Planning in Sustainable Forest Mangement, 15 credits
The course aims to give the students knowledge and an understanding about sustainable management of forest in southern Sweden. Elements of the course are: Components of a sustainable forestry, Private ownership, Stakeholders, Multi-objective forestry and planning, System and models, and different planning tools including GIS.
The course starts with some theory; lectures and literature are the main ingredients of the first weeks. Students write short memos, which are discussed in seminars. Different types of models and planning tools, from tree growth to landscape models, are presented, discussed and used. We visit a private estate for one week, with excursions as well as meeting with different stakeholders. The project work consists of making a management plan for an estate in accordance with some goals set up. Furthermore, the plan should be evaluated in a 100 year perspective. The results are presented two ways: a scientific report is written and a poster session is held.
Prerequisites:
The equivalent of: 120 credits including 90 credits Forest Science/Forest Management or Biology and English language proficiency demonstrated as:
- English B (Swedish secondary school) or equivalent.
| Level |
Advanced |
| Subjects |
Forest Management, Biology |
| Application code |
SLU-20134 |
| Language |
English |
| Course leaders |
Per Magnus Ekö
Phone: +46 40 415191
and
Lars Drössler
Phone: +46 40 415167 |
Objective:
After the course the student should:
- understand the importance of planning, recognize types of planning generally and specifically planning in forestry
- understand basic decision-making theory
- be familiar with basic elements of constructing forest growth and yield models, be able to evaluate options and choose appropriate solutions for particular situations, and to apply the knowledge acquired to design/construct simple new models
- be able to apply modelling results to evaluate various types of planned activities in forest management
- understand the distinctive features of landscape-level modelling in comparison with stand and estate modelling
- be familiar with selected techniques for collecting, processing, evaluating and modelling GIS data, and be able to use GIS-based tools in the planning process
- be able to apply the knowledge and experience gained for formulating objectives, devising alternative management options and evaluating the predicted results
- be able to communicate conclusions both orally and in written reports.
Content
The course is based on the three pillars of sustainable forestry: economic, social and environmental values, and their components. Weighing these values in multi-objective planning is discussed and various planning tools are used. The knowledge gained is applied in a case study where a strategic plan for a forest estate is developed.
Examples of economic issues covered include private ownership, wood production, hunting, industry and markets. Social issues considered include goals of society and other stakeholders, recreation and cultural conservation, while environmental issues include ecosystems, biodiversity, land-use history and certification. The methodology covered includes modelling, calculations, GIS analyses, case study methods and evaluations of data, models and strategies.
In addition, there are excursions to the case study area and meetings with some of the stakeholders. In the case study planning strategies for achieving several goals are considered. Also different qualities in data used are analysed and methods for collecting and subsequently process such data are discussed.