Advanced Forest Ecology & Conservation (with Lab)

Course Description

Summary

Forest ecosystems regulate climate, store and filter water, provide food and fiber, and serve as recreational areas and sacred spaces. These ecosystems are undergoing dramatic changes with important ecological, economic, and social consequences for the future of ecosystems and society. Vermont is among the most forested states in the U.S. today, but it’s history since deglaciation includes dramatic changes in forest composition, Indigenous management, devastating deforestation by settler-colonists, rapid human population decline, forest re-growth, and conservation writing and work foundational to western conservation ethics. Vermont supports more than 90 different natural communities and its landscape is protected by federal, state, and NGO conservation work. In this class, students will hone their field and analytical methods in ecosystem science to explore how forest ecosystems are changing and how that influences the values we derive from forests. We will read peer-reviewed papers and visit local forest ecosystems to understand the relationships between forest composition and structure, ecosystem processes and function, and forest management and restoration in Vermont and beyond.