Course Description

F 321 – Forest Biometry is a required course in all of the Forestry concentrations of the Forest and Rangeland Stewardship degrees that I teach each fall semester. In this course I push students to master forestry field inventory skills required to represent forest structure characterized by individual trees and stands of trees. Once students have the ability to characterize forest structure, we spend most of the semester developing an understanding of the statistical theory underlying sampling and their applications to forested communities. Lectures are divided into segments to introduce new topics, demonstrate theoretical applications through quantitative demonstrations, and through active-learning opportunities that help students master new concepts. The course also has a lab component, which mixes field and computer based exercises to reinforce lecture topics through experiential learning. These activities are intended to provide students a low stakes environment to develop their mastery of new concepts through hands on data collection and exploration. Course assessments include a mixture of True/False, Multiple Choices, Matching, Short Answer, and calculations questions. This mixture is intended to blend the multiple modes of learning and practice that occur within the course.