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FW 2010 Vegetation of North America- 2006

Instructor:
Maria Pregitzer
G026 Horner Hall, SFRES
Phone: 487-3166
mipregit@mtu.edu

Office Hours:
Wednesdays 9am - noon
Wednesdays 2pm - 4pm
and by arrangement.
Open door policy

Lab Instructors:
office hours by arrangement

Section L01 & L05
Maria Pregitzer

Section L02
Tara Eberhart
tleberha@mtu.edu
 Office: G030

Section L03
Melissa Watkins
mdwatkin@mtu.edu
Office: G030

Section L04
Rita Koch
rmkoch@mtu.edu
Office: G030

Lecture Time & Location:
G002 Hesterberg Hall
11:05-11:55, Tuesday & Thursday

Lab Time & Location:
G029 Horner Hall
Sections 1 Tuesday
1:05pm - 4:55pm
Section 2 - Wednesday
2:05pm - 5:55pm
Section 3 - Thursday
1:05pm - 4:55pm
Section 4 - Friday
9:05am - 12:55pm
Section 5 - Thursday
2:05pm - 5:55pm

Goals/Format: In this class you will learn the basic concepts of plant taxonomy as they relate to woody plants, how to identify local trees and shrubs, how to identify commercially important trees from other areas in North America, and the life-history attributes of these species. The class consists of two one-hour lectures and one four-hour lab per week. The first seven labs are held outdoors and the remaining ones are held in G029 Horner Hall. You will be responsible for learning close to 200 woody plants. This is a memory and time intensive class. FW2010 forms the foundation for subsequent courses in forest biology, ecology, management and conservation.

Grading:  Over 25 opportunities to accrue points are available to you!  Don’t miss out on any! They are as follows:
Assignments Value Possible points
11 weekly lab quizzes 40 points each 440
1 Outdoor Field Final (week 7) 480 points possible 480
1 Indoor Lab Practical
Dec. 18 @ 7:30pm		 240 points possible 240
5 Lecture Quizzes ~50 points each 250
3 Assignments 50 points each 150
5 Mini-presentations 50 points each 250
Total
 1810 possible points

To receive an A (1700-1810 pts);  AB (1600-1699);  B (1500-1599); BC (1400-1499); C (1260-1399); 
CD (1200-1259); D (1075-1199).

Required Texts: Textbook of Dendrology, 9th Ed., Hardin, Leopold, and White, McGraw-Hill AND
Fruit Key and Twig Key to Trees & Shrubs, WM Harlow, Dover Publications

Recommended Text: Michigan Trees, 1981 or 2004, Barnes and Wagner, Univ. of Michigan Press

Required Equipment: 10X hand lens, available at bookstore (ask at the register)

Printable Syllabus

Lecture and Reading Schedule

Lab Schedule

 Discussion Board

Sample Test

Fruit Types

Homework Assignments
Homework 1 Homework 2 Homework 3

Mini-Presentation

Mini-Presentation

Lab Species Lists

Lab 1 Lab 5 Lab 9 Lab 13
Lab 2 Lab 6 Lab 10  
Lab 3 Lab 7 Field Exam Lab 11  
Lab 4 Lab 8 Lab 12  

Useful Links

See a tree- Virginia Tech Wood Plant ID
Silvics of North America
FW2010: Lecture and Reading Schedule Fall 2006

T  Sept 5

Introduction; Class procedures; (Latin Nomenclature);

pp. 1-25*

Th Sept 7

Vegetative Morphology: leaves, twigs, buds, bark
Field Assignment #1 (due in class 9-19-06)

pp. 67-85

T  Sept 12

Reproductive Morphology: flowers, fruits, cones

pp. 85-93

Th Sept 14

Reproductive Morphology, continued

 

T  Sept 19

Field Assignment #1 due in class today;
Seed dispersal, germination;  vegetative reproduction

pp. 94-96

Th Sept 21

LECTURE QUIZ 1 (nomenclature and morphology);
Use of a key; Keying Assignment #2 (due by 10-19-06)

pp.27-43

T  Sept 26

Life History Attributes: tolerance, habitat, range;
Silvics Assignment #3 (due in class 10-03-06)

pp. 55-61

Th Sept 28

Species, Hybrids, and Variation

pp. 45-54

T  Oct 3

Systematics: Gymnosperms

Read about families

Th Oct 5

Systematics: Gymnosperms
Silvics Assignment #3 due in class

Read about families

T  Oct 10

Systematics: Angiosperms

Read about families

Th Oct 12

 Why leaves change color; How to press a plant

T  Oct 17

LECTURE QUIZ 2 (Systematics, silvics, and variation)

 

Th Oct 19

Forested Communities of North America, an overview
Keying Assignment #2 due today (give to your TA)

pp. 61-66

T  Oct 24

The Boreal Forest

 

Th Oct 26

Northern Hardwood Forest

  

T  Oct 31

Beech Maple Forest

 

Th Nov 2

Beech Maple Forest, continued

 

T  Nov 7

LECTURE QUIZ 3 (use of Textbook of Dendrology, keying);
Central Hardwoods: Mixed Mesophytic Forest; Western Mesophytic Forest

 

Th Nov 9

Central Hardwoods:
Appalachian Oak Forest; Oak-Hickory Forest

 

T  Nov 14

Oak-Pine Forest; Southern Evergreen Forest

 

Th Nov 16

Elevational Zonation;
Forests of the Southern, Central and Northern Rockies

 

T  Nov 21

Thanksgiving Break

 

Th Nov 23

Thanksgiving Break

 

T  Nov 28

LECTURE QUIZ 4 (eastern forests)

 

Th Nov 30

Forests of the Rocky Mountains, cont

 

T  Dec 5

Forests of the Pacific NW

 

Th Dec 7

Forests of Coastal and Interior California

 

T  Dec 12

Review

 

Th Dec 14

LECTURE QUIZ 5 (western forests)

 

.* Readings are from Textbook of Dendrology, 9 th Ed., Hardin, Leopold, and White, McGraw-Hill.
Note: Much of the same material is also covered in Michigan Trees, and is highly recommended.

FW2010:Lab Schedule Fall 2006

Week 1:  Sept 5 - 8

Forestry Building Vicinity

Week 2:  Sept 11- Sept 15

MTU trails; Quiz 1

Week 3:  Sept 18 - Sept 22

McLain State Park; Quiz 2

Week 4:  Sept 25 - Sept 29

Hancock Beach; Quiz 3

Week 5:  Oct 2 – Oct 6

Elevenmile Lake; Quiz 4

Week 6:  Oct 9 - Oct 13

MTU Campus; Quiz 5

Week 7:  Oct 16 - Oct 20

OUTDOOR FIELD EXAM - during lab

Week 8:  Oct 23 - Oct 27

Eastern U.S.- part 1

Week 9:  Oct 30 – Nov 3

Eastern U.S.- part 2; Quiz 6

Week 10:  Nov 6 - Nov 10

Southern Forests; Quiz 7

Week 11:  Nov 13 - Nov 17

Central and Southern Rockies; Quiz 8

Nov 20 - Nov 24

Thanksgiving Break Week

Week 12:  Nov 27 – Dec 1

Northern Rockies and Pacific NW; Quiz 9

Week 13: Dec 4 - Dec 8

Coastal and Interior California; Quiz 10

Week 14:  Dec 11 - Dec 15

Quiz 11; Review

Exam Week
Monday, Dec 18, 7:30pm


Indoor Lab Practical
*Read the species descriptions in your text(s) as you learn the trees in each lab.**
Page last modified February 5, 2007