Forest and Natural Areas Management

This course presents the structure, taxonomy and uses of plants with emphasis on those having important biological, ecological indicator value and economic significance in British Columbia. Students will learn to recognize native BC plants in forest, rangeland and alpine habitats. Students will also be required to learn to identify selected invasive plant species that are of management concern in the province. Plant (emphasis on trees) reproduction, distribution and ecological significance will be covered. A plant collection of at least 60 species will be required.
Prerequisite(s):

• No prerequisites are required for this course.

​Earth Science and Soils is an introduction to landform interpretation and soil science. Topics include the geologic cycle; rocks; landforms; soil and surficial materials classifications; soil formation; physical, chemical and biological properties of soils; forest humus; erosion; interpreting soil and terrain maps; soil mapping; soil sampling; land use impacts on soils and watersheds. This course will be taught with a blended approach of synchronous and asynchronous delivery to enhance student learning. There will be a mix of field, lab, classroom and online teaching and learning.
Prerequisite(s):

• No prerequisites are required for this course.

The student will be introduced to the principal techniques for establishing desired species of vegetation on forest land in B.C. The student will experience direct seeding, direct sticking of cuttings, transplanting wildlings and transplanting nursery stock types appropriate for vegetating large natural areas. Students will be able to describe critical elements for successful establishment such as site receptivity, treatment timing, care of living material, planting site selection, planting technique and site monitoring. Students will be assess work quality and maintain environmental quality while carrying out activities.
Prerequisite(s):

• No prerequisites are required for this course.

The course focuses on the development of current sustainable development concepts and principles, and how these principles impact and relate to the day to day SRM technologists tasks in for those working in BC. Discussion includes an overview of the historical development of SRM concepts, environmental ethics, global sustainable development issues, and some of the challenges related to the implementation SRM principles. A review of the various government ministries, administrative and quasi-judicial organizations used to encourage sustainable resource management practices will be discussed. The biogeophysical characteristics, industrial structure, and socio-economic characteristics within each BC’s major development regions will be described. Included will be an introduction to First Nation communities, and organizations involved in BC resource management. Online BC data sources and computer applications will be used to analyze and present an overview of the current status of various resources management industries.
Prerequisite(s):

• No prerequisites are required for this course.

This course will provide the student with the basic skills in fire control in order for them to act as a member of a fire control crew. Students will learn to safely operate firefighting hand tools, equipment, water delivery systems and decision aids used by the Ministry of Forests Protection and industrial crews.
Prerequisite(s):

• No prerequisites are required for this course.

​Students learn to identify species of fish and wildlife occurring in British Columbia. Students will be introduced to their life cycles and habitat requirements. This course introduces common fish and wildlife identification techniques. Students will identify the different government ministries and departments responsible for the management of fish and wildlife species and the respective legislation. Students will be able to describe the main management strategies and recognize major threats to fish and wildlife habitat.​
Prerequisite(s):

• No prerequisites are required for this course.

This course covers those topics in technical mathematics that are important for success in the Forest and Natural Areas Management field. Topics include measurement accuracy and precision; unit conversions; ratios, proportions, and percentages; right and oblique trigonometry; mensuration including applications of geometry; linear functions and graphs; logarithms and exponents. Applications related to the Forest and Natural Areas Management field will be emphasized throughout the course.
Prerequisite(s):

• No prerequisites are required for this course.

This course demonstrates the fundamentals of field measurements, basic surveying, and sampling procedures commonly used in resource management applications. This includes field notetaking, traverse calculations and plotting, mapping of topographic details, and measuring tree attributes and stand characteristics used in habitat assessments. Lecture material will be supported extensively with field applications and hands‐on training.
Prerequisite(s):

• No prerequisites are required for this course.

​Field Navigation, Mapping and Data Management introduces students to various map series and imagery commonly used in BC resource management. The focus for the course is to develop introductory level skills related to the interpretation of thematic maps, contour maps and aerial photographs for a given field site to enable field navigation and data collection. Students will also practice using navigational grade GPS and pdf maps to identify the field location and features and record feature attribute information. Introductory GIS tools will used to map, and present field data. An integrated field project will include a mapping and digital presentation component, and a brief report describing the procedures used to create the map.​
Prerequisite(s):

• No prerequisites are required for this course.

​As Renewable Resource professionals, you will need to communicate quickly, clearly, and effectively with colleagues, supervisors, industry partners, and the public. This course will teach you how to be an efficient communicator at work. You will write a variety of technical documents such as instructions, descriptions, short reports, and email. You will also gather and summarize data as part of a short research project. You will learn how to conduct an effective job search, write a résumé and cover letter, and present yourself professionally during a job interview. This course establishes the principles and basic patterns on which you will build more advanced applications in the second, third and fourth terms. The course consists of two 1-hour lectures and one 2-hour lab each week. The lectures provide the basic theory and demonstrations; the labs provide opportunities to apply the theory.​
Prerequisite(s):

• No prerequisites are required for this course.

Major course topics include classification of streams, lakes and wetlands, requirements for establishing riparian area boundaries, meeting riparian objectives for management areas and riparian assessment methodology. Basic hydrology of streams, wetlands and lakes will be reviewed as will water quality characteristics of importance to aquatic life. The hydrologic cycle and generation of streamflow will be discussed. Legislated requirements for water classification and sampling will be identified. A large proportion of the course will be spent practicing field sampling techniques.
Prerequisite(s):

• RENR 1130

Classification of terrestrial ecosystems is needed to aid in forest management, wildlife management, ecological restoration and conservation. Ecosystems are defined and their fundamental structure and processes are described and discussed. British Columbia’s biogeoclimatic ecosystem classification (BEC) is described and used, both for its direct utility and as an example of a formal ecosystem classification. Practical applications of BEC are described and practiced. Implications of climate change on BEC are discussed. Classification of wetland ecosystems and some other terrestrial ecosystem classifications, including some project specific ad hoc classifications, are described and discussed. Methods of describing, sampling and mapping terrestrial ecosystems are described and practiced.
Prerequisite(s):

• RENR 1125 and RENR 1130

This course introduces the fundamentals of field sampling procedures commonly used in natural resource management. Students practice sampling techniques for vegetation inventories with commonly used field equipment. Accurate measurement, field data recording and data interpretation are fundamental. Students compile field data and analyze results using standard statistical methods. The British Columbia Provincial Resource Information Standards Committee (RISC) ground sampling procedures form the basis of the applications practiced in this course.
Prerequisite(s):

• MATH 1145 and RENR 1105

FNAM 2111 introduces students to important field data collection tasks they will be typically be expected to complete during summer field employment, and incorporate into course projects during the second year of the program. Data collected in the field using a combination of equipment such as field data loggers or tablets, GIS grade GNSS equipment, and laser range finders will be imported into various software tools, and imported into GIS software to produce maps. Project planning tasks and common mapping strategies will be discussed before students are sent out in the field to collect data. Data will be collected in various vegetation and terrain conditions so students have experience in determining which combination of field equipment is most suitable for different project objectives. The course includes a mapping project that incorporates the skills introduced throughout the term.
Prerequisite(s):

• RENR 1105 and RENR 1118

This course emphasizes the practices and field skills utilized in the planning, surveying and construction of resource roads and trails. Methodologies for road and trail surveys, road design, road construction, trail construction, road maintenance and deactivation are discussed. Safety, economic and ecological considerations are incorporated into the learning outcomes. Examples of how field survey data can be transferred to computer programs such as RoadEng Survey Map to produce survey plots is also included.
Prerequisite(s):

• RENR 1105

Vegetation Treatment Skills provides basic training in the maintenance and safe and productive use of chainsaws, brushsaws, backpack sprayers and injection devices in vegetation management. It also introduces assessing work quality, maintaining environmental quality, minimizing fire risk and worker rights and responsibilities under Employment Standards.
Prerequisite(s):

• FNAM 1135 and RENR 1105 and RENR 1118 and RENR 1125

An introductory course in statistics, this course covers descriptive statistics, including measures of central tendency and variation, and various graphical displays; probability laws; discrete probability distributions, including the binomial and Poisson distributions; continuous probability distributions with emphasis on the normal and t-distributions; central limit theorem; sampling and confidence intervals for the population mean, both with and without the finite population correction. These methods are applied to examples chosen from the Forest and Natural Areas Management field.
Prerequisite(s):

• MATH 1145

This course provides the student with the opportunity to become involved with an applied research project of particular interest in the field of Renewable Resources. Experience will be gained in planning a project, working productively with other individuals in a team environment, recording relevant information in a number of different formats (including journals), meeting the stated objectives of the project, and reporting on a renewable resource-related group project. Technical Projects 1 focusses on preparing a comprehensive project proposal.
Prerequisite(s):

• Completion of all first year courses.

This course will introduce linkages between higher-level plans, resource values, and forest management activities in the development of sustainable ecosystems, communities and regional economies. Through field and planning activities, students will apply skills and concepts acquired in other Term 3 courses to design a site plan for a woodlot or community forest. Through this project, students will demonstrate the necessary planning steps, data acquisition needs, and on the ground management tasks required as part of a site-level operations plan. Students will consider the ecological and socio-economic environment in which forests are managed.
Prerequisite(s):

• FNAM 1200 and FNAM 1340

FNAM 3460 introduces students to GIS and data analysis tools relevant for both typical program project requirements, and entry level technologist positions in industry. Digital themes and models will be created from a combination of field data, imagery, and existing data typically found on online government sources. Students will also be introduced to both supervised and unsupervised image classification related to creating thematic maps. ArcGIS is the primary tool used to illustrate the GIS and analysis principles throughout the course, although other software products may be discussed and used in labs as well.
Prerequisite(s):

• FNAM 2111

In this course, students learn basic principles related to forest road location and design, harvest system selection, and harvest planning and operations. Students study a variety of harvesting scenarios to learn assess and site and match harvest method and equipment for the safe, economic, and environmentally responsible harvesting of forest stands. Engineering field survey and data collection methods are reviewed and applied to operational harvest planning tasks. Examples of how field survey data can be transferred to computer programs such as ArcGIS and the RoadEng Survey Map, Terrain, and Location modules is included.
Prerequisite(s):

• 50% in FNAM 2500

This course is divided into two components of Forest Protection: Fire Management and Forest Health. The Fire Management component focuses on forest fire prevention, preparedness, detection, assessment and extinguishing of forest fires. Main topics include: use of Fire Weather Index, use of Weather Information, safe operation of common fire control equipment, fire line organization and supervision, Forest and Range Practices Act, Wildfire Act and Associated Regulations, fire behavior, fire safety, basic fire ecology, wildland/urban interface and other related topics. The Forest Health component introduces common insects and diseases of importance to the forests in British Columbia. It includes recognition of the organisms themselves, as well as the symptoms they produce in forested stands. The significance of life cycles in terms of sampling practices is also addressed. This component also emphasizes the recognition of signs and symptoms of the most important bark beetles, weevils, defoliators, decay causing fungi, rust fungi, and other organisms that influence forest health. A portion of the course includes recognizing abiotic agents that cause tree damage and distinguishing that damage from biotic damage.
Prerequisite(s):

• 50% in FNAM 1600

This course introduces "Measurements" as a discipline for inventory and resource management, for the application at the national, regional and operational levels. Course topics will include the use of standardized principles for the collection of data related to resource values such as vegetation, fish, wildlife, water, bio-energy and cultural values. The course will emphasize the use of Measurements information for the BC appraisal system including: Cruising, Scaling and Waste assessment procedures for Cut Control monitoring. Students are introduced to the use of GIS, modeling software and emerging technologies for Measurement applications to augment traditional field data collection techniques.
Prerequisite(s):

• MATH 1145 and RENR 1105

Silviculture is defined as the theory and practice of controlling the establishment, composition, growth, and quality of forest stands to achieve the objectives of management. Common management objectives for stands (and forests) include timber production, pleasing appearance, conservation of biological diversity, wildlife habitat, recreational opportunities and production of high-quality potable water. Silviculture introduces pertinent silviculture theory, practices and procedures with a focus on British Columbia.
Prerequisite(s):

• 50% in FNAM 2810

A second course in statistics, this course builds on the introductory statistics concepts from MATH 2145. This course includes confidence intervals and hypothesis testing for the mean and proportions (from one or more populations); linear regression and correlation techniques; and some experimental design concepts. These methods are applied to examples chosen from the Forest and Natural Areas Management field. Sampling and experimental design will be introduced and discussed as applicable to the students’ technical projects (for FNAM 3231).
Prerequisite(s):

• MATH 2145

This course will build on the skills you learned in COMM 1147 to be an efficient and professional communicator at work. You will write effective reports, deliver a persuasive oral presentation, and participate effectively in meetings and group work. You will prepare a formal report and present it orally and in writing. The theme of sustainability will be integrated into your course activities and assignments. The course consists of a one-hour lecture and a two-hour lab each week. The lectures provide the theory and demonstrations; the labs provide opportunities to apply the theory. You will be expected to demonstrate your understanding of both theory and applications in the labs, and in assignments.
Prerequisite(s):

• COMM 1147

This course provides the student with the opportunity to become involved with an applied research project of particular interest in the field of Renewable Resources. Experience will be gained in planning a project, working productively with other individuals in a team environment, recording relevant information in a number of different formats (including journals), meeting the stated objectives of the project, and reporting on a renewable resource-related group project. Technical Projects 2 focusses on project implementation and reporting.
Prerequisite(s):

• FNAM 3231

Topics will include governance issues related to aboriginal rights, and the delegation of power among local, provincial and federal governments. Important legal principles and terms will be discussed to aid students in the interpretation of recent decisions. Students will be able to describe the role courts and administrative boards play in the interpretation of government policy and legislation. The link between the various professional associations, and role ethics and professionalism play in interpreting job responsibilities, will also form a component of the course. Students will obtain the skills necessary for researching and reviewing recent court and administrative board decisions that have the potential to impact their day to day work activities. The course also introduces students to the current structure of aboriginal organizations and government agencies involved with aboriginal affairs. Important resource management issues as they related to aboriginal organizations will be discussed. The course will also review current forest policy and tenure throughout the province. Students will work on the creation of an integrated resource management plan.
Prerequisite(s):

• FNAM 3350 and FNAM 3460

This course covers the recognition of signs and symptoms of biotic and abiotic factors affecting forest health. The impact of forest management practices on insect and disease conditions is emphasized. Instruction in sampling, measuring, and reporting insect and disease damage, especially for root disease and beetle impacted forest stands is emphasized. Ecological and legal factors influencing the use of both biological and chemical pesticides for weed control are outlined.
Prerequisite(s):

• FNAM 3600

Silviculture is defined as the theory and practice of controlling the establishment, composition, growth and quality of forest stands to achieve the objectives of management. Common management objectives for stands (and forests) include timber production, pleasing appearance, conservation of biological diversity, wildlife habitat, recreational opportunities and production of high-quality, potable water. Silviculture surveys will be emphasized in Applied Silviculture: (1) plantability, (2) stocking, (3) brushing, and (4) free-growing. This course, in combination with appropriate work experience, will prepare students to successfully accomplish the Province of B.C. Silvicultural Surveyor Accreditation exam.
Prerequisite(s):

• FNAM 3820

Continuing from FNAM 3500, in this course, students learn advanced skills related to forest road location and design, harvest system selection, and harvest planning and operations. Students will develop strategies for road maintenance and deactivation. Economics of harvesting operations will be discussed. Techniques for dealing with landslide prone terrain will be investigated.
Prerequisite(s):

• FNAM 3500

This course introduces forest sampling techniques as they relate to the current policies and procedures for timber inventory, log scaling and waste assessments in British Columbia. This field based course will require students will collect, compile, analyze and report on cruise, scale and waste data. Additional topics include the principles of double sampling and 3-P sampling techniques, as well as wood products manufacturing and end product valuation.
Prerequisite(s):

• FNAM 3700

This course examines environmental and management issues common in urban and urban/rural interface areas in British Columbia. Emphasis is placed on integrated infrastructure, land, water, and vegetation management and planning. Both regulatory and non-regulatory tools available to local governments to address environmental issues are examined. Examples of Official Community Plans, zoning bylaws, development permit area regulations, community watershed plans, integrated storm water management plans, streamside protection, and waste management plans are reviewed. Students will also be able to describe typical process and requirements for building permit and development permit applications.
Prerequisite(s):

• FNAM 3350 and FNAM 3460

The main topics of introductory arboriculture are covered including tree biology, tree health, soils, fertility and water management, tree selection and establishment, pruning, safety, tree risk assessment, tree conservation issues, and sustainable management of greenbelt and interface forests.
Prerequisite(s):

• FNAM 2100

This course introduces the student to the issues related to fire management in the Wildland /Urban Interface. With the spread of home and other development into the forest interface, managers need to have a basic understanding of how to design using some FireSmart principles. There is also a requirement for managers to understand the interaction between local fire department operations and typical wildland fire-fighters. This course will also discuss at the initiative of Community Wildfire Protection Plans.
Prerequisite(s):

• FNAM 3600

Urban and Interface Silviculture will address integrated vegetation management strategies and treatment methods to achieve desired, stable, natural vegetation communities in B.C. Treatments studied will include site preparation, regeneration, brushing and weeding, cleaning, and thinning. Strategies will be designed to cost-effectively and with minimal undesirable environmental impact achieve desired species composition and dominance. Strategies may also be designed to conserve biodiversity, control invasive species, minimize the risk of catastrophic wildfire, promote windfirmness and maintain pleasing appearance. Case studies will be employed to convey as much of the material as possible. Students will be required to prepare a treatment regime for a specific site and set of objectives.
Prerequisite(s):

• FNAM 3820