Module DXX-2010:
Forest and Woodland Management

Module Facts

Run by School of Natural Sciences

20.000 Credits or 10.000 ECTS Credits

Semester 2

Organiser: Dr James Walmsley

Overall aims and purpose

This module develops students' understanding of: modern concepts of sustainable forest management (SFM), the criteria and indicators used to determine whether or not forests are being managed sustainably, and the operation of forest certification schemes to provide independent verification of SFM. Particular emphasis is placed on two of the criteria of SFM: (1) maintenance and enhancement of forest resources; (2) maintenance and encouragement of productive functions of forests. In relation to (1), students will be able to develop and apply their theoretical understanding of and practical skills in remote and ground-based methods of forest inventory; in relation to (2), they will be able to propose forest management interventions that comply with relevant standards, guidelines and legislation. Introduction to key aspects of forest and woodland management, including forest economics, landscape design, forest valuation and timber markets.

Course content

Sustainable forest management: history, modern concepts and definitions; criteria and indicators of sustainable forest management; sustainable forest management in the UK - the UK Forestry Standard. Forest certification: history and principles of certification; certification schemes operating in Europe; forest certification in the UK - the UK Woodland Assurance Standard. UK Forestry Standard. Forest resource assessment: desk-based, remote sensing and ground-based methods; inventory planning and forest sampling. Productive functions of forests: estimation of standing timber resources and growing stock. Key influences of forest and woodland management, including societal expectations, international agreements, historical and cultural factors, environmental concerns, site-specific issues, economics, markets and legislation. Students taking this module are required to use various specialist software packages, for which appropriate support and guidance will be made available.

Assessment Criteria

threshold

Grade D- to D+ Students will show some understanding of the meaning and some understanding of the practices of sustainable forest management. They will be able to define sustainable forest management and identify some of the criteria and indicators of sustainable forest management, and be able to describe the main schemes of forest certification.
They can prescribe an appropriate silvicultural intervention to achieve a desired management outcome, but their descriptions of interventions may be incomplete or inaccurate in places. They have passing familiarity with forest operations in temperate plantations and understand that these operations may cause environmental damage. They will be able to demonstrate how certain environmental, economic and / or societal constraints influence and / or determine forest management decisions. They can demonstrate some limited understanding of how maps, tools, techniques and other types of evidence can be used to inform decisions relating to the management of forests and woodlands.

good

Grade C- to B+ Students will be able to demonstrate a thorough understanding of the meaning and practice of sustainable forest management. They will be able to explain the meaning of sustainable forest management, and identify most of the criteria and indicators of sustainable forest management. They will be able to describe and compare the main schemes of forest certification. They can prescribe an appropriate silvicultural intervention to achieve a desired management outcome. They have an understanding of forest operations in temperate plantations and the ways in which these can cause environmental damage. They will be able to demonstrate, through the use of appropriate text and maps, how a number of environmental, economic and / or societal constraints influence and / or determine forest management decisions.

excellent

Grade A- and above Students will have a comprehensive understanding of the meaning and practice of sustainable forest management. They will demonstrate excellent knowledge of the literature, creative application of the material and a capacity for synthesis. They will be able to explain the meaning of sustainable forest management and evaluate the criteria and indicators of sustainable forest management. They will be able to describe in detail, compare and evaluate the main schemes of forest certification. They will be able to explain in detail the ways in which economic methods are used to make forest management decisions, describe how the methods are applied in different situations, and evaluate their effectiveness. They can prescribe appropriate silvicultural interventions to achieve a range of desired management outcomes using a wide range of relevant tools, techniques and evidence. They will demonstrate expert command of the use of maps and other types of evidence required for decision-making relating to the management of forests and woodlands. They will have a full understanding of forest operations, the ways in which these can cause environmental damage and the ways in which these effects can be minimised. They will be able to demonstrate, through the use of appropriate maps, text, diagrams and figures, how relevant environmental, economic and / or societal constraints influence and / or determine forest management decisions. They will be able to refer to relevant legislation, standards, guidelines and certification schemes, and demonstrate full appreciation of how these determine forest management decisions. Documents and reports will be fully referenced and formatted using standard academic protocols.

Learning outcomes

  1. Describe (i) the operational practices used in the management of temperate forests and (ii) how their environmental effects can be minimised.

  2. Describe the different forest certification schemes operating in Europe, evaluate their merits and disadvantages and discuss how they influence the management of forests and woodlands.

  3. Explain the meaning of sustainable forest management and be able to debate and discuss the ways in which it can be defined, achieved, assessed and monitored.

  4. Be able to use a wide range of tools (including GIS and remote sensing, ESC and Forest Yield), techniques (including forest inventory) and evidence to prescribe a silvicultural intervention and / or proposal, which fully complies with relevant standards, guidelines and legislation, to achieve (a) desired management objective(s).

Assessment Methods

Type Name Description Weight
EXAM Exam 30.00
GROUP PRESENTATION Forest and Woodland Management Presentation 20.00
WRITTEN PLAN Silvicultural intervention 40.00
REPORT Forest and Woodland Economics Scenarios 10.00

Teaching and Learning Strategy

Hours
Private study

Private and guided self-study

 158
Lecture

7 lectures of either 1 or 2 hour duration.

 10
Fieldwork

2 x all day field visits

 16
Group Project

2 hour student-led presentations (assessed)

 2
Seminar

12 hours of seminars

 7
Practical classes and workshops

IT sessions (GIS, Forest Yield, economics spreadsheets)

 7

Transferable skills

  • Literacy - Proficiency in reading and writing through a variety of media
  • Numeracy - Proficiency in using numbers at appropriate levels of accuracy
  • Computer Literacy - Proficiency in using a varied range of computer software
  • Self-Management - Able to work unsupervised in an efficient, punctual and structured manner. To examine the outcomes of tasks and events, and judge levels of quality and importance
  • Exploring - Able to investigate, research and consider alternatives
  • Information retrieval - Able to access different and multiple sources of information
  • Inter-personal - Able to question, actively listen, examine given answers and interact sentistevely with others
  • Critical analysis & Problem Solving - Able to deconstruct and analyse problems or complex situations. To find solutions to problems through analyses and exploration of all possibilities using appropriate methods, rescources and creativity.
  • Safety-Consciousness - Having an awareness of your immediate environment, and confidence in adhering to health and safety regulations
  • Presentation - Able to clearly present information and explanations to an audience. Through the written or oral mode of communication accurately and concisely.
  • Teamwork - Able to constructively cooperate with others on a common task, and/or be part of a day-to-day working team
  • Argument - Able to put forward, debate and justify an opinion or a course of action, with an individual or in a wider group setting
  • Self-awareness & Reflectivity - Having an awareness of your own strengths, weaknesses, aims and objectives. Able to regularly review, evaluate and reflect upon the performance of yourself and others

Subject specific skills

  • Demonstrate awareness of the importance of risk assessment and relevant legislation
  • Recognize the moral, ethical and social issues relating to the subject.
  • Consider issues from a range of interdisciplinary perspectives.
  • Collect, analyse and interpret primary and/or secondary data using appropriate qualitative and/or quantitative techniques.
  • Apply appropriate techniques for presenting spatial and/or temporal trends in data.
  • Prepare effective maps, diagrams and visualizations.
  • Undertake field and/or laboratory studies to ensure competence in basic experimental and/or fieldwork skills.
  • Demonstrate awareness of the importance of risk assessment and relevant legislation
  • Engagement with current subject developments and their application.
  • Engage in debate and/or discussion with specialists and non-specialists using appropriate language.
  • Demonstrate the independence and skills required for continuing professional development

Resources

Resource implications for students

Provided that students are able to access University networked computers, this module has no resource implications for students. Students resident in Bangor can access software via University networked computers. Other software can either be downloaded or accessed via the Remote Desktop, which requires a stable internet connection. Students who (for whatever reason) have to study this module remotely will need to make their own arrangements in order to participate fully and complete module assessments. Students taking this module and studying it remotely must possess (or have regular access to) their own laptop or PC computer with reliable internet. Geographical Information System (GIS) software is available for students to download and install onto Windows 10 computers without charge, via the Bangor University licence. For other computer operating systems, access is provided via remote desktop or ArcGIS Online.

Talis Reading list

http://readinglists.bangor.ac.uk/modules/dxx-2010.html

Reading list

https://bangor.rl.talis.com/modules/dxx-2010.html

Pre- and Co-requisite Modules

Courses including this module