Forest Resources Management

Transcription

1 Forest Resources Management 1 Forest Resources Management Bachelor of Science in Forestry - Forest Resource Management Major This curriculum is designed to prepare graduates for a career in the management of forests and associated natural resources. In forestry, we face growing demands for wood products along with increasing public consciousness of the value of wild lands for recreation, wildlife habitat, watershed protection, aesthetics, and environmental protection. Our curriculum is designed to provide a balanced but business-centered approach to forest management. The major emphasis is on management and utilization of timber resources, but we also orient students to management of forests for recreation, wildlife, and water. We also stress the importance of forest ecology, environmental protection, and aesthetic qualities in forest management. Curriculum Structure We are accredited by the Society of American Foresters and require the completion of 120 credit hours of coursework. Required courses include biological, physical, and social sciences, English composition, communication, mathematics, forest science and management, and liberal studies. We require a five-week summer field practice; this period, along with laboratories in several of many of our courses, provides ample opportunity to gain field experience. Overall, we have designed the curriculum to provide the needed blend of scientific, technical, and managerial knowledge professionals need to manage public or private forest resources. Elective hours are used to develop additional professional competence in specialized areas. Once students meet the two-year experience requirement, they are qualified to be a registered forester in the state of West Virginia. Students can also minor in Arboriculture, Recreation, Wildlife Management, or Wood Science among the many minors available throughout the University. Career Opportunities Our graduates find a variety of career opportunities. Many are professional foresters with governmental agencies, such as the U.S.D.A. Forest Service and state forestry services, and many others are employed by private wood industries such as lumber and wood products companies and pulp and paper companies. Many of our graduates work in private forestry consulting or have chosen a career in urban forestry. Other employment opportunities include careers in vegetation management as well as natural resources managers for oil and gas companies in the Appalachian region. In addition, a significant number of our students go on to graduate school, studying a wide range of scientific and technical specializations to prepare them for research, teaching, or advanced managerial careers. As a graduate professional forester, you could expect to do field work such as estimating the volume and value of areas of timberland, planning and supervising timber harvesting operations, and doing forest protection work including fire, insect, and disease control. Managerial work would include planning timber crop rotations; evaluating the economics of alternative forest management plans; and planning for integration of forest land for recreation, timber, watershed, wildlife, and environmental protection. With experience and proven performance in these activities, professional foresters often advance to executive management positions in public forestry agencies or forest products industries. Click here to view the Suggested Plan of Study (p. 3) GENERAL EDUCATION FOUNDATIONS Please use this link to view a list of courses that meet each GEF requirement. ( NOTE: Some major requirements will fulfill specific GEF requirements. Please see the curriculum requirements listed below for details on which GEFs you will need to select. General Education Foundations F1 - Composition & Rhetoric 3-6 ENGL 101 & ENGL 102 or ENGL 103 Introduction to Composition and Rhetoric and Composition, Rhetoric, and Research Accelerated Academic Writing F2A/F2B - Science & Technology 4-6 F3 - Math & Quantitative Skills 3-4 F4 - Society & Connections 3 F5 - Human Inquiry & the Past 3 F6 - The Arts & Creativity 3 F7 - Global Studies & Diversity 3 F8 - Focus (may be satisfied by completion of a minor, double major, or dual degree) 9 Total Hours Please note that not all of the GEF courses are offered at all campuses. Students should consult with their advisor or academic department regarding the GEF course offerings available at their campus.

2 2 Forest Resources Management CURRICULUM REQUIREMENTS The Writing and Communications Skills requirement in the FRM curriculum is fulfilled through the different major courses that FRM students are required to take, as well as in FRM elective courses. Most of these FMAN courses (e.g., FMAN 212, FMAN 222, FMAN 311, FMAN 320, FMAN 330, FMAN 423, FMAN 433, FMAN 434) have significant writing components where students are required to prepare full technical reports like laboratory reports, management plan write-ups, and other writing assignments. Most of these writing requirements provide a feedback mechanism to students writing (e.g., reports are corrected then given back to students for revisions). In addition to addressing the writing skills of students, some of these courses also require students to deliver oral presentations, particularly in the capstone course (FMAN 434). Major in Forest Resources Management Requirements A minimum GPA of 2.0 is required for all Forest Resources Management major courses. Any required FOR, FMAN, or FHYD course must be completed with a final grade of C- or better. Some major requirements will fulfill specific GEF requirements. Please see curriculum requirements listed below for details on which additional GEF you will need to select. FOR 101 Careers in Natural Resources Management 1 1 or WVUE 191 ENGL 101 & ENGL 102 or ENGL 103 First Year Seminar Introduction to Composition and Rhetoric 6 and Composition, Rhetoric, and Research * Accelerated Academic Writing Choose from one of the following: 4 BIOL 101 & BIOL 103 BIOL 115 General Biology and General Biology Laboratory Principles of Biology Choose from one of the following: 4 CHEM 111 CHEM 115 Survey of Chemistry Fundamentals of Chemistry ECON 201 Principles of Microeconomics 3 Choose from one of the following: 3 MATH 126A MATH 126B MATH 126C College Algebra 5-Day (or) College Algebra 4-Day (or) College Algebra 3-Day MATH 150 Applied Calculus 3 STAT 211 Elementary Statistical Inference 3 COMM 104 Public Communication 3 AGRN 202 Principles of Soil Science 3 AGRN 203 Principles of Soil Science Laboratory 1 Choose from one of the following: 4 ENTO 470 PPTH 470 Forest Pest Management Forest Pest Management FHYD 444 Watershed Management 3 FMAN 212 Forest Ecology 3 FMAN 222 Forest Mensuration 4 FMAN 311 Silvicultural Systems 4 FMAN 330 Principles of Forestry Economics 4 FMAN 400 Forest Resources Management Field Practice 6 FMAN 433 Forest Management 3 FMAN 434 Forest Resources Management Planning (Capstone Experience) 3 FOR 205 Dendrology 3 FOR 206 Winter Dendrology 1 Choose from one of the following: 3 FOR 240 CS 101 Introduction to Computing in Natural Resources Intro to Computer Applications FOR 326 Remote Sensing of Environment 3 FOR 421 Renewable Resources Policy and Governance 3 FOR 438 Human Dimensions Natural Resource Management 3

3 Forest Resources Management 3 PLSC 206 Principles of Plant Science 4 WDSC 223 Wood Anatomy and Structure 3 WDSC 232 Wood Grading and Procurement 3 WDSC 422 Harvesting Forest Products 3 WMAN 234 Forest Wildlife Management 3 Restricted Electives 14 FMAN 315 FMAN 251 FMAN 320 FMAN 322 FMAN 413 FMAN 423 FMAN 440 FMAN 450 FMAN 490 FMAN 491 FMAN 496 FOR 140 FOR 340 FOR 424 FOR 425 FOR 426 FOR 470 FOR 491 FOR 495 Survey of Arboriculture Forest Fire Protection Arboriculture and Urban Trees Advanced Forest Measurements Regional Silviculture Urban Forest Management Forestry Consulting Forest Valuation and Investment Teaching Practicum Professional Field Experience Senior Thesis West Virginia's Natural Resources (also fulfills GEF 8 requirement) Natural Resource Entrepreneurship Vegetation of West Virginia Global Forest Resources Global Forest Resources Practicum Problems in Forestry, Wood Science, Wildlife, or Recreation Professional Field Experience Independent Study GEF 6 and 7 6 Total Hours 120 * ENGL 101 and 102 will fulfill 6 credits of GEF 1 requirement. Choosing ENGL 103 will also fulfill 3 credits of GEF 1 requirement. If ENGL 103 is chosen, the student must also choose another 3 credits of ENGL writing course to fulfill the 6 credits ENGL requirements for the FRM curriculum. SUGGESTED PLAN OF STUDY First Year Fall Hours Spring Hours ENGL 101 (GEF 1) 3 PLSC Choose one of the following (GEF 2): BIOL 101 & BIOL MATH 150 (GEF 8) 3 FOR 240 or CS BIOL 115 FRM Elective 3 Choose one of the following (GEF 8): CHEM 111 CHEM 115 FOR 101 or WVUE Choose one of the following (GEF 3): MATH 126A MATH 126B MATH 126C 4 GEF

4 4 Forest Resources Management Second Year Fall Hours Spring Hours ENGL 102 (GEF 1) 3 FMAN FOR ECON 201 (GEF 4) 3 STAT 211 (GEF 8) 3 WMAN FMAN FOR GEF 7 3 FRM Elective 3 Third Year Fall Hours Spring Hours Summer Hours FMAN FMAN FMAN WDSC AGRN FOR AGRN FRM Elective 3 WDSC Fourth Year FOR FRM Elective Fall Hours Spring Hours FMAN ENTO 470 or PPTH FOR FMAN WDSC COMM 104 (GEF 5) 3 FHYD FRM Elective 2 Total credit hours: 120 Major Learning Goals FOREST RESOURCES MANAGEMENT Students graduating from the Forest Resources Program should be able to: Knowledge Describe, identify, and quantify forest ecosystem resources across different parts of the central Appalachian region and different biomes. Comprehension Describe the assemblages of flora and fauna across the landscape and identify patterns and potential impacts of management and restoration activities as they relate to freshwater ecosystem services (water quality, quantity, habitat), soils, and ecological principles. Explain ecological processes, including the effects of human impacts, as they pertain to the sustainable forest management. Application Develop and evaluate forest management alternatives based on knowledge from forest mensuration, silviculture, forest ecology, forest economics, forest hydrology and soils, and forest policy. Quantify forest resources and predict future growth using growth and yield models. Synthesis Develop a forest management plan for forest landowners. Prepare and present forest management plan recommendations through technical writing and oral presentation. FMAN 212. Forest Ecology. 3 Hours. PR: FOR 205. Forest and environment factors; site and type characteristics. FMAN 222. Forest Mensuration. 4 Hours. PR: MATH 155 and STAT 211. Estimating volume and growth of trees and forest stands with emphasis on the mathematical and statistical techniques involved. Laboratories include practical field experience.

5 Forest Resources Management 5 FMAN 251. Forest Fire Protection. 2 Hours. Prevention, detection, and control of wildfires. Forest fuels, fire weather, and wildfire behavior. Use of fire for forest management purposes. FMAN 293. Special Topics. 1-6 Hours. PR: Consent. Investigation of topics not covered in reqularly scheduled courses. FMAN 311. Silvicultural Systems. 4 Hours. PR: FOR 205 and ((FMAN 212 and FMAN 222)or WMAN 313). The theory and practice of controlling forest stand establishment, composition, structure, and growth. Systems include: reproduction methods, release operations, and intermediate treatments. Pre-requisite(s) and/or co-requisite(s) may differ on regional campuses. FMAN 315. Survey of Arboriculture. 1 Hour. PR: HORT 260 or FOR 205. A self-study seminar that surveys the principles and practices involved in the field of arboriculture with major emphasis on the urban landscape. FMAN 320. Arboriculture and Urban Trees. 3 Hours. This course will discuss the biology and management (selection, installation, maintenance and preservation) of landscape trees. Students will learn how to prune, install, evaluate risk and preserve individual trees in the landscape. FMAN 322. Advanced Forest Measurements. 3 Hours. PR: FMAN 222 or equivalent. Measurement and computer simulation of forest growth; principles of growth and yield; statistical methods applied to forest measurement problems. FMAN 330. Principles of Forestry Economics. 4 Hours. PR: (ECON 201 or ARE 150) and ECON 202. Production, distribution and use of forest goods and services. Emphasis on methods and problem solving techniques in the economic aspects of forestry. FMAN 400. Forest Resources Management Field Practice. 6 Hours. PR: CE 200 and FMAN 322. Application and study of forest management practices with emphasis on field problems, including a one-week trip to observe forestry outside the Appalachian hardwood region. (Course will be taught during five consecutive six-day weeks.). FMAN 413. Regional Silviculture. 3 Hours. PR: FMAN 212 and PR or CONC: FMAN 311 or FOR 310 and Forestry major or consent. Jajor forest types of the United States; their composition, management, problems, and silvicultural treatment. FMAN 423. Urban Forest Management. 3 Hours. We will discuss the management of trees in the developed landscape. The focus will include trees growing along city streets, residential landscapes, parks and corporate/academic campus. FMAN 433. Forest Management. 3 Hours. PR: FMAN 400 and FMAN 311 and FMAN 330. Principles of sustained yield forest management: organization of forest areas, selection of management objectives, application of silvicultural systems, and regulation of cut. Principles of sustainable forestry and ecosystem management. FMAN 434. Forest Resources Management Planning. 3 Hours. PR: FMAN 322 and FMAN 400 and FMAN 311 and PR or CONC: (ENTO 470 or PPTH 470) and FMAN 330. Integrated planning of long-term management of forest resources. Development of a management plan for an actual forest tract. Emphasis on biological, social, economic and ethical considerations in decision-making. FMAN 440. Forestry Consulting. 3 Hours. PR: FMAN 311 and FMAN 330 or consent. The application of forest management principals and business concepts to the consulting forestry profession. Topics include: natural resource inventories, timberland appraisals, timber sale administration, and forest management planning. FMAN 450. Forest Valuation and Investment. 3 Hours. PR: FMAN 330. Asset valuation concepts, with special emphasis on forests. Financial analyses of forest operations. Concepts and strategies in forestland investment and portfolio management. FMAN 490. Teaching Practicum. 1-3 Hours. PR: Consent. Teaching practice as a tutor or assistant. FMAN 491. Professional Field Experience Hours. PR: Consent. (May be repeated up to a maximum of 18 hours.) Prearranged experiential learning program, to be planned, supervised, and evaluated for credit by faculty and field supervisors. Involves temporary placement with public or private enterprise for professional competence development. FMAN 493. Special Topics. 1-6 Hours. PR: Consent. Investigation of topics not covered in regularly scheduled courses. FMAN 494. Seminar. 1-3 Hours. PR: Consent. Presentation and discussion of topics of mutual concern to students and faculty. FMAN 496. Senior Thesis. 1-3 Hours. PR: Consent.

6 6 Forest Resources Management FMAN 498. Honors. 1-3 Hours. PR: Students in Honors Program and consent by the honors director. Independent reading, study or research.