DEPARTMENT OF RENEWABLE RESOURCES UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA
Renewable Resources 323/722 Silviculture
2013 Syllabus
Instructor Phil Comeau Ph.D. P.Ag
Professor – Silviculture/Stand Dynamics Office: 845, General Services Bldg Telephone: 780-492-1879
Email Address: [email protected] Office Hours: by appointment
Assistants Kirk Johnson M.Sc. student
Office: 776, General Services Building Email Addresses: [email protected] Office Hours: by appointment
Term Fall
Classes MWF 10:00 to 10:50 GSB859
Labs W 14:00 to 16:50 GSB811 or GSB217 Credits 3 credits
Course Description
“Forest regeneration principles and techniques, stand tending including fertilization, thinning, pruning and drainage; harvesting systems for reforestation, nursery practices; reforestation, the law and current practices.”
Course Pre-Requisites and Co-Requisites BIOL 208 or consent of instructor.
Students are responsible for ensuring they have the necessary pre-requisites and co-requisites.
Students may be dropped before or after the course drop date if pre-requisites and co-requisites are not met. If the instructor agrees to waive a pre-requisite or co-requisite, students must fill out a form in the office of Student Services and get a signature from the instructor.
Course Format
RenR323/722 consists of lectures, labs, a mandatory field trip, some guest speakers, and assigned readings.
Lectures are intended to provide an introduction to terminology and basic principles, and to provide an opportunity for discussion. Field trips and lab sessions are intended to provide an opportunity for experiential and practical learning. Since in class time is limited, students will be expected to read assigned materials and explore other available resources. Readings, as well as lecture and lab material, will be examinable.
Course Objectives and expected outcomes
The purpose of this course is to provide you with an introduction to Silviculture with a focus on approaches for regenerating and manipulating forest stands to create various types of forests and products and for providing a range of ecosystem services and/or trees for harvesting. We will cover major terminology, major concepts, and underlying processes that influence selection and use of effective silviculture treatments.
We will focus on practices applicable to western Canadian forests (focusing on Alberta and B.C.) with examples from other areas.
An important element of silviculture is understanding key limiting factors and identifying and applying treatments to effectively overcome these limitations. We will consider silviculture as a method for increasing yield and wood quality as well as for improving (or influencing)
ecological services and non-timber values. We will also consider impacts of silviculture practices on non-timber values. At the end of this course, students should have a good general understanding of silviculture practices employed in western Canadian forests, as well as examples of practices used in other parts of the world. This will include an understanding of important factors to consider in developing effective prescriptions, and impacts and outcomes of a range of practices on timber, biodiversity and ecosystem services.
Readings
Textbook: Smith, D.M., B.C. Larson, M.J. Kelty, and P.M.S. Ashton. 1997. The Practice of Silviculture: Applied Forest Ecology. John Wiley and Sons, Inc. New York.
Optional Text: Wagner, R.G. and S.J. Columbo (editors). 2001. Regenerating the Canadian Forests. Fitzhenry & Whiteside.
Other readings (assigned and optional) will be identified during the course. These will generally be posted on the course eclass site. Assigned readings are examinable.
E-Class, Moodle, Course Website
Notes, some powerpoint presentations, reading materials, and website links will be posted on ECLASS.
Plagiarism and Cheating
The University of Alberta is committed to highest standards of academic integrity and honesty.
Students must be familiar with standards regarding academic honesty and uphold policies of the University. Academic dishonesty is a serious offence and can result in suspension or expulsion from the University.
All students at the University of Alberta are subject to the Code of Student Behaviour, as outlined in the 2013/2014 University Calendar. Students should familiarize themselves with the current version of the code and ensure they do not participate in any inappropriate behaviour as defined by it. Key components of the code specific to this course include the following statements. Plagiarism: no student shall submit the words, ideas, images or data of another person as the student’s own in any academic writing, essay, thesis, project, assignment, presentation or poster in a course or program of study. Cheating: no student shall represent another’s substantial editorial or compositional assistance on an assignment as the student’s own work. The most recent version of the Code of Student Behaviour can be found on line on the University of Alberta web site.
Students should speak with the course instructor about any questions or concerns about the code.
Students should be particularly aware of the code as it pertains to internet and library research, use of previous class notes, reports or other documents prepared by former students and interviews or discussions with others.
The Code of Student Behaviour requires students in pre professional programs to follow the Codes of Practice for those profession(s) the student plans to or is required to enter. This often is a higher standard that Code of Student Behaviour and there are potentially major consequences for students for violating the Code of Student Behaviour and the profession’s code of conduct.
The profession may impose strict membership requirements in that professional body, which could be denied with Code of Student Behaviour violations. Cheating, representing others work as your own, and dishonesty are unprofessional behavior and do not reflect well on you or on your professional colleagues.
Professionalism and Classroom Rules of Engagement Regular attendance and participation in class is expected.
Regular attendance and participation in class is expected. Please try to arrive in class on time
in a professional and courteous manner to instructors, guests and classmates. As a courtesy to others you are requested to turn off your cellphone during class.
Marking and Grading
Lab = 35% (7 lab and field trip assignments). (Due on the indicated date; 5% of assignment value deducted for each day assignments are late).
Term Paper = 20%
Midterm Exam: 15%;
Final Exam: 30%
Evaluation will be completed and expressed as raw scores. Grades will be assigned at the end of the term using the Four Point Grading System. The final grade assignment will be based on a combination of absolute achievement and relative performance. Grades are not official until approved by the Chair of the Department of Renewable Resources.
Regular attendance in lectures and labs is expected. Participation in the field trip and herbicide discussion, submission of a term paper, and completion of the midterm and final exams are mandatory (ie. failure to participate will result in a course fail). Students must complete at least 3 of the 6 lab assignments to pass. Lab assignments that are not completed will receive a mark of 0.
University of Alberta Policies and procedures will be followed for exams that must be deferred by students for health reasons. Such deferrals will only be granted when a medical certificate is provided indicating that the student was unable to take an exam at the scheduled time.
Term Paper: Each student will prepare a term paper which summarizes the current knowledge and understanding relating to a specific aspect of silviculture. Topics will be selected in
consultation with the instructor (Phil Comeau). You must provide your proposed topic, an outline and notes on the key findings from at least 3 relevant published papers to the instructor by October 16 for approval. The body of the paper should be at least 8 pages of text (2.5 cm margins on all sides, double spaced, times new roman 12 point font), and should include at least 10 references to published sources. You should follow the format and style used in the journal
“Forestry Chronicle”. Term papers are due at the start of lecture (10:00 am) November 29.
Some examples of term paper topics (you are welcome to develop other titles and ideas):
Site preparation options for establishment of white spruce (options, benefits, costs, problems).
Silvicultural options for reducing frost and winter injury.
Is thinning of aspen stands worthwhile?
Effects of mechanical site preparation on aspen.
Benefits and costs of mechanical site preparation for establishing white spruce.
Commercial thinning of lodgepole pine – benefits, costs and issues.
Impacts of silvicultural practices on wood quality
Impacts of silvicultural herbicide use on diversity of boreal plant communities.
Benefits of fertilization to lodgepole pine (or white spruce) yield Silviculture and ecosystem based forest management
Silviculture and climate change
Important dates
Lectures (MWF 10:00 – 10:50). Classroom: GSB859
Labs (W 14:00-16:50). Classroom: GSB811 or Computer Lab (GSB217) Field trips: Fawcett Lake – Saturday September 28.
Midterm Exam: Friday Oct. 11.
Term Paper title, outline and summary – Friday October 18 Term Paper: Friday November 29 (beginning of lecture).
Final Exam (Tentatively scheduled): Wednesday Dec. 11, 2013 at 09:00 am in GSB859.
RenR 323/722 – Silviculture - Lecture Schedule - 2013
(nb – order is tentative and may change; we will cover as much of this material as time allows, but may not complete all topics;)
[Textbook Chapters (Smith et al.1997) indicated in brackets]
Introduction: Course Objectives and Expectations What is Silviculture? [chapter 1]
Linking practice to objectives Regeneration
Species selection, silvics Natural [chapter 7]
Artificial [chapter 10]
Use of advanced regeneration Site Preparation [chapter 8]
Fire
Mechanical
Chemical and others
Vegetation Management [chapters 6 & 8]
Stand Density Management (precommercial and commercial thinning) [chapters 3, 4 & 5]
Fertilization [chapter 8]
Silvicultural Systems [chapter 11], BC Silvicultural Systems Handbook Even-Aged [chapters 12, 13, 14]
Uneven-Aged [chapter 15]
Retention
Continuous cover forestry [UK Forestry Commission CCF Handbook]
Mixed Species and Mixedwood Management [chapter 16] [Comeau et al. 2005]
Silviculture and Sustainable/Ecosystem Based Forest Management, Close to nature forestry, Natural Disturbance Based Forestry, Certification, …
Climate change and Silviculture
Growth and Yield Implications of Silviculture [chapter 17]
Silviculture and Economics [chapter 17]
Silviculture and Biodiversity (species and structural diversity)
RenR323/722 - Silviculture - Lab Schedule - 2013
Lab Date Topic Value Location
1 Sept. 11 Silvics and species selection 5 GSB811
Sept 18 No lab
2 Sept. 25 Natural Regeneration 5 GSB811
Sept 28 (Saturday)
Field Trip (Fawcett Lake) (Mandatory)
Depart from GSB Loading Bay at 8:00 a.m.
3 Oct 2 Regeneration Survey
assignment (from field trip)
5 GSB811
Oct 9 No lab
4 Oct. 16 Density Management and
Yield
5 Computer Lab (GSB217)
5 Oct. 23 Herbicide Discussion 5 GSB 811
6 Oct. 30 Wood Quality and Pruning
(videos and discussion)
- GSB 811
Nov 6 No lab
7 Nov. 13 Silvicultural Systems and
characterizing stand structure
5 Computer lab (GSB217)
8 Nov. 20 Mixedwood Management 5 Computer lab (GSB217)
Nov 27 No lab
The Fawcett Lake field trip on Sept. 28 will focus on limiting factors for tree regeneration, site preparation, natural regeneration (aspen, pine and spruce), regeneration/establishment surveys, competition and mixedwood stand dynamics, stand structures, and mixedwood management.
