Forestry (Distance Learning)

Course Structure

1. Silviculture considers the principles of silviculture, including species selection according to site conditions, artificial and natural regeneration of woodlands and interventions. The module also includes the management of mixed forest stands and the silviculture of forests in transition (transformation, conversion).
2. Forestry Study Tour is a week-long study tour of important and interesting field sites usually in England and/or Wales. Each year the tour focusses on an issue of contemporary relevance. You will meet and discuss with practicing foresters and land managers in conservation organisations, research institutes and public agencies. The residential nature of the study tour means that full-time and part-time students can fully immerse themselves in the subject for a week. Assessment is through a post study tour write-up and reflection.
3. Forest Ecosystems presents the occurrence and ecology of different forest types. Emphasis will be placed on forest biota and soils, nutrient cycling, hydrology, pollution, climate change and forest health.
4. Natural Resource Management gives students a theoretical understanding of the systems approach to managing natural resources (such as forests), as well as a practical grounding in the ways in which natural resource managers (including foresters) can draw on different kinds of knowledge sources.
5. Forest Management Planning develops an understanding of the forest management planning process, and its use in the sustainable management of rural resources. Students develop management plans for real-world forestry situations which involves setting management objectives, considering landscape features, devising appropriate monitoring and evaluation techniques and quantifying the costs of management operations. Students are required to attend a week-long residential in Bangor during the spring of their 2nd year of study to complete this module.
6. Forest Inventory, Assessment and Monitoring considers ways in which forest resources can be assessed and recorded for their growth and development to be monitored. It will provide students with the opportunity to acquire knowledge and understanding of the specialist areas of mensuration, forest inventory and forest resource monitoring.
7. Silviculture considers the principles of silviculture, including species selection according to site conditions, artificial and natural regeneration of woodlands and interventions. The module also includes the management of mixed forest stands and the silviculture of forests in transition (transformation, conversion).
8. Social Issues in Forest Management considers the ways in which social, cultural, economic and political factors can influence the shape and scope of forest management systems and how these may affect the livelihoods of communities living in or close to forests.
9. Sustainable Use of Non-Timber Forest Products gives students an understanding of the ways in which forests may be managed in ways which recognise the value and enterprise development potential of non-timber forest products (NTFP\x92s). Due consideration will be given to production systems for \x91wild\x92 products which arise without human intervention and products derived from cultivation of products in forests and from trees outside forests.
10. Forestry Study Tour is a week-long study tour of important and interesting field sites usually in England and/or Wales. Each year the tour focusses on an issue of contemporary relevance. You will meet and discuss with practicing foresters and land managers in conservation organisations, research institutes and public agencies. The residential nature of the study tour means that full-time and part-time students can fully immerse themselves in the subject for a week. Assessment is through a post study tour write-up and reflection.
11. Forest History, Policy and Management explores how the needs and values of society in relation to woodlands and forests change over time and how these changes influence their structure, management and composition. This module will question many common misconceptions about forestry and will provide students with a much broader and deeper understanding of this vast subject.
12. Natural Resource Management gives students a theoretical understanding of the systems approach to managing natural resources (such as forests), as well as a practical grounding in the ways in which natural resource managers (including foresters) can draw on different kinds of knowledge sources.
13. Agroforestry Systems and Practice is designed to give students in-depth perspectives of the fascinating interface between forestry and agriculture. The module is international in outlook and considers temperate and tropical regions.