Global Challenges in Forest Health

"Global Challenges in Forest Health" is an integrated introductory course to biotic and abiotic agents affecting tree and forest ecosystem health, including damaging native and alien invasive insects and pathogens, and environmental stressors. The course emphasizes the ecological roles of disturbance agents and how they may affect the economic and ecological sustainability of forests. Case study approaches will be used with examples of damaging agents in North American and European forest types. Students will interact with forest health expertise and management professionals during lectures, group activities, and field excursions. Students will learn about field-sampling techniques to identify and assess tree and forest health damage and modern tools and techniques for early detection and monitoring of forest health. Emphasis on forest sampling methods and training in R will broaden the student’s statistical analysis skills. The course will provide students with necessary background to link and apply conceptual knowledge about probable damaging agents to help decide on mitigation and management options for the current landscape and to promote better tree health and forest resilience in the future. The course includes several field trips to visit insect and disease infestations in forests and varying perspectives of forest management goals.

All scheduled lectures and field trips are mandatory and in case of absence students will have to write an essay as compensation for that particular subject.

Students will be expected to complete pre-course assigned readings from professional and scientific literature in forest health-related topics and an assignment prior to the on-campus meeting equivalent to three days of full-time studies. This will be followed by 2-weeks of course activities on-campus at SLU, Alnarp and in the field. A follow-up assignment must be completed and handed in 2 weeks after the on-campus session.

- pre-course assigned readings from the professional and scientific literature and self-learning questions provided to students related to the topics which will be discussed in group activities

- lectures from invited international guests/experts in the various disciplinary fields

- focussed group discussion topics within lectures

- individual 10-minute oral presentation on a forest health issue of the students’ choice representative of the region in which they come from

- field excursions focussed on assessment and diagnosis of forest damaging agents

- laboratory sessions focussed on diagnostics using conventional and molecular methods

- written paper

Syllabus and other information

PFS0168 Global Challenges in Forest Health, 4.5 Credits

Subjects

Forest Management

Education cycle

Postgraduate level

Grading scale

Pass / Failed

Prior knowledge

The equivalent of 180 credits at basic level including

- 60 credits Forest Science or

- 60 credits Forest Management or

- 60 credits Biology or

- 60 credits Environmental Sciences or

- 60 credits Agricultural Sciences or

- 60 credits Natural Resource Management

English language proficiency must be demonstrated.

Objectives

With increasing globalization and global warming, forest health issues are on the rise. This has been reflected also in the increasing number of plant- and forest-health thesis topics at SLU and elsewhere in recent years. The course is therefore need-driven and will be complementary to other courses within the education programs of each PhD student. The course will provide students with broad knowledge on disciplines within forest health and global challenges to sustainable resource management. After completing the course, students will be able to: 1. Link and apply conceptual knowledge, field skills and management objectives to landscapes 2. Objectively communicate and discuss topics related to forest ecosystem health 3. Diagnose common tree damaging agents and design of relevant experiments including sampling and statistics 4. Synthesize the biology, impacts from, and management (including social, ecological and economic effects) of exotic pests and disease in forests globally

Content

"Global Challenges in Forest Health" is an integrated introductory course to biotic and abiotic agents affecting tree and forest ecosystem health, including damaging native and alien invasive insects and pathogens, and environmental stressors. The course emphasizes the ecological roles of disturbance agents and how they may affect the economic and ecological sustainability of forests. Case study approaches will be used with examples of damaging agents in North American and European forest types. Students will interact with forest health expertise and management professionals during lectures, group activities, and field excursions. Students will learn about field-sampling techniques to identify and assess tree and forest health damage and modern tools and techniques for early detection and monitoring of forest health. Emphasis on forest sampling methods and training in R will broaden the student’s statistical analysis skills. The course will provide students with necessary background to link and apply conceptual knowledge about probable damaging agents to help decide on mitigation and management options for the current landscape and to promote better tree health and forest resilience in the future. The course includes several field trips to visit insect and disease infestations in forests and varying perspectives of forest management goals. All scheduled lectures and field trips are mandatory and in case of absence students will have to write an essay as compensation for that particular subject. Students will be expected to complete pre-course assigned readings from professional and scientific literature in forest health-related topics and an assignment prior to the on-campus meeting equivalent to three days of full-time studies. This will be followed by 2-weeks of course activities on-campus at SLU, Alnarp and in the field. A follow-up assignment must be completed and handed in 2 weeks after the on-campus session. - pre-course assigned readings from the professional and scientific literature and self-learning questions provided to students related to the topics which will be discussed in group activities - lectures from invited international guests/experts in the various disciplinary fields - focussed group discussion topics within lectures - individual 10-minute oral presentation on a forest health issue of the students’ choice representative of the region in which they come from - field excursions focussed on assessment and diagnosis of forest damaging agents - laboratory sessions focussed on diagnostics using conventional and molecular methods - written paper

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