Columbia College
Applied Forest Inventory and Management
(FORTC 162)
Instructor: Dr. Tom Hofstra
Spring 2008
Meeting/Credit information
Meeting
Time: Friday 9:40-2:00
Meeting
Place: Toyon 2 and local field locations
as announced
Credit:
2 units
Office hours (Toyon 4): I welcome and
encourage students to discuss course-related issues with me outside of lecture
and lab time. Please make an appointment
with me in a timely manner, either in person or by email.
Phone: 588-5155
E-mail: hofstrat@yosemite.cc.ca.us
Web Page: http://columbia.yosemite.cc.ca.us/hofstrat/Default.htm
Textbook:
Log Scaling
and Timber Cruising, Bell, 1997, ISBN# 978-0-88246-142-7
Course Description: Techniques of forest and
natural resource inventory including cruising, scaling, and evaluation; field
tabulation and computation methods; location and inventory of a given forest
property in the field including property corners and boundaries; inventory of
timber and other natural resource uses of property. Field trips are required.
Course Goals:
When
the course is completed, each student should be able to:
1.
Demonstrate
basic map and aerial photo interpretation skills necessary for locating,
understanding, and describing field survey sites.
2.
Perform
common forest mensuration (timber cruising) techniques including: establishing
survey points, identifying tree species, measuring tree diameter and height,
estimating tree spacing and density.
3.
Calculate
timber yield for given sites.
4.
Conduct
mark and recapture population studies.
5.
Access
available resources necessary for identifying species, habitats, communities,
and ecosystems.
6.
Identify
organisms using all available resources.
7. Demonstrate
knowledge and experiences in regard to a number of additional skills obtained
in this class and related to the above goals.
Rules:
1.
Cheating will not be tolerated and will result in immediate
failure (F) for the course.
2.
Turn
off your cell phone during lecture and lab.
No text messaging during lecture and lab. Don't even look at your cell phone during
class time.
3.
If
you come in late (which is frowned upon) be quiet, don't let the door slam, and
sit in the closest seat to the door you came in.
4.
Wear
or bring shoes and clothes that you can walk in the woods in if you have too.
|
Source |
Date |
Points |
|
Midterm Exam |
Friday March 7 |
100 |
|
Final Exam |
|
100 |
|
Portfolio |
|
200 |
|
General Participation/attitude |
Always |
100 |
|
Quizzes (2) |
April 18, Feb 22 |
2 x 25 |
|
Total |
|
550 |
Participation in lecture and lab is mandatory and will be monitored (attendance
will be taken on random days when I remember to) and figured into your final
grade.
Exams will be in two parts. A
take home portion consisting of a choice of questions (you pick 3 of 5) will be
distributed the period before the scheduled day of the exam. This portion is worth 45 pts, is open book,
and you are encouraged to use a variety of resources, but you must work alone. You may use the take home exam during the in
class portion of the exam. The take home
portion of the exam will be due the day of the exam before lab starts at 2:40
PM. Late take-home exams are marked down
1pt/minute late. The in class portion of
the exam is worth 55 pts, and consists of short answer, multiple choice, and
matching questions. Spelling of
scientific terms is very important and will be counted when your tests are
graded. Tests will cover the material
discussed in lecture, activities, and corresponding text readings. The three
lecture exams will not be cumulative.
If you have an emergency, contact me prior to an exam. Make-up exams will be given under extenuating
circumstances only and will require written documentation validating the reason
for missing the exam (e.g. Doctors note).
Field
Sessions:
When
we go in the field you may have to provide your own transportation. We meet at the site of the field trip. Carpool.
Field trips may take either lecture or lab time or both. Longer field trips on the weekends may
require not having class some week.
Tentative schedule
(this may change – pay attention)
|
Week |
Topic |
Date |
Location |
|
1 |
Course Introduction |
1/11 |
Toyon 2 |
|
2 |
Oak Woodland Assessment |
1/18 |
Shell Road |
|
3 |
Begin fish population survey (mark) Begin Wildlife Camera and Track Plate survey |
1/25 |
Campus |
|
4 |
Timber cruising |
2/1 |
Campus |
|
5 |
Gos Hawk / Spotted Owl surveys |
2/8 |
TBA |
|
6 |
Cultural Resource surveys |
2/15 |
TBA |
|
7 |
Soil disturbance surveys, soil pits |
2/22 |
TBA |
|
8 |
No Class (Big Sur Weekend) |
2/29 |
|
|
9 |
Mid Term |
3/7 |
Toyon |
|
10 |
Wetland delineation |
3/14 |
TBA |
|
11 |
Fish population (recapture) |
3/21 |
Toyon 2 |
|
12 |
OHV Routes |
3/28 |
Deer Creek |
|
13 |
Amphibian survey |
4/4 |
TBA |
|
14 |
Rare Plants survey |
4/11 |
TBA |
|
15 |
Grazing Utilization (herbaceaous, aspen, willow,
stream bank) Aspen stand delineation |
4/18 |
Brownes Meadow |
|
16 |
Final Exam |
|
|