COURSE SYLLABUS

FOR 3513 - FOREST ECOLOGY

2007

Instructor:                  Dr. Hal O. Liechty

Office:                        128 H.H. Chamberlin Complex

Office Hours:             M, W 8:00-10:00, M 1:00-4:00

Phone:                        460-1452        

Email:                         Liechty@uamont.edu

Course Description:   Introduction to the role of ecology and ecological concepts in forest management.  Emphasizing ecosystems, energy and nutrient cycling, abiotic/biotic influences on ecosystem development, population ecology, and community ecology. (Two hour lecture and three hour lab each week)

Course Objectives:    The objective of the course is to introduce students to the science of ecology and develop an understanding of the role of ecology in forest management.  Students will 1) be introduced to the concepts of ecosystems and how management of forests entails management of ecosystems, 2) examine interrelationships between abiotic and biotic components in forest ecosystems, and 3) develop an understanding of spatial and temporal changes in plant communities.

Required Text:           Forest Ecology: A Foundation for Sustainable Forest Management and Environmental Ethics in Forestry. 3^rd Ed..  2004. J.P. Kimmins.  John Wiley & Sons Co.

 Supplemental Text:  Forest Ecology 1998. B.V. Barnes, D.R. Zak, S.R. Denton, and S.H Spurr. John Wiley & Sons.

                                    Forest Ecosystems.  1994. D.A. Perry, John Hopkins University Press

Prerequisites:             Junior Standing and Forest Soils (For 2264)

Attendance Policy:     Attendance in lecture and on field trips is optional.  Note:  Students will be held responsible for all material, handouts, or assignments presented in lecture and on field trips. Absences from exams (excused in advance) can be made up after consultation of the professor.  Absences from quizzes can not be made up.

Grading Policy:          Grades will be based on the content of material presented to the instructor, subject to the following:

1.  Two Exams                                     150 points

2.  Final Exam                                      100 points

3.  Labs                                                145 points

4.  Publication Reviews                         100 points

7.  Quizzes/Misc                                     60 points

                                         Total                                   555 points

Final letter grades will be calculated using the 90-80-70-60 and below percentiles (A-B-C-D-and F, respectively).The instructor reserves the right (but does not promise) to alter this scale if a consideration of the final numerical grade distribution so indicates.  To pass this course a student is required to fulfill each learning objective noted at the end of this syllabus.  However, current SFR requirements indicated a student needs a C or better in this course to graduate.

UAM will no longer mail grade reports to all students.  You may access your grades through Campus Connect on the UAM homepage, http://www.uamont.edu/.  To have your grades mailed to you, complete the grade request form available in the Registrar’s Office in Monticello or the Student Services offices in Crossett and McGehee.

 Other                          LATE ASSIGNMENT POLICY: All assignments with a specified due

Information                 date will be treated as follows:

                                    1.         Assignments handed in on or before the due date will be gladly accepted.

2.         Assignments handed in up to one week past the due date will be accepted, with an automatic deduction of 8 points per day for being late.  After this date a zero grade will be given.

CHEATING/PLAGIARISM:  All work you turn in is to be your own.  Cheating or sharing answers on exams or plagiarizing on papers is highly unprofessional and unethical.  A first offense will result in a 0 grade for the exam or paper.  A second offense will result in automatic failure of the course and a note to your permanent record.  There is no appeal of these penalties, but my decisions can be appealed, in order, to the School Dean, the Curriculum Committee, and the campus Student Equity and Grievance Committee.  See attached forms for definitions examples etc. of these terms.

Students with Disabilities:It is the policy of the University of Arkansas at Monticello to accommodate individuals with disabilities pursuant to federal law and the University’s commitment to equal educational opportunities. It is the responsibility of the student to inform the instructor of any necessary accommodations at the beginning of the course. Any student requiring accommodations should contact the Office of Special Student Services located in Harris Hall Room 120; phone 870 460-1026; TDD 870 460-1626; Fax 870 460-1926.

School of Forest Resources

University of Arkansas – Monticello Professionalism Statement

Students in the School of Forest Resources are pursuing courses of study that prepare them for careers as natural resources professionals.  Professional education is much more than technical training and encompasses professional resource education as well as general education, social science and humanities courses.  Collectively, these subjects constitute professional education. 

Since the School is dedicated to professional education rather than technical training, the faculty and staff have certain expectations of themselves and of SFR students with regard to professionalism and personal conduct in their preparation for careers in the natural resource professions.  Thus, SFR students and faculty are expected to exhibit conduct and attitudes appropriate to professionals.

Conduct and attitudes appropriate for professionals include, but are not restricted to,

1. The UA-M Code of Student Conduct published in the University catalog,

2. Attitudes appropriate for resource professionals of the 21^st Century:

            a. Respect for others and for their ideas;

            b. Appreciation for ethnic and gender diversity in the workplace;

            c. Sensitivity to environmental quality;

            d. Adherence to professional ethics, e.g. the Society of American Foresters Code of Ethics.

 Instructors reserve the right to reduce student grades or withdraw the student from class for unprofessional behavior.

 Disorderly conduct or disruptive behavior will not be tolerated in the School of Forest Resources. Such conduct may result in dismissal from classes.

Forest Ecology Learning Objectives

Communications

Learning Objective 1: The student will be able to adequately read, summarize, and analyze professional written ecological literature (journals etc.) related to forest ecosystems and communities.  

Assessment: Students are required to read and write a review/summary of two journal articles related to forest ecology- - The students need to acquire a grade of 70% on at least one of the two reviews/summaries to demonstrate competency.

Learning Objective 2: The student will be able to adequately summarize and analyze ecological information collected in the field.  In addition they will be able to apply ecological concepts to explain variation in forest characteristics and ecosystem attributes. - The students need to acquire a grade of 60% on laboratory reports.

Ecology and Biology

Learning Objective 3.  The student will obtain a basic knowledge of forest ecosystem function including nutrient cycling, stand development, energy capture/flows, and carbon sequestration in forests.  Students will .

1. Be able to distinguish, describe, and/or classify trophic levels and broad trophic categories.

2. Be able to distinguish between grazing and detritus food webs

3. Know and describe the five attributes associated with ecosystems

4. Be able to list and describe losses associated with a primary production model.

5. Understand impacts of water and nutrient availability on carbon balances in plants and to rank the relative sink strengths of different tree components.

6. Understand how leaf litter quality, C:N ratios, and complex carbon molecules (lignin, cellulose, and proteins/simple sugars) impact leaf and litter decomposition.

7. Be able to determine nutrient deficiencies using published critical concentrations for loblolly pine and indicate concentrations associated with luxury consumption and toxic accumulation given information on concentrations and % maximum forest production graphs.

8. Be able delineate differences in the spatial and temporal components of geochemical, biogeochemical, and biochemical nutrient cycling

9. Be able to indicate varying fluxes and components of the biochemical cycle.

10. Be able to describe the temporal changes in soil supply, remobilization, potential use, and actual use of nutrients following stand level disturbance.

11. List and describe the four forest stand developmental phases and to describe density dependent regulation in forests.

12. Know what the three major categories in ecological change with time and be able describe differences in secondary and primary succession

-  - The students need accomplish 9 out of 12 of these objectives.

Learning Objective 4.  Be able to calculate important ecological indices and parameters.

1. Ecological and economic production terms 4 of the following (yield, crop, standing crop, biomass, production, and productivity)

2. Growth efficiency and leaf area index

3. Species richness and Jarccards Similarity Index.

- - The students need accomplish 2 out of 3 of these objectives.

Learning Objective 4.  The student will learn how trees and forest ecosystems are affected by abiotic components in forest ecosystems as well as how trees adapt to variations in these components (including fire, solar radiation, moisture, and temperature).

1. Students will be able to explain how the compensation point and saturation point of a photosynthetic light saturation curve differs between shade tolerant and intolerant tree species; in addition they will be able to explain how these differences are a competitive advantage for these species.

2. Students will understand the relationship between temperature and gross photosynthesis, net photosynthesis, and respiration of foliage.

3. Students will be able to indicate tree adaptations to moisture excess and deficits.

4. Students will understand how fire can alter soils physically and chemically.

5. Students will be able to describe the plant adaptations to fire.

- - The students need accomplish 4 out of 5 objectives.

[bottom.htm]