Course Objectives for FOR 373

FOR 373

F O R E S T O P E R A T I O N S

315 Bray Hall

Instructor: R.H. Germain email: rhgermai@esf.edu

Office: 316 Bray Hall Phone: 470-6698

Office Hours: "Open Door" policy or by appointment.

OBJECTIVES:

Concepts:

(1) Introduction of the principles and practices of timber harvesting.

(2) Introduction to and understanding of the methodologies employed in locating, constructing, and maintaining forest roads.

(3) Appreciation for the systems approach in analyzing and evaluating forest operations.

(4) Introduction to the assessment of the performance & operating costs of equipment used in various phases of forest operations.

(5) Examination of the environmental impacts associated with forest operations and the approaches for mitigating these impacts.

Skills:

(1) Ability to plan, layout, and supervise timber harvesting operations.

(2) Ability to plan, layout, and maintain forest road systems.

(3) Ability to determine operating costs associated with forest operations.

(4) Ability to rationally assess the quality of timber harvesting operations.

(5) Ability to specify techniques for limiting adverse environmental impacts associated with timber harvesting and forest road construction activities.

CLASS ATTENDANCE:

Class attendance is vital -- absences, for any reason, do not relieve the student of the responsibility for assignments, laboratories, and lecture materials covered during the absence.

If you encounter a situation beyond your control in which you will be missing three (3) or more days of class, you can contact the Office of Student Life (110 Bray, 315-470-6660, Fax: 315-470-4728) and they will contact all your instructors for you. Supportive documentation may be required.

ACCOMMODATIONS FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES:

If you have an identified disability and will need accommodation, you should first contact Mr. Slocum in the Office of Student Life in 110 Bray Hall. He will discuss the ESF process and work with you to access supportive services. If you have a learning disability, the College will require you to provide supportive documentation and will develop an approved accommodation sheet for you. Accommodations will not be provided until the accommodation sheet is established and we meet to discuss its applicability to this course. Accommodations will not be provided retroactively. If you have any questions about disabilities, please contact me and/or Mr. Slocum as soon as possible. All conversations will be confidential.

CLASSROOM LEARNING ENVIRONMENT:

To maintain the best possible environment for learning, the following standards for acceptable behavior will be followed by all students in this class:

· Turn off all cell phones and pagers before entering the class.

· Be on time for class and don't leave early.

· Don't have conversations among yourselves during class that distract other students or the instructor.

· Don't taunt or belittle other students in the class.

· Don't use vulgarity or profanity in the class.

Students who violate these standards will be told to leave the class.

FIELD LABS:

The lab sessions will consist of projects at Heiberg Forest as well as field trips to logging operations and manufacturing facilities. Attendance is mandatory. To maintain a safe and productive learning environment, students will need to adhere to the following guidelines:

· Students must wear boots and long pants.

· Hard hats are required.

· Students must be attentative and polite to our host for the day.

· Students should try to avoid smoking tobacco products. If you must smoke, please stay away from the group so others are not exposed to your second-hand smoke.

Students who violate these standards will not participate in field sessions.

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY AND PLAGIARISM:

The College does not tolerate academic dishonesty. The penalty may be a grade of zero for the assignment, or failure of the course. If the offense is particularly grievous, the matter will be referred to Judicial Affairs.

Plagiarism is presenting someone else’s ideas, work, or words as if they were your own. Plagiarism includes copying from a source without citing it, using the same words without using quotation marks (even with a citation), or improperly paraphrasing (re-wording) another's work. Always cite sources you consult. You must attribute words, ideas, interpretations, information, and knowledge that is not your own to the appropriate author or source.

As a student in this class, you acknowledge your responsibility for abiding by the Code of Student Conduct; and you acknowledge your understanding of academic dishonesty and the penalties for academic dishonesty, which are applicable to both individual and group assignments.

GRADING POLICY:

Grades will be based on the results of a mid-term exam, final exam, research paper, timber sale project, road location project, and field laboratory/homework assignments. All exams will be comprehensive and will cover materials presented in lectures, handouts, and laboratories. All laboratory/homework assignments are due at the beginning of the class on the date due. Late homework assignments or laboratory reports will be penalized: 50% loss if turned in 1 to 24 hours late, 100% loss if turned in over 24 hours late!

All exams will be comprehensive and will cover materials presented in lectures, readings, and laboratories. Make-up exams will be given only for those students who provide a written and signed explanation of extenuating circumstances sufficient to justify their having missed the scheduled exam.

The course grade will be based on the following weighting and course grades will be determined based on the following scale:

Item	Weight
Homework/Field Lab Assignments	30%
Road Location Project	10%
Timber Sale Project	10%
Mid-term Exam	15%
Semester Paper (draft 1)	5%
Semester Paper	15%
Final	15%

FOR 373 - MWF 12:45 - 1:40, Lab Friday 1:50 - 4:55

Draft Schedule

*Day*	*Date*	*Lecture #*	*Lab #*	*Topic*	*Assignment*
M	25-Aug-08	1		Intro - Harvest Planning
W	27-Aug-08	2		Forest Roads - Standards/Planning
F	29-Aug-08		1	Heiberg – Introduction to Road Curves
M	1-Sep-08			NO CLASSES-Labor Day
W	3-Sep-08	3		Forest Roads – Location & Horizontal Curves
F	5-Sep-08		2	Logging Operation – Harden Furniture
M	8-Sep-08	4		Forest Roads – Location & Horizontal Curves
W	10-Sep-08	5		Forest Roads - Construction & Maintenance
F	12-Sep-08		3	Logging Operation – Wagner Lumber
M	15-Sep-08	6		Forest roads – drainage
W	17-Sep-08	7		No Class
F	19-Sep-08		4	Heiberg – Road Building Exercise
M	22-Sep-08	8		BMPs
W	24-Sep-08	9		BMPs – Riparian Forest Areas
F	26-Sep-08		5	Heiberg – Road Building Exercise
M	29-Sep-08	10		Procurement systems
W	1-Oct-08	11		Independent contractors
F	3-Oct-08		6	Mill Tour – Gutchess Lumber
M	6-Oct-08	12		Independent contractors
W	8-Oct-08	13		Hazard trees Productivity
F	10-Oct-08		7	Heiberg – Road Building Exercise
M	13-Oct-08	14		Supply/Logyard Management
W	15-Oct-08	15		Harvest systems
F	17-Oct-08		8	Heiberg – Road Drainage
M	20-Oct-08	16		Mid-term Exam
W	22-Oct-08	17		Harvest systems Two
F	24-Oct-08		9	Mill Tour – Schuyler Pellet Plant
M	27-Oct-08	18		Biomass – Chipping Operations
W	29-Oct-08	19		Limbing and bucking (HVIP)
F	31-Oct-08		10	Logging Operation – Forecon
M	3-Nov-08	20		Cable Yarding
W	5-Nov-08	21		Productivity
F	7-Nov-08		11	Heiberg – Timber Sale
M	10-Nov-08	22		Logging costs	1^st Draft Paper
W	12-Nov-08	23		Financing Loggers – First Pioneer Farm Credit
F	14-Nov-08		12	Heiberg – Timber Sale
M	17-Nov-08	24		Systems Costs
W	19-Nov-08	25		Systems Costs
F	21-Nov-08		13	Heiberg – Timber Sale
M	24-Nov-08	26		Systems Costs
W	26-Nov-08			Thanksgiving
F	28-Nov-08			Thanksgiving
M	1-Dec-08	27		Timber Sale Contracts
W	3-Dec-08	28		Course Wrap-up
F	5-Dec-08			NO CLASS--Convocation

	9-Dec-08			*FINAL EXAM Tuesday Dec 9^th 2:45pm*