This course investigates the use of ecological principles to restore and sustainably manage woodland and forest ecosystems.  The course covers:

• definitions of sustainable management, particularly the use of criteria and indicators, the adaptive management cycle and a precautionary approach
• traditional silvicultural systems to manipulate plant community structures and dynamics for management objectives;
• the modification of these systems in response to the social, economic and political context of management;
• strategies for the maintenance of biodiversity and the restoration and rehabilitation of degraded plant communities;
• carbon fluxes in managed forests and woodlands and options for mitigating and adapting to climate change.

This is a "hands on course" in which students learn through field exercises to assess and interpret forest and woodland structures and conditions, and to develop solutions for multiple objectives. This knowledge is synthesised in a major project requiring students to critically assess the current application of silvicultural techniques to a forest ecosystem of their choice.

Students will also hear from researchers from the Fenner School of Environment and Society, Forests NSW, CSIRO Tree Seed Centre, the University of Melbourne, the Department of Climate Change.

On satisfying the requirements of this course, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. Explain and apply sustainable management concepts, particularly criteria and indicators, the adaptive management cycle and the precautionary principle.
2. Assess and modify traditional silvicultural systems in response to social, economic and political contexts of management.
3. Design strategies for the maintenance of biodiversity and the restoration and rehabilitation of degraded plant communities.
4. Describe carbon fluxes in managed forests and woodlands and options for mitigating and adapting to climate change.
5. Model sustainable stand structures, particularly the design of balanced diameter distributions for uneven-aged eucalypt stands.
6. Analyse data using simple linear regression; interpret results from simple spreadsheet models; and communicate findings to audiences in appropriate ways.

Assessment will be based on:

• Best five of six short practical reports (25%; LO 1, 2, 3, 6)
• 1500-word mid-semester field trip report and modelling exercise (35%; LO 1, 2, 3, 5, 6)
• Group major project to critique a silvicultural system, applied to forest type of student's choice, involving 1000-word essay, seminar presentation and production of fact sheet (40%; LO 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 )

65 contact hours, comprising lectures, tutorials and fieldwork

with FSTY3004, FSTY3003, FSTY3015 and FSTY3122

Lindenmayer, D.B. and Franklin, J.F. (2002) Conserving forest biodiversity: a comprehensive multi-scaled approach. Washington: Island Press.

Florence, R. G. (1996) Ecology and Silviculture of Eucalypts. Melbourne: CSIRO Publishing.