FOREST OPERATIONS AND WOOD UTILIZATION
FOR 4754
Fall 2005

Instructor:

Dr. Alan Long
355 N-Z Box 110410
ph 846-0891
ajl2@ufl.edu

Dr. Long's Home Page

Teaching Assistant:
Cierra Schobert

Office Hours Class Hours Focus
Class Schedule Course Objectives Evaluation
Assignments Textbook Grading
Attendance Field Trips Equipment
Other Information Computers Software Use
UF Counseling Services Academic Honesty  

Office Hours:

Tues (all day), Wed (before class), or whenever else you can find me

Class Hours:

M W Period 5 (11:45 am - 12:35 pm), 222 N-Z
M Periods 6-9 (12:50 pm - 4:55 pm), 219 N-Z

Focus:

Practical experience in management skills based on understanding: operating system characteristics, costs and benefits; regulatory and business considerations; analytical techniques; prescription procedures.


Course Objectives:

Upon completing the course, students will be able to:

  1. Develop the skills necessary to manage a wide variety of forestry operations.
  2. Understand the general processing of wood products.
  3. Understand the regulatory environment in which forest operations are conducted.

Textbook:

Selected readings, to be distributed in class or purchased as part of the class notes packet; a 3-ring binder is highly recommended for organizing handouts and assignments; there is no single text that covers this range of topics. All assigned reading may be used in both exams and written exercises.

Attendance:

Class attendance is required.

Field Trips:

Weekly (almost); to demonstrate field and mill operations, develop background information for written exercises, interact with practicing foresters and mill managers, and participate in operations such as timber sale preparations and prescribed burning.

Assignments:

These will vary from problem sets to preparation of timber sale contracts to class presentations that describe different herbicides or harvesting technologies. All will be graded individually, although some will be conducive to (and may even require) work in teams. Experience has proven that students often do not fully understand concepts and problem solving unless they work them out themselves. Most of you will do much better on exams if you have worked through problem sets on your own! I will only count the best 12 (of the 13) exercises in the final scores.

Equipment:

Computers:

Assignments should be word processed, and several assignments will use spreadsheet and growth/yield applications.

Other Information:

All assignments must be in by the beginning of class on their due date for full credit. Papers will be considered late after class begins and will lose 10% of their total possible score for every 24 hours past the due date/time.

Evaluation of Student Performance:

40% 3 unit exams (multiple choice, short answer, problems)
40% Exercise/reports (10% of this assumes regular attendance)
5% ACMF Compartment plans
15% Final

 

 

 


Grading:

90% + A
80% + B
70% + C
60% + D

Academic Honesty:

In the Fall of 1995, the University of Florida student body voted to enact a student honor code and they approved the following statement: “We, the members of the University of Florida community, pledge to hold ourselves and our peers to the highest standards of honesty and integrity”.
Additionally, as a result of completing the registration form at the University of Florida, every student has signed the following statement: “I understand that the University of Florida expects its students to be honest in all their academic work. I agree to adhere to this commitment to academic honesty and understand that my failure to comply with this commitment may result in disciplinary action up to and including expulsion from the University.”

I expect all of us to adhere to this honor code, as you prepare assignments, take exams, and participate in class lectures and activities, and as I grade your exams and papers. I will follow University procedures for disciplinary action if necessary. Likewise, if you feel that I have not complied with the commitment to integrity, please address me directly or discuss your concern with Dr. White, Director of SFRC.

UF Counseling Services:

Resources are available on campus for students having personal problems or lacking clear career and academic goals that interfere with their academic performance. These resources include: University Counseling Center (301 Peabody Hall 392 1575) for personal and career counseling; Student Mental Health (Student Health Care Center 392 1171) for personal counseling; Sexual Assault Recovery Services (Student Health Care Center 392 1161 x 6) for sexual counseling; and Career Resource Center (Reitz Union 392 1601) for career development assistance and counseling.

Software and Copyright Use:

All faculty, staff, and students of the University are required and expected to obey the laws and legal agreements governing software use and copyright issues with material available in libraries or on the internet. Failure to do so can lead to monetary damages and/or criminal penalties for the individual violator. Because such violations are also against University policies and rules, disciplinary action will be taken as appropriate.

 

Class Schedule:

Aug 24

Safety management

Aug 29 Introduction to harvesting systems & practices
Lab: Logging operations and safety analysis (field)
Aug 31 More on harvesting systems/practices; Harvesting cost analysis
Assignment 1 DUE (Job safety analysis)
Sept 5 Holiday: Labor Day
Sept 7 Timber Sales (video, FFA)
Sept 12

Complete timber sales; Harvesting refinements
Lab: Timber cruise/site evaluation for preparing timber sale bid (ACMF/field)

Sept 14

Complete harvesting cost analysis and business management concerns
Assignment 2 DUE (Harvesting cost analysis)

Sept 19

Regulation of forest practices -- legal setting
Lab: Presentations: cable systems, partial cut systems, processors
Assignment 3 DUE (Report on harvesting systems)

Sept 21 Transport systems and BMPs
Sept 26 Brazil: an offshore competitor; products, forest management and harvesting technology
Assignment 4 DUE (Timber sale bid & contract)
Lab: Field (Compartment exams for ACMF Mgt Plan and/or logging operations)
Sept 28

EXAM
Oct 3

Solid wood processing & values (SESAF)
Lab: Mill Tour (Chip-n-saw mill, Lake Butler)

Oct 5

Wood characteristics; effects on wood quality; merchandising

Oct 10

Panel products - guest speaker
Assignment 5 DUE (Mill report)
Lab: Mill Tour (G-P plywood)
Oct 12 Pulp and paper production, fiber products & value
Oct 17

Chemical & other products; Secondary manufacturing
Assignment 6 DUE (Mill report)
Lab: Mill Tour (Palatka - G-P pulp/paper mill)

Oct 19 TBD (national SAF)
Oct 24

Wood preservation; wrapup on processing
Assignment 7 DUE (Mill report)
Lab: Mill tour (Koppers) or field tour of NTFPs
Oct 26 EXAM
Oct 31 Site preparation & vegetation management--objectives & current technology
Assignment 8 DUE (Mill report)
Lab: Field tour of industrial site prep operations
Nov 2

SP and VM equipment & methods
Nov 7 Chemicals, equipment and calibration (part 1)
Lab (inside); Presentations on different herbicides; vegetation management problem set
SP and VM impacts and benefits
Assignment 9 DUE (Herbicide report)
Nov 9 Chemicals, equipment and calibration (part 2)
Nov 14 SP and VM prescriptions, plans & cost analysis
Assignment 10 DUE (Herbicide problem set; VM/weed control problem set)
Lab: Field tour: site prep, regeneration operations (Donaldson Tract & others)
Nov 16 Controlling invasive plants (guest lecturer?)
Nov 21 Regulatory issues, certification, worker safety, BMPs
Assignment 11 DUE (Vegetation management prescription)
Lab: ACMF Compartment plans or field operations
Nov 23 Regeneration: procedures & plans
Nov 24 HAPPY THANKSGIVING
Nov 28 Methods for natural regeneration
Lab: Regeneration monitoring/evaluation; benefit/cost analysis
Assignment 12 - Regeneration problem set
Nov 30 EXAM
Dec 5 Professional ethics: background, SAF code (possible late start)
Lab: Planting operations, prescribed burning
Dec 7 Last day of classes
Professional ethics: situation discussions; conflicts of interest
Assignment 13 DUE (ethics essay)
Dec 16 FINAL – Exam Group 16A (7:30 am – 9:30 am)

Updated 10/3/05