Forests: Biology, Ecology, Conservation, and Management

The Forests: Biology, Ecology, Conservation, and Management track focuses on forest resources and allows students to choose from specializations in the following areas: forest biology, ecology, ecophysiology; genetics and tree improvement; tree physiology; reproductive biology and forest regeneration; forest growth and vegetation dynamics; timber harvesting, silviculture, and sustainable forest management; landscape ecology, restoration and management; conservation of biodiversity and wildlife habitat management; forest health; disturbance (including fire) ecology; urban and community forestry; and agroforestry. Research normally focuses on forest and related ecosystems.

View a list of faculty who work with students in this track

Sample Coursework

The NRSM program does not prescribe specific coursework to its students, beyond our orientation course (NR 8101) and a one-credit seminar (NR 8107). Each student, working with their advisor and exam committee, develops a program of coursework that meets the needs of their specific research project and, ultimately, their career goals. See below for a list of courses that are representative of coursework taken by students within this track. When developing a well-rounded degree plan, most students also consider coursework listed under other NRSM tracks (see other Area of Study webpages for examples of coursework within those tracks), or within other departments at the university. 

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Course Subjects A through F

  • AGRO 5121 | Applied Experimental Design | Every Spring | 4 cr
  • APEC 5031 | Methods of Economic Data Analysis | Every Fall | 3 cr
  • APEC 5032 | Economic Data Analysis for Managerial and Policy Decisions | Every Spring | 3 cr
  • APEC 5651 | Economics of Natural Resource and Environmental Policy | Every Spring | 3 cr
  • APEC 8211 | Econometric Analysis I | Every Fall | 4 cr
  • APEC 8212 | Econometric Analysis II | Every Spring | 4 cr
  • BBE 5001 | Chemistry of Biomass and Biomass Conversion to Fuels and Products | Every Fall | 4 cr
  • BBE 5302 | Biodegradation of Bioproducts | Every Spring | 3 cr
  • BBE 5535 | Assessment and Diagnosis of Impaired Waters | Every Fall | 3 cr
  • CI 8149 | Qualitative Research: Coding, Analysis, Interpretation, and Writing | Periodic in Fall | 3 cr
  • DES 8103 | Qualitative and Mixed Methods Research | Every Spring | 3 cr
  • EEB 4609W | Ecosystem Ecology | Every Fall | 3 cr 
  • EEB 5068 | Plant Physiological Ecology | 3 cr
  • EEB 5609 | Ecosystem Ecology | Every Spring | 3 cr
  • EEB 8200 | Sustainability Science Distributed Graduate Seminar | Every Spring | 3 cr
  • ENT 4251 | Forest and Shade Tree Entomology | Every Fall | 3 cr
  • ENT 5126 | Spatial and Temporal Analysis of Ecological Data | Spring Even Years | 3 cr
  • EPSY 5221 | Principles of Educational and Psychological Measurement | Every Fall | 3 cr
  • EPSY 5244 | Survey Design, Sampling, and Implementation | Every Fall | 3 cr
  • EPSY 5247 | Qualitative Methods in Educational Psychology | Every Fall | 3 cr
  • EPSY 5261 | Introductory Statistical Methods | Every Fall, Spring, and Summer | 3 cr
  • EPSY 5262 | Intermediate Statistical Methods | Every Fall and Spring | 3 cr
  • EPSY 8266 | Statistical Analysis Using Structural Equation Methods | Periodic in Spring | 3 cr
  • ESPM 5071 | Ecological Restoration | Every Fall | 4 cr
  • ESPM 5108 | Ecology of Managed Systems | Every Fall | 4 cr
  • ESPM 5202 | Environmental Conflict Management, Leadership, and Planning | Every Spring | 3 cr
  • ESPM 5211 | Survey, Measurement, and Modeling for Environmental Analysis | Every Spring | 3 cr
  • ESPM 5242 | Methods for Environmental and Natural Resource Policy Analysis | Fall Even Years | 3 cr
  • ESPM 5256 | Natural Resource Law & the Management of Public Lands & Waters | Spring Odd Years | 3 cr
  • ESPM 5555 | Wetland Soils | Every Fall | 3 cr
  • ESPM 5603 | Environmental Life Cycle Analysis | Every Fall | 3 cr
  • FNRM 5104 | Forest Ecology | Every Fall | 4 cr
  • FNRM 5114 | Hydrology and Watershed Management | Every Fall | 4 cr
  • FNRM 5131 | Geographical Information Systems (GIS) for Natural Resources |
  • FNRM 5153 | Forest Hydrology & Watershed Biogeochemistry | Spring in Odd Years | 3 cr
  • FNRM 5203 | Forest Fire and Disturbance Ecology | Every Spring | 3 cr
  • FNRM 5204 | Landscape Ecology and Management | Every Fall | 3 cr
  • FNRM 5205 | Productivity and Ecology of Forest Soils | Fall in Even Years | 3 cr
  • FNRM 5218 | Measuring and Modeling Forests | Every Spring | 3 cr
  • FNRM 5262 | Remote Sensing and Geospatial Analysis of Natural Resources and Environment | Every Fall and Spring | 3 cr 
  • FNRM 5264 | Advanced Forest Management Planning | Every Fall | 3 cr
  • FNRM 5411 | Managing Forest Ecosystems: Silviculture | Every Fall | 3 cr
  • FNRM 5413 | Managing Forest Ecosystems: Silviculture Lab | Every Fall | 1 cr
  • FNRM 5501 | Urban Forest Management: Managing Greenspaces for People | Every Spring | 3 cr
  • FNRM 8207 | Economic Analysis of Natural Resource Projects | Every Fall, Spring, and Summer | 1 -5 cr
  • FNRM 8208 | Research Problems: Environmental Learning and Leadership | Every Fall, Spring, and Summer | 1 - 5 cr
  • FW 5003 | Human Dimensions of Biological Conservation | Every Fall | 3 cr
  • FW 5603W | Habitats and Regulation of Wildlife | Every Fall | 3 cr
  • FW 8051 | Statistical Modeling of Ecological Data using R and WinBugs/JAGS | Every Spring | 4 cr
  • FW 8452 | Conservation Biology | Every Fall | 3 cr

Course Subjects G through S

 

  • GEOG 5426 | Climatic Variations | Periodic in Fall | 3 cr
  • GEOG 5839 | Introduction to Dendrochronology | Every Fall | 3 cr
  • GEOG 8260 | Seminar: Physical Geography | Every Spring | 2 cr
  • GIS 5555 | Basic Spatial Analysis | Every Fall | 3 cr
  • HORT 5071 | Ecological Restoration | Every Fall | 4 cr
  • NR 5021 | Statistics for Agricultural and Natural Resource Professionals | Every Fall | 4 cr
  • OLPD 5061 | Ethnographic Research Methods | Periodic Fall, Spring, and Summer | 3 cr
  • OLPD 5528 | Focus Group Interviewing Research Methods | Every Fall | 1 - 3 cr
  • PA 5002 | Introduction to Policy Analysis | Every Fall and Spring | 1.5 cr
  • PA 5031 | Statistics for Public Affairs | Every Fall | 4 cr
  • PA 5035 | Survey Research and Data Collection | Every Spring | 1.5 cr
  • PA 5041 | Qualitative Methods for Policy Analysts | Every Fall | 4 cr
  • PA 5920 | Skills Workshop | Every Fall and Spring | .5 - 4 cr
  • PLPA 5003 | Diseases of Forest and Shade Trees | Every Spring | 3 cr
  • PLPA 5480 | Principles of Plant Pathology | Every Fall | 3 cr
  • POL 8126 | Qualitative Methods | Fall in Even Years, Spring in Odd Years | 3 cr
  • PUBH 7250 | Designing and Conducting Focus Group Interviews | Every Spring and Summer | 1 cr
  • PUBH 7407 | Analysis of Categorical Data | Every Spring | 3 cr
  • SOC 5811 | Social Statistics for Graduate Students | Every Fall | 4 cr
  • SOC 8801 | Sociological Research Methods | Periodic in Fall and Spring | 4 cr
  • SOC 8811 | Advanced Social Statistics | Every Fall and Spring | 4 cr
  • SOIL 5611 | Soil Biology and Fertility | Every Fall | 4 cr
  • STAT 5021 | Statistical Analysis | Every Fall and Spring | 4 cr
  • STAT 5201 | Sampling Methodology in Finite Populations | Every Spring | 3 cr
  • STAT 5302 | Applied Regression Analysis | Every Fall, Spring, and Summer | 4 cr
  • STAT 5303 | Designing Experiments | Every Fall, Spring, and Summer | 4 cr
  • STAT 5401 | Applied Multivariate Methods | Periodic in Fall | 4 cr
  • STAT 5421 | Analysis of Categorical Data | Every Fall and Spring | 3 cr
  • STAT 5601 | Nonparametric Methods | Every Fall and Spring | 3 cr
  • STAT 8051 | Advanced Regression Techniques: Linear, Nonlinear and Nonparametric Methods | Every Fall | 3 cr
  • STAT 8052 | Applied Statistical Methods 2: Design of Experiments and Mixed-Effects Modeling | Every Spring | 3 cr
  • STAT 8053 | Applied Statistical Methods 3: Multivariate Analysis and Advanced Regression | Every Fall | 3 cr
  • STAT 8054 | Statistical Methods 4: Advanced Statistical Computing | Every Spring | 3 cr