Forestry: Nat Res Ecol and Assessment 1

Basic, essential field and assessment skills; knowledge needed in upper-level classes and jobs in forestry, wildlife, fisheries, or natural resources.

Must register for a lab A01-A02; Course fee: $30.00 PACE students by permission and override

How do I measure how tall a trees is, what its diameter is, and how much carbon it is sequestering? How do I adjust the declination on my compass so I can find my way around while out in nature? How does the scale work on a map? How do I measure soil pH and determine the proportion of sand, silt and clay in it? Or how do I determine if a habitat is suitable for a particular wildlife species? In this class, Natural Resource Ecology and Assessment-I, you get to learn and practice all of that with hands-on weekly outdoor labs. We also learn how to use a variety of tools for carrying out measurements necessary to answer ecological questions and questions related forestry, wildlife, and natural resource. Using our own measurements, we will also learn how to do some basic data management and calculate various summary statistics using a variety of spreadsheet functions. We will study the primary rules of experimental design and at the end of the semester you will design and conduct your own mini-study!

COURSE DESCRIPTION: the purpose of this course is to help you develop basic, essential skills and knowledge needed in upper-level classes and jobs in forestry, wildlife, fisheries, or natural resources. LEARNING OUTCOMES: by the end of the course, you will have gained: 1) proficiency in the use of common measurement and mapping methods and tools, 2) understanding of the basics of sampling design and descriptive statistics, 3) knowledge of terminology and concepts specific to the ecology of terrestrial and aquatic systems. There is no required text for this course (all reading material will be provided).

The final grade is based on two exams, assignments, lab reports, a lab practical test on the use of various tools, quizzes, activities, discussion and participation.