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SKOG303 Silviculture and Forest Growth and Yield

Credits (ECTS):10

Course responsible:Andreas Brunner

Campus / Online:Taught campus Ås

Teaching language:Norsk

Course frequency:

Annually

The course will not be offered in 2025

Nominal workload:250 hours

Teaching and exam period:This course starts in Autumn parallel. This course has teaching/evaluation in Autumn parallel.

About this course

Knowledge about forest growth and yield is an essential prerequisite to understand the reaction of trees and forest stands to treatment in order to plan silviculture. This knowledge concerns both ecological process and statistical descriptions of the development of trees and forest stands. In this course we will discuss research-based knowledge about recent challenges for silviculture in Norway: use and conversion to continuous cover forestry, climate adaptation, and site-adapted silviculture. Within these topics we will address methods like site mapping, natural regeneration, pre-commercial thinning methods, thinning methods, conversion methods, selection system, mixed forest management, and management of broadleaved species.

Learning outcome

Knowledge:

Students will learn about recent silvicultural methods and their effects on trees and the forest ecosystem. Students will learn some basics in forest growth and yield, which determine the effects of silvicultural on stand development.

Competence:

Students will be able to choose between silvicultural options depending on management objectives, conditions for growth, and stand development. Students will be able to evaluate effects of the chosen silviculture on growth and stand development. Students will be able to understand and apply relevant research literature in the field, also in the future.

Attitudes:

Students should be able to see the advantage of knowledge-based forest management as opposed to traditions and hierarchical orders.

General competence:

Students will be able to find, read, and communicate the content of relevant research literature within the field.

  • Learning activities
    The core of the course is a literature study of research papers supported by seminars. The content of the research papers will be presented by students or teachers as a basis for the discussion during the seminar. Excursions will focus on research and the practice of silviculture. The semester assignment will train the process of finding relevant research results about a chosen topic and to present research results. Students summarize the most important content of the course literature and the seminars in a note book.
  • Teaching support
    Seminars and coments on assignments. The lecturers are available for questions during office hours.
  • Prerequisites
    SKOG220, SKOG200
  • Assessment method

    Combined assessment:

    • Portfolio consisting of written summaries of the first 4 course papers (3 best out of 4) counts 10%.
    • Portfolio consisting of note book (8 summaries of course papers, 7 discussions related to course papers, 3 summaries of student-specific papers) counts 70%.
    • Oral midterm exam on forest growth and yield counts 20%.

    All of the above elements must be passed to pass the course. For elements composed of more than one mark, the average mark must be passed.



    Portfolio/notebook Grading: Letter grades Oral mid term test Grading: Letter grades Written summaries Grading: Letter grades
  • Examiner scheme
    The external examinertakes part in the grading of the oral exam and the note book.
  • Mandatory activity
    Excursions. Exercise on plagiarism signed.
  • Teaching hours
    Seminars, 4 days excursion.
  • Reduction of credits
    10 credits for SKS303.