Forestry and Wood Technology Courses

Program | Faculty | Courses

All courses carry 3 credits unless otherwise specified.

NRC 549 Ecosystem Management

The historical context and key contributing ecological concepts of ecosystem management and alternative approaches for its implementation. Prerequisite: senior or graduate status in Natural Resources Conservation or consent of instructor.  Credit, 4. Mr. McGarigal

NRC 592G Introduction to GIS for Natural Resources Management  (2nd sem)

Introduces students to the construction, manipulation, display, and analysis of spatial information using Geographic Information Systems. Hands-on use of ArcGIS on a PC platform. Mr. Schweik.

NRC 597O Watershed Management (online course)(2nd sem)

Concepts in watershed conservation with integration of biotic, abiotic, and socioeconomic components. Transdisciplinary introduction to watershed-based ecosystem management and policy. Uses online tools, interactions, threaded discussions, and class projects. Mr. Randhir

NRC 601 Research Concepts in Natural ResourceManagement (1st sem)

Introduction to the research process in the natural resources sciences. Focus on research philosophy, concepts, and design, progressing from development of hypotheses, questions, and proposals, to grants and budgeting, and delivery of such research products as reports, publications, and presentations. Mr. DeStefano

NRC 621 Landscape Ecology (1st sem, odd yrs)

The evolving discipline of landscape ecology, with emphasis on the theoretical underpinnings, focusing on ecological scaling; landscape structure; agents of landscape structure; consequences of landscape structure to populations, communities, and ecosystem processes; landscape dynamics; and landscape management. Emphasis on modeling. Prerequisite: graduate standing in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Wildlife and Fisheries Conservation, Forestry, or consent of instructor. Credit, 4. Mr. McGarigal

NRC 697B Invasion Biology (2nd sem, even yrs)

The physiological and life history characteristics of invasive species; the characteristics of habitats that affect their susceptibility to invasion; and the effects of invasion on biodiversity and ecosystem processes. Ms. Harrington

NRC 697D Social Conflict and Natural Resource Policy  (1st sem)

Introduction to the social factors that influence social value formation, and how the different meanings and values ascribed to natural resources in modern society contribute to political conflicts over resource allocation and management. Develops awareness of strengths and limitations of approaches, tools, and techniques of conflict resolution in policy development. Mr. Muth

NRC 697E Human Dimensions of Resource Management  (2nd sem, odd yrs)

The social, behavioral, economic, and political aspects of natural resource management. Introduction to the concept of Human Dimensions, resource management as an expression of social value, and the contemporary resource management paradigm having Human Dimensions as a central component. Review of theoretical foundation and case studies. Mr. Loomis

NRC 697M Multivariate Statistics for Natural Resources  (1st sem, even yrs)

Provides natural resource scientists with a conceptual and practical working understanding of the classic multivariate statistical techniques, and a framework for choosing the most appropriate technique given the question of interest and the properties of the data set. Emphasis on ordination, discrimination analysis, cluster analysis, and canonical correlation analysis and analysis real data sets using SAS.  Credit, 4. Mr. McGarigal

NRC 697P Natural Resources Policy and Administration  (2nd sem, odd yrs)

The fundamental actors and institutions in the process of public natural resources policy formation at the state, national, and international levels. Focus on forestry, wildlife, and fisheries, the role of significant laws, resources management agencies, interest groups, and judicial decisions. Mr. Muth

NRC 697S Applied Biostatistics for Natural Resources  (2nd sem)

Intermediate statistics using examples from ecology. Topics include ANOVA, linear regression, contingency tables and nonparametric methods. Techniques discussed in lectures and applied in laboratories. Prerequisite: introductory statistics course. Credit, 4. Mr. Sievert

NRC 697T Information Technologies in the Profit and Non-Profit Sectors  (1st sem)

Information technology management issues in public and non-profit organizations. Hands-on experience with two important technologies: web system development and relational database applications. Mr. Schweik

NRC 697V Watershed Science and Management  (2nd sem, odd yrs)

Complex interactions between biotic, abiotic, and socioeconomic components. A transdisciplinary and systems approach to watershed-scale, ecosystem-based natural resources conservation and policy. Computer modeling, case studies, project, and presentations. Cross-listed with W&FCONSV 697V. Mr. Randhir

Forestry

515 Forest Fire Management (2nd sem, even yrs)

With lab. Principles of forest fire science (fire history, weather, effects of fire on organisms and the environment, fuels). Application of fire to forest management practices. Prerequisite: FOREST 197A. Mr. Patterson

526 Silviculture (1st sem, even yrs)

Silvicultural practices used to manage forests for timber production, wildlife habitat improvement, and watershed protection. Special focus on southern New England but techniques apply to forests throughout the world. Lab involves developing silvicultural plans for project areas. Prerequisite: FOREST 212 or equivalent. Credit, 4. Mr. Kelty

528 Forest and Wetland Hydrology (1st sem)

Hydrologic structure and function of forest, wetland, and agricultural ecosystems. Changes in water flow and quality associated with land and resource use. Management approaches to prevent or reverse adverse environmental impacts. Credit, 4. Mr. Barten

534 Forest Measurements (1st sem, odd yrs)

With lab. Quantification and assessment of resource variables, sampling theory and design of forest inventories and other resource survey techniques, field exercises in resource inventory, statistical analysis of field data. Prerequisite: introductory statistics.  Credit, 4. Mr. Patterson

540 Forest Resource Management (2nd sem)

Use of forests to meet multiple objectives. Summary of forest history, policies, programs and review of traditional and contemporary forest management principles and practices. Case examples, site visits and reports, interaction with practitioners and landowners, term project and presentation. Prerequisites: FOREST 426, W&FCONSV 261 or equivalents; FOREST 321 and 597 desirable. Credit, 4. Mr. Barten

577 Ecosystem Modeling and Simulation  (1st sem, odd yrs)

Systems modeling and analysis used to understand the complexities of natural systems. System representations, modeling, experimentation, optimization, and policy modeling. Computer modeling using STELLA and GIS. Cross-listed with W&FCONSV 577. Mr. Randhir

587 Introduction to Digital Remote Sensing

Computer processing of digital images as a means of obtaining information about natural resources. LANDSAT images primarily used. Image processing, classification and image enhancement techniques discussed and applied.  Credit, 4. Mr. Finn

597E Ecosystem Science (2nd sem, even yrs)

Studies of ecosystems focus on units of the landscape in terms of productivity, nutrient cycling, hydrology, and response to disturbance. How plant physiology, soil biology and biochemistry, and energy transformations interact to create the dynamic behavior of ecological systems. Examples focus on terrestrial landscapes and comparisions of managed and un-managed systems. Mr. Fownes

604 Forest Stand Dynamics (2nd sem, even yrs)

The applied study of forest successions, including ecological disturbances, regeneration, and development to the old-growth stage. Consideration of how silvicultural techniques are used to control stand dynamics to meet timber, wildlife habitat, and other management objectives. Mr. Kelty

697A Forest Ecophysiology (2nd sem, odd yrs)

The effects of resource availability on plant physiological processes at the leaf, plant, and stand levels. Topics include the effects of available light, water, and nutrients on leaf development, photosynthetic performance, and biomass allocation, and implications for species growth and competition in forest overstory and understory environments. Ms. Harrington

697U Urban Forest Management (2nd sem, odd yrs)

A multidisciplinary introduction to urban and community forest management. Includes a team studio project that identifies a community forest problem for which the class develops an interdisciplinary solution. Mr. Ryan, Mr. Kane

698 Practicum/Non-thesis projects.

Credit, 4-6

699 Master's Thesis

Credit, 6-10.

703 Advanced Forest Ecology (1st sem, even yrs)

Methods for describing and analyzing forest ecosystem structure; effects of environmental factors on forest ecosystems; forest ecosystem processes and development. Prerequisite: Introductory course in ecology. Mr. Patterson

792A Seminar

Weekly seminars by invited guests, faculty and graduate students.  Credit, 1.

899 Doctoral Dissertation

Credit, 18.

Building Materials and Wood Technology

508 Wood Moisture Relations

Lecture, lab. The fundamentals of wood-water relations and their effects on product processing, quality, and in-service performance; includes the study of modern techniques in the drying of wood. Field trips. Prerequisite: BMATWT 201 or consent of instructor. Mr. Hoadley

511 Wood Adhesives Technology

Lecture, lab. Adhesion phenomena and the properties of adhesives; principles of wood gluing, methods of testing glued products, evaluation of results; processes and means of control. Prerequisites: BMATWT 201, 304.

512 Wood Protection

Lecture, lab. Study of materials and methods used to protect wood and wood products from decay, fire, weathering, and other agents of destruction; includes wood preservation and finishing. Prerequisites: BMATWT 201, 304.

538 Chemical Modification of Wood

Lecture. The chemical nature of wood, chemical modification of wood; chemistry of products used with wood; potential contribution of wood to energy and chemical needs of society. Prerequisites: BMATWT 201, 304. Mr. Hoadley

552 Building Materials Distribution and Sales Management

Marketing channels of distribution, wholesaling, retailing, channel design, measurement, and management in the building materials industry. Personal selling, designing, developing and directing the sales force, sales training, evaluating the sales force, and the strategic role of sales in the building materials organization. Prerequisite: BMATWT 352 or other introductory marketing course. Mr. Damery

696 Independent Study

Credit, 1-6.