Arp, P. and MacLean, D.A.
Course Outline
Title and number: / Forest watershed forest fire management, FOR 3456Forest watershed management component
Course prerequisites: / For 2505
Instructors: / Dr. P. Arp
Teaching Assistant(s): / M. Castonguay, Marie-France Jones
Course description: / The emphasis of this course is on management of water at the watershed, forest stand and landscape level. Forest watershed management is strongly affected by climate, topography/terrain, and stand/fuel type influences. Students are introduced to quantitative concepts and models regarding water and nutrient cycling, carbon cycling, and energy flows through forest stands and/or forested watersheds in relation to soil and weather factors. With models, students forecast potential short- and long-term effects of human interventions and of natural disturbances on site factors, habitat, energy (food and heat), nutrient availability, forest biomass production, organic matter decomposition, moisture retention and water uptake, water quality and stream discharge.
Course objectives: / 1. To develop a working knowledge of the principles, of forest watershed hydrology;
2. To introduce concepts pertaining to the flow of water, nutrients, and energy, in and across forested landscapes and watersheds;
3. To provide students with basic and hands-on experience regarding the modelling of flows and cycles in and across forested stands, landscapes and watersheds through process and ecological systems modelling.
These objectives have the same intent as CFAB academic objectives re. Forest Hydrology.
Course duration: / 6 weeks
Total number of hours scheduled: / 66
Scheduled lecture hours: / 24
Scheduled laboratory hours: / 36
Scheduled field work hours: / 0
Other scheduled hours (tutorials, exam.)
Course Content / 6
· Principles of forest watershed management
· Foundations for best forest mgmt. practices: mapping watershed boundaries, flow channels, depressions, depth to water table
· Working with forest hydrology data
· Watershed modeling (moisture retention, evapotranspir-ation, interception, soil heat and temperatures, frost, snow)
· Water quality, soil erosion, soil trafficability
· Role of water and fire in nutrient cycling
Course Structure and Schedule: / Week 1 General introduction to fire/water mgmt.; Forest hydrology and watersheds, basic concepts
Week 2 Basic concepts, continued
Week 3 Hydrological model, aspatial
Week 4 Flow accumulation, continuum, spatial model
Week 5 Nutrient cycles, compartment content, inputs/outputs, fire and nutrient cycling
Week 6 Best management practices, water quality &
fire & nutrient cycling
Course Structure and Schedule:
Course readings
Computer tools needed / Labs:
Week 1-2 Basic hydrological parameters, soil moisture retention, Report #1 plus exercises
Week 3 Hydrological model, Report # 2 plus exercises
Week 4 Watershed mapping, Report #3 plus exercises
Week 5-6 Nutrient cycling, Report # 4 plus exercises
Main text:
Brady, Chapters 5, 6, 14 to 19.
Supplementary:
Kimmins, Part II. Sections A, B, and C
· Word processing (MSWord): reporting
· Spreadsheet (Microsoft Excel): data processing, tabulation, and modeling.
· Statistical software packages (SPSS) or Statview
· Powerpoint
· Stella (dynamic modeling software)
· ArcMap
Office Hours and Consultation / Open door; clarifications (lectures, exercises, examinations)
Student assessment / Grading of reports (4), quizzes (3), and examination (1); altogether 8 separate assessments.
Grading
Note / Students will be tested on assigned reading material and general course material by way of quizzes, a mid-term exam on watershed management content and a final examination of fire content. Grading is as follows:
Water Mgmt. section
Lab assignments and exercises(first half of course) 20%
Short Quizzes (up to 15 min). 10%
Mid-term examination 20%
To avoid course failure or course repetition, students must achieve a C standing for this component of the FOR 3456 course.
2
CFAB 2010/11 Section E