Course Description

Exploration of the ecology, forest composition, and natural history of the forests of the Southeastern United States. We will visit forests in the coastal plain, piedmont and mountains and learn the major tree species that inhabit these forests and the major ecological processes that shape these ecosystems.

Additional Requirements for Graduate Students:
Graduate students will have a final presentation on a Southeastern US forest type which will cover the major species, land use histories, ecology and natural history.

---

Athena Title

Forests of the Southeast US

---

Non-Traditional Format

This course will occur over three weeks in the Maymester session. It will meet for 8 hours per day Monday-Friday which will be divided into lecture (20%), field work (60%) and discussion time (20%).

---

Undergraduate Prerequisite

BIOL 1104 or BIOL 1108 or PBIO 1220

---

Graduate Prerequisite

BIOL 1104 or BIOL 1108 or PBIO 1220

---

Semester Course Offered

Offered summer semester every even-numbered year.

---

Grading System

A - F (Traditional)

---

Student Learning Outcomes

• Students will survey the natural (and anthropogenic, to a certain extent) forest communities of the Southeast United States.
• Students will understand the processes that have resulted in these communities.
• Students will understand the geologic, anthropogenic and evolutionary forces that shape the forest structure and makeup of the forests of the coastal plains, piedmont and mountains.

---

Topical Outline

• 1. Coastal Plain Forests - bays, flatwoods, pocosins, sandhills (including longleaf pine savanna) and maritime forests 2. Piedmont Forests - upland oak/hickory, mesic slope forests, bottomland hardwoods and swamps 3. Mountain Forests - transitional forests, Northern hardwood, high-elevation spruce fir, mountain bog systems, heath and grass bald systems

---