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P000107

Ecology and Sustainable Management of Forest Ecosystems

This course teaches theory in forest ecology and management, and current state of the art research on ecology and management practices in forest ecosystems. The course consists of theoretical and practical exercises, and will increase the PhD candidates understanding of science that informs research in forest ecology, and in the management of forest ecosystems.


Syllabus and other information


Syllabus

P000107 Ecology and Sustainable Management of Forest Ecosystems , 3.0 Credits

Subjects

Education cycle

Postgraduate level

Grading scale

Pass / Failed

Prior knowledge

Admitted to PhD education at SLU within the topic of biology, forest management or soil science, or admitted to PhD education at another university within the same or an equivalent topic (e.g. ecology).

Objectives

After the completion of the course the students are expected to be able to:

  • Critically analyze and discuss ecological theory on forest ecosystem processes, and apply these to current forest management perspectives.
  • Apply ecological theory and scientific evidence to generate and analyze scientific research questions within future sustainable forest management, and describe research approaches that can address these questions.
  • Critically analyze the connection between forest research and current management approaches.
  • Apply scientific knowledge on today’s debates about forestry methods and societal demands on forests.

Content

The course will be run for two weeks and consist of lectures, seminars, and student presentations out of which some are obligatory. The course will also include literature reading assignments and student group work tied closely to the obligatory elements of the course.

The course will give an introduction to historical perspectives of forest management in Sweden, to ecological theory in forest research and management, and how this ties to current research areas within this field. The students will develop understanding of how theory, historical land-use, scientific and societal developments ties to ongoing research in forest ecosystems ecology and management. A strong focus will be on current questions and challenges for sustainable forest management and forest stakeholders, and how research can provide answers to the most important questions in forestry. The course will focus on the boreal forest, but will include examples from other biomes.

Formats and requirements for examination

Pass on oral assignments and student presentations, and presence and active participation in lectures, seminars and group work activities.

Additional information

The course is organized by the Department of forest ecology and Management and will predominantly be taught by researchers at the department.

Responsible department

Department of Forest ecology and Management