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Travis Idol's Academics Page
Fall Semester

Special Topics: Environmental Ethics (taught occasionally)
Evaluation of Natural Resource Management
Spring Semester

Tropical Forestry and Agroforestry (even years)
Internship
Forest Nutrition and Biogeochemistry (odd years)
Summer Session

 

Field Course in Tropical Forestry
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NREM 380: Tropical Forestry and Agroforestry
(syllabus in pdf format)

Format: Three 50-minute lectures. On alternate Friday class sessions, we will have class presentations and discussions on relevant topics. Two Saturday field trips (half-day) will substitute for individual class sessions. A 3-day optional field trip to the island of Hawaii is scheduled during Spring Break. The department normally subsidize expenses for this trip. Pre-requisites: BIOL 171 and CHEM 161 or consent of instructor.

Readings:
  • Elevitch, C.R. and K.M. Wilkinson. 2000. Agroforestry guides for Pacific islands. Permanent Agriculture Resources, Holualoa, HI.
  • Various assigned readings and handouts from the instructor.
Objectives:
  1. Understand the biophysical environment of tropical forests
  2. Become familiar with traditional and modern forest management planning and practices
  3. Develop practical skills in forest inventory measurement and analysis
  4. Understand the traditional role and modern potential of tropical agroforestry as a land management system
Assignments:
  1. Field Trip Assignments: Field trips will be used to collect real-world data on forest structure and dynamics. Students will be expected to summarize and analyze this data according to assignment directions. (15%)
  2. In-class participation: Students will be expected to give presentations on class topics or lead discussion on relevant issues covered in class during the alternate Friday discussion sessions. (20%)
  3. Mid-term examinations: There will be mid-term two examinations during the course of the semester. (20% each)
  4. Final Exam: There will be a final comprehensive examination. (25%)
Schedule of Topics

Weeks 1-2: Tropical Forests and Life Zone Classifications
    Discussion: How well does Hawaii fit in life zone classification schemes?

Weeks 3-5: Tree and Forest Structure, Dynamics, and Measurements
    Field Trip: Forest Measurements and Inventory
    Discussion: Comparison of forest inventory and analysis procedures

Week 6: Forests and Forestry in Hawaii
    Exam 1

Weeks 7-8: Tropical Forest Management from Pre-history to European Colonization
    Discussion: The controversial role of shifting cultivation in tropical forest management

Weeks 9-10. Modern Silvicultural Systems
    Discussion: Plantation forestry in the tropics

Week 11: Optional Field Trip to Hawaii Island

Week 12-15. Tropical Agroforestry Systems
    Exam 2
    Field Trip: Examples of agroforestry systems
    Discussion: Tree-crop interactions in agroforestry systems

Weeks 16-17. Designing Sustainable Forestry Systems
    Discussion: Sustainable forestry in the tropics

Final Exam























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NREM 492: Internship
(syllabus in pdf format)
Pre-requisites: Restricted to NREM undergraduates. Recommended for students with junior year standing.

Course Description

Internship is a 4-credit, writing intensive course that is a graduation requirement for all CTAHR majors. It is offered in spring semesters only and consists of two parts, a one-hour and 15 minute weekly meeting during the semester and a work period during the following summer. The classroom portion features seminars or discussion sessions on professionalism, ethics, conflict resolution, resume preparation, and interviewing skills, which are held jointly with other CTAHR Internship courses. In addition, a field trip incorporates speakers from the animal science/horticultural/agricultural industry or service organizations who discuss their respective businesses, their career development and career opportunities. There are numerous writing assignments, including an extensive report of the field experience, a journal, a term paper, joint session assignments, and a resume. An oral presentation is also required.

The work experience portion of the course is conducted at an approved site. An agreement involving the employer, student and instructor is developed prior to the work experience. A minimum of 135 hours of work experience is required. You will complete a journal and a 10-page written report of the work experience. Your report will include such items as a description of the operation, an analysis of the business (horticultural/agricultural practices, personnel management, etc.), and an evaluation of your work experience in relation to new techniques obtained, relationship to your academic knowledge, and its effect on your future plans. Your employer will complete an evaluation of your performance at the end of your employment. Because part of the course will take place after the spring semester, you will receive an incomplete (I) for the spring semester. The I will be changed to a grade, after your 10-15 page written report and employer evaluation is received.

The purpose of the work experience portion of the course is to obtain experience in a supervised environment that will enable students to: a) acquire work experience in a horticultural/ agricultural industry or related service agency; b) integrate and apply knowledge from your academic program to practical work responsibilities; c) obtain experience in decision-making and to gain an understanding of interpersonal skills needed to work productively with employers, co-workers and customers/clients; d) determine whether you have a real interest in this field as a career; e) develop personal contacts with people in this industry and f) identify weaknesses in your education. For help in finding an internship, use the list of past internships that former NREM 492 students have completed.






































































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NREM 686: Forest Nutrition and Biogeochemistry
(syllabus in pdf format)

Format: Two 50-minute lectures and one 50-minute discussion section.

Pre-requisites: Restricted to graduate students or senior undergraduate students. Undergraduate ecology course, e.g. BIOL 265, BOT 351, 453/454 or equivalent and undergraduate soils course, e.g. NREM 304 or equivalent.

Objectives: To understand the major components and processes of terrestrial biogeochemistry, with an emphasis on internal nutrient cycling, relationships of biogeochemistry to ecosystem structure and function, and responses to changes in vegetation and climate.

Readings:

  • Fisher RF and Binkley D. 2000. Ecology and Management of Forest Soils. Wiley & Sons, New York.
  • Schlesinger WH. 1997. Biogeochemistry: an Analysis of Global Change. Academic Press, San Diego, CA.
  • Vitousek PM. 2004. Nutrient Cycling and Limitation: Hawaii as a Model System. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ.

    • These are background readings for the lectures. They are not required but may be helpful if you are not familiar with the concepts being covered in class that week. A copy of each textbook is on reserve at Sinclair Library. Other background readings will be available either electronically or placed in the course binder in Sherman 201. Electronic copies will be posted at the Laulima website for this course (http://laulima.hawaii.edu).

  • Journal articles and other publications for the discussion session are required readings, as you will be graded on your write-up and participation in the discussion. A copy of readings will be available either electronically or placed in the course binder in Sherman 201.

Assignments:

  1. Article Discussions: Each week, 2 major articles will be assigned for both background preparation and discussion in Friday's class. A pair of students will be assigned to lead the discussion of each article, according to guidelines in the syllabus. Other students will be required to participate in the discussion.
  2. Article Reviews: After the Friday discussion, all students will be required to critically evaluate one of the articles discussed in class, according to guidelines in the syllabus.
  3. Two in-class examinations: During Weeks 6 and 11; short-essay format.
  4. Final project: Students will be required to write a research grant proposal according to the format and guidelines of either the EPA STAR program or the NSF dissertation strengthening program, both geared toward graduate students. The research outlined in the proposal should be relevant to the topics covered in class, but it may incorporate ideas and concepts outside of class that fall within the student's discipline area. The completed proposal and a 10-minute presentation outlining the proposed research are due during finals week.
Basics of Biogeochemistry
  1. Systems Ecology: How to Think Like a Biogeochemist.
  2. Origin of Soil Minerals and Weathering Reactions.
  3. Soil Development and Biogeochemical Processes.
  4. Nutrient Inputs to Terrestrial Ecosystems.
  5. Nutrient Outputs from Terrestrial Ecosystems.
Forest Nutrient Cycling
  1. Forest Nutrition and Nutrient Limitations.
  2. Nutrient Use Efficiency: Adapting to Nutrient Limitations.
  3. Integration of Energy, Carbon and Nutrient Cycles.
    4. Mid-Term Exam.
  4. Nitrogen Cycling I: A Global Perspective.
  5. Nitrogen Cycling II: Biogeochemistry at the Ecosystem Level.
  6. Spring Break. No Class.
  7. Phosphorus Cycling I: Inorganic and Organic Cycling Pathways
  8. Phosphorus Cycling II: Plant Access and Uptake Mechanisms
Management Strategies to Enhance and Sustain Forest Nutrition
  1. Fertilization I. Forms of Fertilizer, Application Methods, and Expected Responses.
  2. Fertilization II. Effects on Ecosystem Processes.
  3. Nitrogen Fixation. Effects on Forest Nutrition and Biogeochemistry.
  4. Forest Harvesting: Effects on Nutrition and Biogeochemistry.
  5. Finals Week: Presentations of Final Projects








































 

 

 

 


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NREM 491: Special Topics-Environmental Ethics
(syllabus in pdf format)

Format: Two 50-minute lectures and a 50-minute discussion section.

Prerequisites: NREM 210 or a basic philosophy course, e.g. PHIL 103.

Objectives:

  1. Learn the basic philosophical foundations of ethics, especially in reference to environmental issues
  2. Understand how ethical principles are applied to environmental study, management, and regulation
  3. Analyze the ethical dimensions of environmental issues at the personal, professional, political, and cultural levels
Assignments:
  1. General discussions of ethical issues.
  2. Case study presentations and formalized debates.
  3. Examinations: Two in-class exams will be given during Weeks 6 and 11. Questions will require either short answer or short essay responses.
  4. Final project: A more detailed case study and presentation in class.
Module 1. Philosophical Foundations for Environmental Ethics
  1. Introduction to Ethics
    Class discussion: constructing good ethical arguments
  2. Act Consequentialism and Utilitarianism
    Group Discussion: Drilling in ANWR
  3. Deontology and Theories of Rights
  4. Rules of the Game and Economics of Environment
    Group Discussion: The "value" of environmental services
  5. Free Market Environmentalism and Green Economics
    Exam 1

Module 2. Non-Anthropocentric Ethics of the Environment

  1. Aldo Leopold and the land ethic I.
  2. Aldo Leopold and the land ethic II.
    Class Discussion: Is recycling a sound waste management strategy?
  3. Deep ecology and the concept of “wildness”
    Group Discussion: The ethics of whaling around the world
  4. Ecofeminism
    Class Discussion: Have we been getting it backwards all along? A discussion of ecofeminism
  5. Professional Ethics in Environmental Fields
    Exam 2

Module 3. Case Studies of Environmental Ethics

The final module will consist of specific topics that will change from year to year, based on student interest and current events. Previous examples have included:

  • Animal rights and human responsibilities
  • Agricultural Ethics
  • Genetically Modified Organisms
  • Sustainability As a Goal of Human Enterprise and Development
Finals: Case Study Presentation and Paper






















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NREM 600: Evaluation of Natural Resource Management

 Schedule: Monday and Friday from 2:00-3:15 PM.

Pre-requisites: Restricted to NREM graduate students. Basic biology and chemistry course required.

Objective: To analyze the biophysical potential and limitations of natural resource management approaches and evaluate the success or failure of actual management programs.

Assignments: Students will be given occasional assignments and quizzes based on the current topic. A final project will be assigned that may be completed either individually or in groups. A project outline and rough draft will be due during the semester. The final project report and presentation will be due at the end of the semester.

Example Topics:
  1. Soil properties, processes, and conservation issues
  2. The hydrologic cycle and watershed structure and function
  3. Forest productivity, development, and response to management
  4. Evaluation of sustainable forest management
  5. Evaluation of watershed management and modeling
  6. Evaluation of soil conservation practices in the tropics
  7. Using spatial data analysis tools to manage natural resources
  8. Revisiting the ahupua'a approach to natural resource management
Readings: Readings will generally be textbook chapters, technical reports, and scientific articles supplies either in class or online. See links below for specific readings.

Sustainable Forestry
Lecture Notes (pdf)
Readings

  1. Week 1. Introduction to Sustainable Forestry
  2. Week 2. Evaluation of Forestry Certification

 

 

 

 

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FOR 398: Field Course in Tropical Forestry
    Schedule:
  • July 16-August 03, 2007
  • Monday through Friday 8:00 AM-5:00 PM
    Pre-requisites:
  • Background and interest in forestry.
  • Coursework or experience in biology, soil science, and forestry.
  • Ideal for forestry undergraduates, new grad students, or forestry professionals.
    Objectives:
  1. Learn about the diversity of tropical forests and the natural history of Hawaii's forests.
  2. Evaluate the role of forest plantations in tropical forestry.
  3. See first-hand the threats to tropical forest conservation.
  4. Visit active forest conservation and restoration projects.
  5. Review forest inventory and analysis techniques.
  6. Develop a draft forest management plan to promote sustainable forestry in Hawaii.
    Assignments: All assignments will be completed in small groups. Students will evaluate group member contributions.
  • Use data supplied by instructors or gathered in the field to evaluate forest and forestry conditions.
  • Discuss forest conservation, restoration, and sustainable forestry options for the tropics and Hawaii.
  • Use forest inventory data to make growth and yield predictions.
  • Final project: develop a preliminary forest management plan for a specific tropical forest in Hawaii.

Course Schedule (subject to change)

    Week 1: Introduction to Hawaii’s Tropical Forests
  1. Tropical Forest Classification and Life Zones in Hawaii
  2. Natural History of Hawaii's Forests and Forestry
  3. Field Trips to Different Forest Life Zones
  4. Assignments: Classifying Life Zones; Discussing Tropical Forest Management Challenges and Opportunities
    Week 2: Plantation Forests and Forestry
  1. Variety of Plantation Forests in the Tropics and Hawaii
  2. Review of Forest Inventory and Analysis Techniques
  3. Field Trips to Various Plantation Forests in Hawaii
  4. Assignments: Forest Growth and Yield Predictions; Discussing the Role of Tropical Plantation Forests
    Week 3: Forest Restoration and Conservation
  1. Global to Local Issues: Loss and Alteration of Forest Cover, Invasive Species, Climate Change
  2. Restoration and Conservation Initiatives in Hawai
  3. Field Trips to Forest Conservation and Restoration Projects in Wet and Dry Forests
  4. Assignments: Develop and Present Miniature Forest Management Plan

Last modified: April 24, 2007