The curriculum for the Forest Resource Management minor is an interdisciplinary minor which combines a foundation of classes in ANR and BIO with distribution courses which can be selected to provide focus in wildlife, natural resources, wood utilization, or management. This minor develops broadly educated graduates and prepares them for careers in sustainable natural resource management.
Curriculum Requirements
The minor will consist of 7 course credits. No more than four courses can count both toward a student's major and the FOR minor, and no more than three courses can count both toward a different minor and the FOR minor. With approval from the FOR minor coordinator, other courses related to the minor learning objectives may be used to meet a distribution course requirement.
These seven courses consist of:
Foundation Courses
These three courses provide students with the foundational knowledge needed for forest resource management. BIO 110 provides a basic science background, which is needed for many of the latter courses, and for understanding the basic development and function of different organisms as well as common techniques used for scientific measurement and monitoring. ANR 130 or BIO 114 provide basic information regarding plant growth, development, and identification. ANR 240 provides foundational knowledge about the characteristics of soil, which is inextricably linked with plants and is an important aspect of forest management.
Core Knowledge Courses
These two courses equip students with the knowledge to identify trees and their basic wood properties, to understand their interactions with one another and with natural and human disturbances, as well as giving them basic knowledge to consider forest resources as wildlife habitat. Current issues challenging forest management (i.e., invasive plant, animal, pathogen species, climate change, social/political pressures associated with timber harvest, etc.) are also highlighted in these courses.
| BIO 344 | Dendrology & Forest Ecology | 1 Course Credit |
| ANR 360 | Forest & Wildlife Management | 1 Course Credit |
Required Distribution Courses
Students must select two courses from the following (see note below):
Note: Given that Forest Resource Management encompasses a broad area of interest and skills, we strongly suggest selecting the two distribution courses in consultation with your minor advisor. By selecting two courses that complement one another, students will likely gain more from those courses than they would by just selecting any two courses. As guidance, we suggest the following sets from which to select the two courses (based on the area most in line with the student's interest).
Natural Resources
These courses offer students some concrete skills which will be applicable to whole-forest planning. Environmental chemistry may be useful to students considering either management products (pesticides), or environmental pollutants threatening a forest. GIS is useful for mapping both small and large areas and determining how forest components relate to one another spatially. Ecology can help students understand the relationship among various trophic levels in a forest (predators, herbivores, plants), and the competition among species (for light, for example). Soil and water conservation can help a student understand both how the forest is affected by soil and water resources, as well as how forest management can improve soil and water resources. In choosing two of these courses, students will gain broader perspectives and tools to better understand the science of forest management.
| ANR 342 | Soil & Water Conservation | 1 Course Credit |
| CHM 134 | Accelerated Environmental Chem | 1 Course Credit |
| SENS 310 | Ecology (BIO) | 1 Course Credit |
| SENS 320 | Intro-Geographical Info System | 1 Course Credit |
Wildlife
Ecosystems are shaped by interactions among living organisms and their physical environment. Ecosystems change constantly, either staying in a state of dynamic balance, or shifting to a new state of balance. Wildlife, both animal and plant, are vital components of any ecosystem. These communities serve as bioindicators of the structure, composition, and health of forests. To assess the health of and understand the dynamics of any forest ecosystem requires a working knowledge of the resident flora and fauna. One cannot begin to understand and appreciate a forest as an ecological system without understanding at least some of the major living species that play roles in the maintenance of food webs and cycling of nutrients through the system.
Wood Utilization
These courses will serve students with a particular interest in wood utilization by providing them with the relevant skills and knowledge to participate in the processing of timber to finished products. TAD 140 is a design and production class where students learn about silviculture, forestry management, identification, use of different timber species, basic measurements, economics (calculating board feet, cost estimates, etc.), and sawmill operation. Both TAD classes listed cover grading trees and lumber, and involve production of a finished product (TAD 140 meets the ALE requirement). ECO 102 provides the economic concepts needed for students wishing to pursue work at a related business.
| ECO 102 | Principles of Microeconomics | 1 Course Credit |
| TAD 140 | Design Prod. in Woods | 1 Course Credit |
| TAD 340 | Studio in Woods | 1 Course Credit |
Management
From the ECO 102 course, students will gain a sense of the basic function of market economics with a focus on opportunity cost and marginal analysis. They will learn to view economic problems from the perspective of the firm and the consumer. All of these issues are important for helping to understand the economic aspect of forest resource management. From the ECO 370 course, students will learn of environmental and natural resource economics and the policy implications pertaining to these. Of particular interest to the Forest Resource Management Minor is the discussion of the role of forests in carbon sequestration, the Clean Water Act, and the Endangered Species Act. From the BUS 315 course, students will gain a basic understanding of the concepts and techniques necessary for the effective management of organizations. Some of the topics include planning, forecasting, operations, and marketing.
| ECO 102 | Principles of Microeconomics | 1 Course Credit |
| BUS 315 | Management | 1 Course Credit |
| | or | |
| ANR 375 | Farm Resource Management | 1 Course Credit |
| | or | |
| ECO 370 | Environ Issue in Public Policy | 1 Course Credit |