 31 November 2 November 7 November 9 November 14 November 16 November 21 November 23 November 28 MANAGEMENT Forest biodiversity, an ecological indicator Preserving ecosystem integrity and Sustainable management Natural regeneration after harvesting and Forest Degradation REDD+ and Forest Restoration Wildlife management in forest ecosystems GLOBAL CHANGE Climate change I Climate change II Fragmentation Pollution Management/Research plan 2 due 11:00 am THANKSGIVING Invasive species November 30 December 5 December 7 December 12 December 14 Urban Forests Guest lecture: Bill Banzhaf former president of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, former executive vice-president of the Society of American Foresters FOREST MODELS Forest Models Presentations Final Management/Research plan due 6:00 pm LAB SCHEDULE *Saginaw Forest: Day Topic September 7 LAB: No lab this week 3

4 September 14 September 21 September 28 October 5 October 12 October 19 October 26 November 2 November 9 November 16 November 23 November 30 December 7 LAB 1*: Getting to know our study site - Saginaw Forest Experimental and sampling design LAB 2*: Diversity survey LAB 3*: Forest structure and composition LAB 4*: Stand measurements LAB 5*: Carbon estimates I LAB 6*: Carbon estimates II LAB 7*: Growth and yield Forest Stewardship Plan Writing Workshop by Mike Smalligan (DNR) Starting at 1 pm. LAB 8: Analysis of Diversity Data LAB 9: Stand summary: structure, age, spatial arrangement, productivity THANKSGIVING LAB 10: Carbon estimates LAB 11: Growth and forecasting productivity GRADING Grading will be based on class participation, three management/research reports distributed along the semester, an oral presentation on the case studies, lab reports, and a midterm exam: * class participation 10% * oral presentation 10% * midterm exam 15% * lab reports 20% * management/research plan 1 10% * management/research plan 2 15% * final management/research plan 3 20% -Class participation: students questions and comments are encouraged during the lectures and after the oral presentations. Class participation includes attendance and knowledge of the assigned lecture readings and the submission of presentations feedback. 4

5 - The management/research plan will reflect real-world situations and students will have to use the theoretical and applied concepts reviewed during the lectures and labs to develop a research project or a management plan. A week before each due date we will review the guidelines for writing management/research plans. Management/research plans will be due on: October 10, November 22, December Students are expected to give an individual oral presentation, ~5-10 minutes, on their management/research plans. After each session of presentation we will have a roundtable discussion on the topics. A week before the start of the presentations we will review the guidelines for presenting management/research plans. - Lab materials will be posted the Friday before the lab period. Lab reports will due a week from the end of the lab. -The final exam will consist of the submission of the final management/research plan, and will be due at the assigned day and time. December 14 6:00 pm. HONOR CODE All students are expected to abide to the University of Michigan SNRE Honor Code. Plagiarism will result in direct failure of the course. Plagiarism includes: 1) the direct use of any written material (e.g., books, journals, internet) without proper quotations and citation or 2) the submission of a document, in part or wholly authored by someone other than the student. REFERENCE MATERIAL Avery, T.E. and Burkhart, H.E Forest Measurements. McGraw-Hill. Bardgett, R.D. and Wardle, D.A Aboveground-belowground linkages. Oxford University Press, Oxford. ISBN: Barnes, B. V., Zak, D.R., Denton, S.R. and Spurr, S.H Forest Ecology 4 th Edition. John Wiley and Sons, Inc. New York, NY. ISBN: Bettinger, P., Boston, K., Siry, J.P. and Grebner, D.L Forest Management and Planing. Elsevier, Amsterdam. Clout, M.N. and Williams, P.A. (eds.) Invasive Species Management. Oxford University Press, New York, NY. ISBN: Coomes, D.A., Burslem, D. F.R.P. and Simonson, W.D Forests and Global Change. Cambridge University Press, New York. ISBN Davis, M Invasion Biology. Oxford University Press, New York, NY. ISBN:

6 Dickmann, D.I. and Leefers, L.A The forests of Michigan. The University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor. ISBN: Forman, R.T.T Urban Ecology: Science of Cities. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. ISBN: Kimmens, J.P Forest Ecology: a foundation for sustainable management 3 rd Edition. Prentice Hall. Upper Saddle River, NJ. ISBN: Landsberg, J., and R. Waring Forests in Our Changing World: New Principles for Conservation and Management. Island Press, Washington, D.C., U.S.A. 224 pp. ISBN Larocque, G. R. (Edtor) Ecological forest management handbook. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL. ISBN: Lucka M. and Godbold D.L Soil Ecology in Northern Forests. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. ISBN: Marzluff, J.M. et al. (eds.) Urban Ecology. Springer, New York, NY. ISBN: McEvoy, T.J Positive Impact Forestry. Island Press, Washington, D.C. Newton, A.C Forest ecology and conservation. Oxford University Press, Oxford. ISBN: Peh, K., Corlet, R. and Begeron, Y. (Edtors) Routledge handbook of forest ecology. Routledge, New York. ISBN: Perry, D.A Forest Ecosystems. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore. ISBN: X Ruxton, G.D. and Colegrave, N Experimental design for the life sciences. Oxford University Press, Oxford. ISBN: Smith, D.M., Larson, B.C., Kelty, M.J. and Ashton, P.M.S The practice of siviculture: applied forest ecology. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. New York. Thomas, P.A. and Packham, J.R Ecology of woodlands and forests. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge, UK. ISBN: Turner, M.G., Gardner, R.H. and O Neill, R.V Landscape Ecology: in theory and practice, pattern and process. Springer, New York. 6

7 Villard, M-A., Jonsson, B.G. (eds.) Setting Conservation Targets for Managed Forest Landscapes. Cambridge University Press, New York, NY. ISBN: Warning, R.H. and Running, S.W Forests Ecosystems 3 rd Edition. Elseiver Academic Press. San Diego, CA. ISBN: LINKS TO GUIDES ON FOREST MANAGEMENT PLANS Michigan: Private owners: Florida: Utah: Oregon: Urban: Urban: 7