COURSE SYLLABUS

FOREST ECOSYSTEM ECOLOGY (FRS 5223)

FALL 2006

Instructor:                   Dr. Hal O. Liechty

Office:                         128 H.H. Chamberlin Complex

Office Hours:              M-W 11:00-12:00, T 1:00-4:00

Phone:                         460-1452         Email: Liechty@uamont.edu

Course Description:   Advance study into the structure and function of forest ecosystems including current and founding theories on energy flow, nutrient cycling, temporal change in and disturbance of ecosystems, landscape and spatial relationships, biodiversity, and anthropogenic alteration of ecosystems.

Course Objectives:    This course is designed to: 1) give students an advanced understanding of the principles and process which determine how forest ecosystems function 2) introduce new theories concerning spatial and temporal variation of ecosystems 3) discuss how application of this knowledge can be related to current problems and issues related to management of forest ecosystems such as introduction of exotic species, intensive management of monocultures, spatial and temporal patterns of forest management operations etc.

Required Text:           Principles of Terrestrial Ecosystem Ecology.  2002.  F. Stuart Chapin II, P.A. Matson, H. A. Mooney.

Texts on Reserve:     Terrestrial Ecosystems. 2001 J.D. Aber and J.M. Mellio. Academic Press 2^nd edition

Forest Ecology: A foundation for sustainable management. 1997. J.P. Kimmins  John Wiley & Sons Co. 2^nd Ed.

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:             Graduate status and one course in ecology or permission of instructor

Attendance and

Assignment Policy:    Attendance in lecture and on field trips is strictly optional.  Note:  Students will be held responsible for all material, handouts, or assignments presented in lecture and on field trips.  Critiques handed in late are accessed a 5 pt/day penalty.

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

1. Exam & Final                                    40%

2. Critique Presentation                         10%

3. Critiques & Other Assignments          50%

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.  The student must have at least a 70% or greater in the assessment portion  for each learning objective below to receive a B or better in the final grade.

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.

CHEATING:  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 critique.  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.

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

Students with Disabilities: 

It is the policy of the University of AR 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.

Contact Mary Whiting with any questions concerning the Students with Disabilities statement.

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.

Design: The majority of the classes will consist of an overall introduction to selected subject matter by the instructor followed by student led and based discussions of relevant literature.  In addition laboratory exercises that utilize computer models may also be assigned to illustrate class subject matter.  Students will be assigned reading (manuscripts, journal articles, etc.) materials periodically (potentially on a weekly or biweekly basis).  A subset of students will be required to write critique/reviews of the assigned manuscripts, journal articles, or text for that week.  Students will be responsible for emailing a copy (MS Word File) of their review to the instructor by 8:00 A.M on the day of class.  The instructor will then email a copy of the file to each person in the class and/or post a PDF file on his website prior to class.  One student who is assigned to write a critique will lead a discussion and give a presentation on the given article.  Additional assignments beyond critiques may also be added.  Grades will be based on the written critiques or other assignments (50%), exams that consist of short essay, long essay, or other materials (40%), and presentations of critiques (10%).  Essay questions derived from the readings may be assigned as a take home portion of the exam.  Students will generally be allowed to use articles and critiques provided in class for a portion of the exams.  The 90-80-70-60 (A-F) grading scale will be used for a final grade.  I

Critiques/reviews: Reviews should consist of 3 pages or more of double spaced text in addition to any graphs, tables etc. that are needed.  The top of the page should have your name and the citation for the manuscript or book chapter.  The review for the manuscripts that discuss actual studies should 1) summarize the manuscript, 2) examine and discuss the hypotheses tested and/or the manuscripts objectives, 3) comment on methods used to test hypotheses or address objectives 4) discuss accuracy of the author’s interpretation concerning hypotheses given a) information and results in manuscript b) additional relevant information or examples in other readings, literature or students personal knowledge, 5) comment on structure, organization, and clarity of manuscript.  When critiquing manuscripts that review or summarize topics rather than test hypotheses, you should summarize and discuss/or critique the objectives, purpose, ideas, concepts, conclusions, interpretations, style, clarity of the author/s.

Forest Ecosystem 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 a number scientific articles concerning forest ecosystems and ecosystem theory and then write critiques on these articles.- - The student needs to acquire a grade of 70% on these critiques.

Learning Objective 2: The student will be able to make scientific presentations related to forest ecosystem and ecological research. 

Assessment: Students will make several presentations and lead discussions concerning scientific articles related to forest ecosystems and ecosystem research theory/function. - The students need to obtain an average of 70% on these presentation evaluations.

Ecology and Biology

Learning Objective 3.  The student will obtain advanced knowledge related to forest ecosystem function, development, and characteristics including nutrient cycling, succession, energy capture/flows, and carbon sequestration in forests.

Learning Objective 4.  The student will be introduced to common methods for studying forest ecosystems and measuring ecosystem attributes such as net productivity.

Assessment:  Students will demonstrate their comprehension of materials on tests - The students need to obtain an average of 70% on all tests.

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