Course Description
This course introduces students forest ecosystem services, with special emphasis on the southeastern United States, one of the most productive and biodiverse forest regions in the country. Students will explore how forests provide essential services and how these services are measured, managed, valued, and incorporated into policy and planning.
Athena Title
Forest Ecosystem Services
Equivalent Courses
Not open to students with credit in FANR 2888
Non-Traditional Format
This course will be taught 95% or more online. Weekly lectures will be prepared and posted online so that students can view them at any time. Students are required to participate in online discussions with students from other universities in the United States (University of Florida and North Carolina State University) and students from three Brazilian universities participating in the class.
Prerequisite
Permission of department
Semester Course Offered
Not offered on a regular basis.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Student learning Outcomes
- Students will define major categories of forest ecosystem services (provisioning, regulating, cultural, supporting).
- Students will describe the ecological processes that generate ecosystem services, especially in southeastern U.S. forests.
- Students will explain how forest management practices influence ecosystem service production.
- Students will apply common methods for assessing and valuing ecosystem services (biophysical, economic, social).
- Students will interpret maps, remote sensing data, and ecological indicators related to ecosystem services.
- Students will evaluate tradeoffs among forest uses and management strategies.
- Students will analyze the role of ecosystem services in land use planning, conservation policy, and climate mitigation.
- Students will communicate ecosystem service concepts to policymakers, landowners, and the public.
Topical Outline
- Topic 1 – Ecosystem Services
a. What are ESs?
b. How are ESs used in concepts of sustainability and conservation?
c. What are the perceived economic values of ESs; how does one consider economic value of outside-the-market services?
d. What are the Forest and Soil ESs?
- Topic 2 – Economic valuation of Forest Ecosystem Services
a. Conceptual frameworks for economic valuation
b. Methods for non-market valuation
c. Stated preference
d. Revealed preference
e. Overview of value estimates
f. Limitations and alternatives to economic valuation
- Topic 3 - Production Services
a. Lumber and Pulp
b. Bioenergy
c. Chemical Extractives
d. Charcoal
e. Pine straw
f. Miscellaneous
- Topic 4 – Physically related Forest and Soil ESs
a. Soil conservation and stability
b. Water yield
c. Flood mitigation
- Topic 5 – Chemically related Forest and Soil ESs
a. Water quality (filtering, water treatment, biological filtering, plant remediation)
b. Air quality
c. Nutrient Cycling
d. Carbon Sequestration
- Topic 6 – Biologically related Forest and Soil ESs
a. Biodiversity (plant and chemical)
b. Wildlife habitat and diversity
c. Pollination
d. Seed Dispersal
e. Control of Pests
- Topic 7 - Spiritual and Aesthetic Services
a. Forests and Wilderness Concepts in Religion
b. Forest Contribution to Mental Health
c. Surgery, Recovery and Trees
- Topic 8 – Case studies applying economic valuation to different categories of services reviewed in topics 4, 5, and 6
