Overview

Physiological processes that determine tree growth and survival: Above- & below-ground allocation; root:shoot ratio; Light capture drives productivity; Drought & water-logging; Mechanisms of disease-related death; Response of seedling trees to environmental stimuli. Tree growth and yield. Plant stress and wood quality. Differences/similarities between individual tree, uneven-aged, mixed stands and plantation silviculture: Single-tree selection; Group selection; Seed trees; Shelterwood; Clearfell. Regeneration: Seed and vegetative regeneration; Re-spacing of natural regeneration; Genetic aspects of regeneration. Tending, thinning. Operational aspects of site preparation, planting and establishment. Silviculture for production: Silviculture and timber properties. Forest harvesting and extraction: Appropriate harvesting methods; Mechanised thinning; Organised felling systems; Forest road planning and layout. Environmental effects of forest operations: Sustainability; Legislation.

Assessment Strategy

-threshold -Grade D- to D+Students have a passing familiarity with the physiological ecology of trees. They can describe some of the silvicultural systems used in temperate or tropical forestry. They will be able to describe some of the methods used for forest inventory and yield regulation and prediction.

-good -Grade C- to B+Students have a good understanding of the physiological ecology of plants, and understand that silvicultural interventions affect plant growth. They can describe many of the silvicultural systems used in temperate and tropical forestry. They will be able to explain several of the ways in which economic methods are used to make forest management decisions, and describe how the methods are applied in different situations.

-excellent -Grade A- and aboveStudents have an excellent understanding of the physiological ecology of plants, and understand the all the ways in which silvicultural interventions affect the biotic and abiotic factors that control plant growth. They can describe the silvicultural systems used in temperate and tropical forestry, and critically evaluate their relative merits. They will be able to explain in detail the methods used for forest inventory and yield regulation and describe how the methods are applied in different situations, and evaluate their effectiveness.

Learning Outcomes

• Understand and describe the biological and environmental factors that underpin the silvicultural practices used to create, establish and tend forest plantations.

• Understand and describe the silvicultural systems used in temperate and tropical forests and discuss their relative merits in the context of sustainable forest management.

• Understand the principles of forest inventory and forest inventory planning, and be able to apply them to a particular forest situation.

• Understand the principles of forest yield prediction and be able to apply them to a particular forest situation.